Lamborghini is set to compete at the top level of endurance racing from 2024, with an entry in the premier classes of the IMSA SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship, known as GTP and Hypercar, respectively.
The automaker on Thursday used the backdrop of the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed in the U.K. to present its contender for both series, the SC63. The SC signifies Lamborghini’s Squadra Corse racing department while the number 63 is the year of Lamborghini’s founding.
The car has been built to LMDh regulations, making it eligible for both the GTP and Hypercar classes, just like cars built to LMH regulations, such as Ferrari’s 499P and Toyota’s GR010 Hybrid. Balance of Performance rules help to ensure an even playing field.
Lamborghini will enter one car in each of the full seasons of the SportsCar Championship and World Endurance Championship, meaning appearances at premier races like the 24 Hours of Daytona and 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Lamborghini will team up with Italian racing team Iron Lynx for its LMDh program, competing as Lamborghini Iron Lynx. Lamborghini will also work with Prema Engineering, an Italian company that offers operational, technical, and engineering support for motorsports.
Confirmed drivers include former Formula 1 drivers Romain Grosjean and Daniil Kvyat, as well as existing Lamborghini Squadra Corse drivers Andrea Caldarelli and Mirko Bortolotti. Other drivers will be confirmed later in 2023.
All LMDh race cars feature a hybrid powertrain using a standard transmission, battery, and motor-generator unit to help keep a lid on costs. Constructors are free to choose the internal-combustion component of the powertrain, with Lamborghini opting for a turbocharged 3.8-liter V-8 developed in-house specifically for the LMDh program. Constructors can also choose the gear ratios for the transmission and the amount of slip of the mechanical differential.
2024 Lamborghini SC63 LMDh race car
2024 Lamborghini SC63 LMDh race car
2024 Lamborghini SC63 LMDh race car
In line with LMDh regulations, the powertrain can generate at any time a maximum output of around 670 hp from both power sources. The cars must also have a minimum weight of 2,270 pounds without the fuel and driver.
Constructors also need to use a control chassis similar to a current LMP2 chassis, sourced from one of four suppliers: Dallara, Ligier, Multimatic, and Oreca. Lamborghini has chosen a chassis from Ligier. As Lamborghini was the first constructor to opt for the chassis, it was able to work with Ligier on finalizing the specification, for example the design of the push rod front suspension, the overall weight distribution, and the ease in which certain key parts can be repaired.
The first race for Lamborghini’s SC63 will be the 2024 24 Hours of Daytona next January, the race that serves as the opening round of the SportsCar Championship. Also joining the fray in 2024 will be France’s Alpine with its own LMDh.