Change, O’Gara Confirm Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Programs for 2016

Photo: Vision Sport Agency

The first two full-season customer teams of the new Lamborghini Huracán GT3 for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship have been confirmed, with Change Racing and O’Gara Motorsports set to step up to top-level IMSA competition next year.

The two Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo North America squads will join Konrad Motorsport, as well potentially other entrants, in the car’s U.S. debut in January’s season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona.

“We are only focused and committed to customer racing,” Head of Lamborghini Motorsport Giorgio Sanna said. “For us, GT3 is the pinnacle of our strategy.

“We are excited to make this next step in North America as our motorsport program competes for the first time in Lamborghini history in the 24 Hours at Daytona and in multiple full-season GTD efforts.”

The 585-horsrpower Huracán GT3 made its competition debut in this year’s Blancpain Endurance Series, winning its first race at Monza and having gone onto capture multiple pole positions.

While the Blancpain Endurance effort was a factory program run by GRT Grasser Racing Team, Sanna said all of its entries in 2016 will be customer teams that will receive factory support.

North Carolina-based Change Racing has been involved in Super Trofeo since its North American launch in 2013, having won back-to-back titles as well as the 2014 Pro-Am Super Trofeo World Finals.

“I’m very proud to have the opportunity to grow our relationship with Lamborghini and compliment our Super Trofeo program with a GTD effort for 2016,” said team principal Robby Benton.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to build a resume and footprint in the North American Super Trofeo Series and this is a logical next step for us. Lamborghini Squadra Corse has a very talented group supporting its customer-racing program.”

O’Gara will also expand into the WeatherTech Championship, with the Tom O’Gara-led team currently leading the Pro and Amateur driver championships.

“We’ve won several races this season and have led the championship since the first race of our inaugural season of competition as a team,” Tom O’Gara said.

“I’m confident that our GTD team next year will continue to showcase their hard work and commitment to achieving the winning tradition that we expect in our organization.

“We are also happy to create an opportunity for drivers to advance their careers after achieving success in our Super Trofeo program. Our team and I are looking forward to this next challenge.”

As previously revealed by Sportscar365, longtime Porsche entrant Franz Konrad has also confirmed a Huracán GT3 for Daytona, with the possibility of further races in North America alongside its soon-to-be-announced effort in the Blancpain Endurance Series.

“We know Daytona well. We have raced there 16 times including the last three years,” Konrad said. “We also managed to win our classes and we are confident we can keep up our positive streak.

“Here in Europe we race in Super Trofeo and we are very happy with the product. The natural choice was to move on to GT3 racing. We will line up a car with the possibility of adding a second one.”

Drivers have yet to be announced for any of the programs, with multiple existing TUDOR United SportsCar Championship teams also reportedly in discussions to field entries next year.

Up to five Huracán GT3s are expected for Daytona, including the possibility of a customer entry by the Grasser squad

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