Lamborghini’s LMDh bolide tears down 1,500 kilometres at Imola – The hypercar for WEC and IMSA 2024 will complete further tests before the end of August
The first test kilometres have been completed for the Lamborghini SC63, with which the Iron Lynx factory team will contest the full World Endurance Championship (WEC) and IMSA SportsCar Championship endurance races in 2024.
Over two days, Lamborghini factory drivers Mirko Bortolotti, Daniil Kwjat and Andrea Caldarelli completed the first “proper” test laps at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola. Romain Grosjean was absent due to his IndyCar commitment. Only a few days ago, the LMDh bolide based on a Ligier chassis had seen its rollout in Vallelunga.
In a short statement, Lamborghini talks about calibration runs and collecting data, especially in relation to the 3.8-litre V8 turbo engine developed specifically for the LMDh project. Of course, it was also a matter of familiarising themselves with the LMDh components from Bosch, Xtrac and Williams Advanced Engineering.
Lamborghini has scheduled further test drives for the car before the end of August: They will continue at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, followed by the Circuit de Spa-Fracorchamps.
The first tests in the USA are scheduled for September, when the second chassis is ready for testing. The often bumpy tracks of the IMSA SportsCar Championship have different requirements than the FIA Grade 1 circuits in Europe and Asia. Finally, the homologation of the car is still pending.
The Lamborghini SC63’s race debut is scheduled for the 1,812 kilometres of Qatar in early March 2024. Iron Lynx will skip the 24 Hours of Daytona. Accordingly, the debut in the USA is planned for the 12 Hours of Sebring in mid-March. Only the IMSA endurance races minus Daytona will be driven. No customer cars are planned.
Lamborghini Squadra Corse still has two places to fill on the driver squad. GT3 ace Raffaele Marciello is considered a hot candidate.