Former Formula 1 driver and current Lamborghini factory racer Romain Grosjean is taking on a new challenge this season: He’s one of a handful of drivers who will be putting the Lamborghini SC63 race car through its paces at endurance events in the IMSA and World Endurance Championship series. Let’s let him take us on a tour of the new machine, courtesy of Marshall Pruett and IMSA.
Before we dive in, let’s cover a few bases. The Lambo SC63 is a GTP car, which is the name for the current top class of sports car prototypes. IMSA and WEC designed their regulations together, which means the SC63 can compete in two different series. The car made its debut at WEC’s season opener in Qatar, where it finished 14th overall with drivers Mirko Bortolotti, Edoardo Mortara, and Daniil Kvyat. Over in IMSA, it took to the track for the first time at the 12 Horus of Sebring with Romain Grosjean, Matteo Cairoli, and Andrea Caldarelli. There, they placed seventh.
Now, let’s let Monsieur Grosjean show us what this lean mean green machine is all about:
Grosjean says the car has had “good development, but as with everything in racing, not enough time.” The project was first announced back in May of 2022, and while that might seem like plenty of time to get something built for 2024, it’s a pretty damn quick turnaround.
The front end of the SC63 pulls tech from series like Formula 1 (the pull rod) and IndyCar (anti-roll bar adjustment). As Grosjean explains, that front end is all important in motorsport; you want to be able to really lean into the front of the car, so you need to know you can count on it to be stable.
Unfortunately, Grosjean notes that the SC63 is still a little testy on bumpy race tracks — and Sebring is pretty much all bump. Ample testing meant the machine finished on the lead lap (whereas in Qatar, it finished three laps behind the winner).
The real stunner is the engine, though. The GTP class relies on a hybrid system; Lamborghini’s combustion component is a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 that’s mated to a 50 kW Bosch electric motor that makes an additional 67 horsepower. When Grosjean walks around the rear of the car, you can see just how complex it is — but that’s what makes sports car racing so damn good right now. It’s technologically advanced, but the racing is still exceptional.
As far as goals for Sebring, Grosjean was quite tempered: He just wanted to finish the race, because finishing meant Lamborghini had built a reliable machine — and that it’ll be ready for its big showing this summer.
“If we can finish the 12 Hours of Sebring, we know we can finish the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” Grosjean said. “I’m not even sure you can call [Le Mans] a race track. I love it, but bloody hell, it is bumpy!” With the Lamborghini SC63’s lead-lap finish at Sebring and three more months of development before Le Mans, I’d say the crew is well on its way to making an impressive showing.