Andy David
The LMDh of Lamborghni is having a tough time of it. Here's an update, in figures, one year after her competitive debut.
7th place
This is the best result for the Lamborghini SC63 since it entered competition in March 2024. This place of honour was snatched from Sebring, exactly one year ago. At the time, the Italian LMDh was making its debut in the North American IMSA championship. The n°63, driven by Matteo Cairoli, Andrea Caldarelli and Romain Grosjean, finished the race on the same lap as the leading cars.
Finishing 20 seconds behind the winner (...) is an important result," said Matteo Cairoli at the time. We have to take advantage of it, and we'll no doubt be more competitive in the next rounds".
6 retirements
Since then, the Lamborghini program has been no better. Despite the recognized talent of its pilotsnever before has a Lamborghini qualified in the top 5 of a World Endurance Championship (WEC) as in IMSA. And this despite the changes made to the Performance Balance, responsible for balancing the performance of the cars in endurance racing.
Lamborghini SC63 results:
- WEC / Qatar: 13 th
- IMSA / Sebring: 7th
- WEC / Imola: 12th
- WEC / Spa: withdrawal
- WEC / Le Mans: 10 th and 13 th
- IMSA / Watkins Glen: withdrawal
- WEC / Interlagos: 17th
- WEC / Austin: 14th
- WEC / Fuji: withdrawal
- IMSA / Indianapolis: withdrawal
- IMSA / Road Atlanta: 8th
- WEC / Bahrain: withdrawal
In terms of reliability, the SC63 recorded 6 retirements in 14 engagements on both sides of the Atlantic. The only real bright spot was a successful first outing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The two cars involved experienced no major problems, finishing 10th and 13th under the chequered flag.
The latest abandonment, in January, was the most painful. The only Lamborghini in the premier class at the 24 Hours of Daytona retired after 1 hourafter overheating problems.
1 car
For this 2025 campaign, the brand is not entered in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), where the entry of two cars is now mandatory. Only one SC63 is present for the Michelin Endurance Cup rounds, the five longest races in the IMSA championship. The operation is now entrusted to the Riley team under the "Lamborghini Squadra Corse" banner. It replaces Iron Lynx. Those in charge of the program spoke of a year of "development" before the introduction of a possible customer program in 2026.
20,526 km covered
Entering a single car for a partial program is unlikely to help the Italian LMDh's running deficit. Since their competitive debut last year, SC63 chassis have covered a total of 20,526 km in races. A respectable figure, but one that builds on the 8,500 km raced in the Sarthe region last year.
Lamborghini is still a long way from the total achieved by other manufacturers involved in endurance racing. The Porsche 963s lined up for the official Penske team or for customers Proton, JCD-Miller or Jota (until the end of last season). All in all, the German LMDhs have racked up an impressive total of 103,428 km since the start of the 2024 campaign.
0 joker
More mileage means more knowledge. They are useful when it comes to upgrading a car. More experienced than Lamborghini, Porsche, Cadillac and BMW filed their first "joker evo" this winter.
This homologation system authorizes manufacturers to make modifications to their hML. For the time being, Lamborghini has not tweaked the performance of its SC63. However, there may be further developments during the season in terms of aerodynamics, suspension and, above all, weight. In the short term, stability could still be an asset for tire management. In IMSA, as in WEC, heated blankets are outlawed. Warming up Michelin tires - the official rubber supplier in both championships - is a difficult art.
"The three to four laps out of the pits determine the rest of the stint," explained Pierre Alves, WEC Director of Operations, a few days ago. The compounds used in IMSA are identical. Lambo's drivers and engineers are not starting from scratch here.
1.7 seconds
This was the gap between Romain Grosjean's best time at the wheel of the SC63 and the reference time during the last private test session organized by IMSA at Sebring in mid-February. The French driver will be joined this Saturday by Mirko Bortolotti and Daniil Kvyat. Work was interrupted before the final day, as the SC63 suffered further damage. The brand did not give the exact reason for the downtime. The SC63 still has a long way to go.
Andy David / Auto Press Club for Italpassion