Daytona Test Good ‘First Approach’ for Temerario GT3

Photo: John Dagys

Andrea Caldarelli believes this weekend’s IMSA-sanctioned test at Daytona International Speedway is a good “first approach” for the Lamborghini Temerario GT3 in North America ahead of its targeted race debut in next year’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Caldarelli and fellow Lamborghini factory drivers Marco Mapelli and Franck Perera will handle testing duties of the twin-turbocharged V8-powered GT3 car over the two-day test, marking the car’s first laps on U.S. soil.

“We know that IMSA is a series that requires a lot of checks, control, different sensors and so-on,” Caldarelli told Sportscar365. “We’ve only run the car in Europe, so this test is good to have the first approach to prepare the car technically to be eligible for IMSA spec.

“It’s very good that we came here and we make sure with IMSA that everything works fine and they are happy with everything we mount on the car.”

Lamborghini took a similar approach to its SC63 LMDh car two years ago by utilizing the Daytona test prior to the car’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship debut at Sebring.

“It seems like it’s a trend for me,” said Caldarelli. “I remember when I came out with the SC63 first. It was a similar situation. We knew we were not going to debut [in Daytona] but we came, it was good.

“A lot of things and systems that we discovered here were not working. Then with IMSA, we worked hard those two days and then we arrived in Sebring and we had an amazing debut at Sebring.

“It’s a car that’s going to be our GT future. It’s obviously a new model that’s going on the road soon. North America is our biggest market as well.

“It’s super important and the fact that we’ll be making the car’s debut in Sebring really shows how much commitment we have with IMSA and with North America in general.”

Caldarelli said the car’s testing program has so far been deemed a success, with the car hitting its mileage targets with limited issues.

“We did an endurance test at Paul Ricard over two days,” he said. “It all ran well, I have to say, it was pretty smooth. We did all the mileage that we wanted to do.

“We didn’t work much on performance but we focused on reliability and all the systems.

“The car is very different system-wise, from the Huracan. We’ve got a lot of new systems that we are still tuning and trimming and understanding as well.

“It was a very, very positive approach during the endurance test because we did not have any major problems to stop us doing mileage.

“From Day 1 to Paul Ricard, we managed to even do some back-to-back testing, week after week, which is not very simple.

“The guys at home in Italy, hats off to them because it was a hard, compressed few months.”

Caldarelli: Temerario GT3 “Less Physical” to Drive Compared to Huracan

The longtime factory driver believes that Lamborghini’s first clean-sheet GT3 entry is an easier car to drive than its predecessor, the Huracan GT3, which will benefit gentlemen drivers once the Temerario completes a full customer rollout.

When asked what the biggest difference between the two cars are, the Italian was quick to point out the engine’s characteristics.

“We’re talking about a V8 twin-turbo against a V10 normally-aspirated, so already the DNA is completely different,” said Caldarelli.

“The drivability-wise, it also drives different, even though I have to say I felt since Day 1 that we have a very solid base to work on.

“In only four days of tests, we arrived to more-or-less the calibration that we now have in the car.

“That really shows the solid base of the engine and how easy to drive and easy to tune it is.

“This is a big change from the Huracan. But drivability wise, the engine did not give any problem. It’s quite easy to understand how to drive the engine.

“Then chassis, aerodynamics and so-on, it’s different from the Huracan. It requires a bit of a different driving style, I have to be honest.

“I think it’s a little bit less physical to drive, which gives a different approach to the driving style. But we’re still discovering it. It’s going to be a work in progress, even next year.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John