Lamborghini Completes SC63 Homologation, First Race Car

Photo: Rick Dole/IMSA

Lamborghini has completed the homologation process for both the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with its SC63 LMDh car, with the first race chassis having also been rolled out.

The Italian manufacturer, which will undertake a dual series program in partnership with Iron Lynx, received homologation from the FIA and ACO earlier this month, utilizing the same chassis that went through IMSA’s process late last year.

It included wind tunnel sessions at Sauber (WEC) and Windshear (IMSA) to verify the aerodynamic configurations of the car for each respective championship.

“We have just completed the homologation procedure,” Head of Lamborghini Motorsport Giorgio Sanna told selected reporters during last weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona.

“First we homologated in IMSA and in early January we did the same with the FIA and ACO.

“We have completed the entire process. Just [last week] we completed the shakedown of the first race car. That will be the car for Qatar.”

Sanna explained that the shakedown of the first race chassis was held at Magny-Cours, adjacent to chassis constructor Ligier Automotive’s workshop, with two additional tests planned before the WEC season-opener on March 2.

While the WEC-bound chassis will turn laps at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya prior to Qatar, Lamborghini’s current test chassis will be on hand at Sebring International Raceway for a durability test next month.

“Now we have two cars and the third is coming,” Sanna said. “The target is to have [the second race chassis] before Sebring but it’s not a priority because we have to take care of the spare parts.”

Sanna revealed that the test car could theoretically be used for the SC63’s U.S. debut in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March as it’s in “very good shape.”

Lamborghini chief technical officer Rouven Mohr told Sportscar365 that the manufacturer has completed close to 10,000 kms of testing so far.

“During the development we did the maximum we could do on the virtual and also on the test bench side,” Mohr said. “We did already a lot of long runs for the engine, for the whole drivetrain and all the things you can test in advance.

“For sure it was clear the timing was very tough, anyhow, because we had the rollout in August and we know we were targeting the beginning of March for the first race in Doha.

“If you look also at the experience of the last month and years, it’s very tough to have this timeline.

“Therefore we tried to anticipate as much as we can and from our point of view, we even over-exceeded the mileage targets of the car.

“The only thing for sure is that we will do another long run in Sebring because in Sebring, we think from specifically the requirements of how the track is, that this is then another milestone we have to check regarding the reliability for sure.”

Lamborghini Setting Realistic Expectations for Qatar Debut

With the ten-hour Qatar race serving as the SC63’s first race, Mohr said they are heading to the Middle East with realistic expectations.

The single-car Hypercar entry will be driven by Mirko Bortolotti, Daniil Kvyat and Edoardo Mortara.

“For sure it’s a season, at least in the first races, where we have to learn a lot,” Mohr said. “Then you can also learn and be competitive at the same time.

“The target is to be competitive but as you will not start, you will not have any idea where you are.

“It’s not just a matter of doing lap time. We already demonstrated the car is competitive. It’s [now] a matter of being consistent and the consistency is something you achieve step by step growing.”

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