Lamborghini Expects “At Least Five” New EVO2s for Daytona

Lamborghini expects “at least five” examples of its new Huracan GT3 EVO2 to be on the grid for the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January, including one GT Daytona Pro entry.

Lamborghini’s Head of Motorsport Giorgio Sanna told Sportscar365 that the Italian manufacturer is targeting a substantial cohort of cars for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opener on Jan. 28-29.

The Rolex 24 will be the first race for the new Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, which was launched in May as the replacement for the current Huracan GT3 Evo.

Sanna also confirmed that Lamborghini plans to support an entry in IMSA’s highest GT category, GTD Pro, for the Michelin Endurance Cup which consists of Daytona, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen and Motul Petit Le Mans.

Last year Lamborghini provided extended support to Florida-based TR3 Racing for Daytona and Sebring, but it did not enter any further Pro races with its Huracan GT3 Evo.

“We will have one car in GTD Pro, for sure, and I expect to have at least five cars running overall,” Sanna told Sportscar365.

“For next year, we are working to have a GTD Pro car in the Michelin Endurance Cup.

“The interest in North America is very high, in general, for all the Lamborghini Squadra Corse programs.

“We have huge requests for Super Trofeo cars, and also GT3.”

Asked about which team will run the GTD Pro car at Daytona and beyond, Sanna replied: “We will see. We are working on it, but we expect at least five cars [at Daytona].”

Porsche has similarly stated a target of having at least six new 911 GT3 Rs on the Daytona grid for the introduction of its new GT3 car.

Sanna went on to confirm that Lamborghini has received 20 orders for new Huracan GT3 EVO2s, while the rest of the cars will be upgraded from the current Evo specification.

“For the cars that have been developed in the last two years, it will be possible to upgrade the car with the kit,” Sanna said.

“We expect more than 40 cars running next year in EVO2 spec, worldwide. Always in the most important championships.

“In the 20 cars that we have already confirmed, there are also a few American cars.

“The challenge now is to deliver the cars in time for everybody, especially for the American teams because we have IMSA teams starting at Daytona, and GT World Challenge America teams starting in March.”

All Lamborghinis at the Rolex 24 will be EVO2s, and the plan is for the new product to be rolled out in time for teams competing in full-calendar year championships such as Fanatec GT World Challenge powered by AWS, the DTM and domestic competitions.

However, the existing Huracan GT3 Evo is expected to remain in action for some events scheduled for the early months of next year.

SRO Motorsports Group recently confirmed that the EVO2 and the new Porsche 911 GT3 R won’t be eligible for the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour and the Kyalami 9 Hour.

This is because those events are due to take place before SRO’s Balance of Performance test, which enables the organization to gather data and identify how to integrate new cars into the field of existing vehicles.

“We will start to deliver the cars in December,” Sanna explained.

“Daytona is the first event where the EVO2 will debut. In other races like Dubai 24H and Asian Le Mans Series, we expect the teams to run with the existing Evo.

“Then, the European teams will start to use the EVO2 from March or April. From December until March, we plan to deliver all the new cars and kit needed.”

EVO2 Part of “Natural Growth” for Squadra Corse

Sanna has described the Huracan GT3 EVO2 as part of a “natural growth” of the company’s Squadra Corse racing department.

Lamborghini has progressively imparted more of its own development to the GT3 car, with the latest iteration containing links to the STO version of the road-going Huracan as well as upgrades to the 5.2-liter, naturally-aspirated V10 engine.

“[Comparing] the first Huracan GT3 until the EVO2, we have developed the car with a massive intervention from a Squadra Corse point of view,” Sanna suggested.

“In this moment, the car is fully developed from our side. We share the chassis and the gearbox together with Audi, but the rest of the car is completely designed and developed by us.

“This was a part of the strategy that we have put in place, with the life cycle of the car. When we started in GT3, we had a structure on the technical side that was one-third of today.

“So we say thank you to Audi, to be on our side and help us at the beginning of the project. Even today, we have a very good relationship and partnership with them, when we need.

“But it’s clear that the target was, and is still, to grow in terms of competence and experience, and it is what we are doing.

“On the EVO2, we are looking at the normal and natural growth of the motorsport department in the right direction. And LMDh will be an additional important step.”