Lamborghini Targeting 2020 IGTC Program

Photo: Jamey Price/Lamborghini

Lamborghini is targeting a manufacturer entry in Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli for 2020, with the global GT3 championship a “priority” for the future, according to Head of Lamborghini Motorsport Giorgio Sanna.

The Italian manufacturer, which has been represented in several IGTC events with one-off customer efforts, appears set to put an increased focus on securing a full-season program with several teams.

It comes amid the rapid growth of the SRO Motorsports Group’s series, which sees a record eight registered manufacturers for the 2019 season that kicks off this weekend at Bathurst.

“It’s of course one of our priorities for the future,” Sanna told Sportscar365. “Unfortunately until today there was not a chance to set up the right program with the right team and driver lineup.

“At the end of the day, Intercontinental is becoming a big game. If we decide to do it, we want to do it in the best way possible.

“It was probably not the right time to build up the program like this but it’s one of our priorities for the future.

“For 2020, I think the time could be good to do it with one or more teams.”

It’s understood FFF Racing Team, which is set to expand into the Blancpain GT Endurance Cup as a factory-supported team, had been among the teams that expressed initial interest for this year.

Sanna said its targeted IGTC involvement would likely come with full-season teams instead of race-by-race entrants, which series boss Stephane Ratel had initially been pushing for.

Audi and Porsche are set to utilize local teams in the majority of the races this year, while Nissan, Mercedes-AMG and BMW opting for full-season entires.

“It’s also what some of our teams are asking for,” said Sanna. “It can work in the way Stephane would like to have but it depends on what you expect from the local teams.

“But it’s also difficult to also to get teams that are competing in different championships with different tires with different rules and different schedules. It’s not so easy.”

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