Lamborghini drivers managing expectations ahead of Rolex 24

Lamborghini’s factory GTP drivers for this weekend’s Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona say they have set “realistic” targets for the SC63 on its debut at the event.

After the Italian marque opted to scale back its LMDh effort over the winter to just five IMSA Endurance Cup races following the split with former service provider Iron Lynx, everyone involved is treating the first race of 2025 like a fresh start.

With the WEC Hypercar and LMGT3 programs shelved (for now at least) and Riley on board to help with technical support in Florida, everyone involved is focused on delivering standout results in the biggest races that North American sportscar racing has to offer.

The timing of the Rolex 24 is notable. It’s being held as the dust settles on Maurizio Leschiutta being named as Lamborghini Squadra Corse’s motorsport boss following Giorgio Sanna’s surprise departure from the position early in 2024. This new appointment is crucial as Lamborghini maps out its future strategy in customer and factory racing.

In this case, it promises to provide stability and direction for the SC63 at a time when its future has never felt more uncertain. A solid performance at Daytona International Speedway that showcases the car’s potential could be key to securing the program’s future.

2024 was tough. The car’s developmental program through 2023 was truncated by the first test chassis being written off in a nasty incident at Paul Ricard, making the effort’s first season in both IMSA and the FIA WEC a challenging exercise from its debut at Qatar onwards.

There were flashes of pace and some encouraging signs during the year: both cars finishing at Le Mans stood out, and making Hyperpole at Fuji and the run to the lead at Indianapolis late in the IMSA season was impressive. But what the Iron Lynx-led effort on both sides of the Atlantic lacked was a complete performance and a breakthrough result. As a result, expectations remain tough to gauge heading into Year 2.

“I think that there are a lot of uncertainties. Going into this race weekend, we don’t know if we are going to be competitive,” Edoardo Mortara admits to RACER.

“I think that this is the first thing that we really need to figure out. And then obviously, before winning a race, you need to finish it.

“The car actually has been proven to be quite reliable. This has been quite a strong point, especially for a first-year LMDh car. Hopefully, it’s going to be reliable this week too.”

The Lamborghini SC63s have had a tumultuous life so far, but a double finish at Le Mans pointed to the car’s potential, and also gives the now-overhauled program something to aim for at Daytona this weekend. Motorsport Images

Mirko Bortolotti, who has been named in the No. 63 for the full Endurance Cup with Daniil Kvyat, echoes this sentiment, adding that a reliable run to the finish on Sunday is more of a priority than battling at the sharp end right now.

“I think we’ve got quite a lot of work ahead of us if we want to end up being in a position where we can fight at the top,” he says.

“Last season we had some trouble here and there, but it’s normal for a new car. Generally speaking though, on the performance side of things, we were not where we wanted to be and are still not where we want to be.”

“I think, to be realistic, the target would be to have a clean race without issues. Bring it home in a way that we finish another 24-hour race after Le Mans. Obviously, we always want to compete at the top. We always want to fight for wins. But it would be, I think, the wrong approach right now for the status we are in.”

So what are the areas of the car that require the most attention? Evaluation internally at Lamborghini is ongoing, though Mortara offers a balanced assessment and points towards the car’s weight.

“We can speak about drivability, fine-tuning the setup,” he says. “But I would say that firstly, you need to be in a window where the car operates like the others. And I think that the car’s weight has been a little bit of a problem.”

We should hear more from Leschiutta publicly about the direction of this project in a matter of days. The hope is that in time the SC63 will receive the resources it needs to mature into a platform that can fight for victory not only in IMSA, but in the FIA WEC down the line, too.

For now though, the SC63’s Rolex 24 Hours debut beckons. Will we look back on it as the event where things began to turn around? We’ll have to wait and see…