Andy David (Auto Press Club)
The Lamborghini SC63 of Romain Grosjean, Daniil Kvyat and Mirko Bortolotti retired, but showed some encouraging signs.
One retirement, but a few reasons for hope. The 73rd edition of the 12 Hours of Sebring (USA) took place this Saturday. Last year, this major round of the North American championship IMSA had seen the Lamborghini program's best result at the highest level of endurance racing, with a 7th place finish. This year, the Sant'Agata Bolognese-based brand failed to repeat this performance, with another retirement.
11th on the grid, Romain Grosjean made the most of a turbulent start to the race to finish in 7th place after half an hour. At the wheel of the only Lamborghini entered in the premier class (GTP), he managed to overtake cars reputed to be faster, such as the BMW no. 25 driven by Sheldon van der Linde and Neel Jani's private Porsche no. 5.
Even better, a neutralization behind the safety car allowed the Italian LMDh to briefly take the lead. Unfortunately for the French driver, a misunderstanding with the team during the race restart procedure prevented him from gaining this advantage. The Lamborghini was swallowed up by the pack of Porsches, BMWs and Cadillacs just before the green flag. "The race is still long", the French driver declared on the radio, far from being upset with the Riley team, now in charge of operations.
After a second phase of neutralization, Romain Grosjean engaged in a fine duel with the brand-new Aston Martin Valkyrie. Spaniard Alex Riberas passed the Lamborghini on the outside of Turn 1. Daniil Kvyat and then Mirko Bortolotti kept within touching distance of the top 10 early in the afternoon, losing a lap in the process.
Pneumatic strategy
Tire choices, on the other hand, were fairly straightforward. Michelin, official supplier to IMSA, had brought a single type of rubber to Sebring. The Pilot Sport Endurance compound was a "medium", designed to offer maximum versatility throughout the event.
As always in IMSA, heated blankets were outlawed. As a result, the air temperature exceeded 30°C in the afternoon, making it easier for the drivers to get out of the pits. Most teams ran double stints. The Bibendum's rather large allocation - 11 trains for qualifying and the race - meant that fresh trains were available for the last three hours of racing, which took place after dusk. The Italian car didn't have time to put them on.
Abandon
"With around 3 hours to go, a broken exhaust that could cause damage to the power train prompted the team to withdraw the car for safety reasons," the team said in its post-race press release. This was the seventh retirement in 15 engagements for the Italian LMDh.
Italian driver Mirko Bortolotti, who has been linked to Le Taureau for 5 seasons, was at the wheel of the GTP. He could console himself with an excellent stint early in the afternoon, when he managed to keep pace with the #5 Proton Porsche. The SC63 was one of 12 cars not to reach the finish of this 73rd edition. The drop-out rate remained high once again this year (21 %), underlining once again the unforgiving nature of the Florida track.
Nevertheless, the Lamborghini proved relatively comfortable on this bumpy track. The best lap set by the car in its green, white and red livery was 1:50.075 by Romain Grosjean. That's less than a second off the best mark set by Felipe Nasr's #7 Porsche (1:49.120), the winner after a clocked lap on Saturday evening. The Lamborghini SC63's next race outing will take place on June 22 at the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen, the next round of the Michelin Endurance Cup.
The Italian balance sheet
In the GTD Pro and GTD categories, the Lamborghini Huracán and Ferrari 296 GT3 failed to claim a podium finish.
In GTD Pro, The Spaniard Antonio Costa had made an excellent start to the race aboard the DragonSpeed 296 GT3. In the end, however, the Italian car only managed a 4th place under the chequered flag after struggling to keep pace with the "Rexy" Porsche and the night-time BMW M4s.
The first GTD class leader was Alessandro Pier Guidi. The winner of the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours suffered a brake problem that sent the 296 GT3 crashing to the grass in the first hour. Back in the lead, thanks in particular to the efforts of Lilou Wadoux, the Ferrari n°21 retired two-thirds of the way through the race.
Lambo" side, the n°77 in checkered livery enjoyed a fine first hour before suffering a power sensor problem, with Andrea Caldarelli at the wheel. It finished the 12 Hours in 10th place in GTD Pro.