A glorious new chapter has been written in Lamborghini’s illustrious competition history, with its first ever victory at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Sant’Agata Bolognese’s first triumph at the Belgian endurance classic will be the marque’s 191st GT3 win on top of 3 consecutive class wins in the 2018, 2019 and 2020 24 Hours of Daytona races, back-to-back successes in the 2018 & 2019 12 Hours of Sebring, and victory in last season’s Petit Le Mans. It also bodes well for the Temerario GT3, which will be unleashed on 11th July at the Goodwood Festival of Speed as the Huracan’s racing successor.
This iconic success at the 7.004km circuit against a world class GT3 field was achieved by Grasser Racing Team’s #63 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2, driven by Factory Drivers Mirko Bortolotti, Luca Engstler and Jordan Pepper. Qualifying duties were assigned to Pepper for Friday afternoon’s top 20 Superpole shoot out, and the South African driver initially placed 12th on the grid, before an ill-timed pit-lane exit & resulting penalty dropped the car seven places back for the race start.
It was then Bortolotti who started the race from the grid’s 10th row, quickly moving up two places in a single stint after the field was closed up by an early full course yellow on the second lap already. Pepper then took over to put in a double stint, as did Engstler during the race’s opening hours. It was after night fell that the possibility of a race win began to surface however, as the #63 crew moved up into the front of the pack as Sunday morning’s early hours dawned.
Bortolotti, Engstler and Pepper successfully managed a consistent race effort from then on, with the Huracán GT3 EVO2 demonstrating its full potential in dry conditions. With just four hours until the checkered flag, another full course yellow period saw the #96 Porsche 911 GT3 R making a strategic pit stop, before rejoining with a time advantage & eventually taking the race lead.
With Pepper then Bortolotti driving however, the #63 car ate the Porsche’s 17 second leading margin away to nothing even while negotiating lapped traffic, and Bortolotti decisively retook the lead when a puncture slowed the Porsche before its pit-stop, just 1 hour & 48 minutes away from the race’s conclusion. Helped by a well-timed final fuel stop, the Italian driver kept his cool amid the gruelling Belgian heat to cross the finish line with an advantage of over eight seconds.
Lamborghini’s other Pro class Huracán GT3 EVO2 driven by Factory Drivers Marco Mapelli, Franck Perera and Sandy Mitchell was also strongly in contention for victory, before a power steering failure prematurely ended its race. Mitchell started strongly in his opening double stint, even taking the lead to showcase the #163 VSR car’s speed. The trio also managed to stay consistently in the top 10 past midnight, before their retirement just after 4am.
