The observe was moist for almost all of the three days of testing at Portimao for the only long-distance check scheduled by Lamborghini and its Iron Lynx manufacturing facility squad forward of the double-points spherical of the World Endurance Championship on 15-16 June, crew principal Andrea Piccini has revealed.
However the capability of the new-for-2024 Lambo SC63 to go the space with out important points on its first appearances within the WEC and the IMSA SportsCar Championship in North America has allayed any fears over reliability, he insisted.
“There was lots of rain and it was not supreme,” Piccini mentioned of the check on the Portuguese Algarve circuit on 26-28 March.
“However we don’t suppose it will likely be an issue: we’ve completed a 10-hour WEC race at Qatar and a 12-hour IMSA race at Sebring, so the reliability appears good,” he mentioned.
“I don’t suppose reliability is the issue; extra essential for us is to work on the efficiency of the automotive – that’s our focus proper now.”
The SC63’s race finishes on debut at Qatar after which at Sebring in thirteenth and seventh positions respectively have been adopted up by one other clear run on the way in which to twelfth place in final weekend’s Imola WEC race.
#63 Lamborghini Iron Lynx Lamborghini SC63: Mirko Bortolotti, Edoardo Mortara, Daniil Kvyat
Picture by: Emanuele Clivati | AG Picture
Piccini defined that the WEC schedule doesn’t permit time for an additional endurance run earlier than Le Mans, when Iron Lynx’s solo WEC entry can be joined by the SC63 competing in three of the IMSA enduros this 12 months.
“After Portimao we needed to prepare for Imola after which we’re into Spa [round three of the 2024 WEC on 11 May] and after that it’s going to all be about getting ready the vehicles for Le Mans,” he mentioned.
Piccini didn’t put a determine on the mileage the Lambo achieved at Portimao’s Algarve circuit, however he careworn that the check was nonetheless of worth.
“Very often it’s a must to race within the rain at Le Mans,” he mentioned. “We did get some dry laps, most likely a few third of the working.”
5 of Lamborghini’s roster of LMDh drivers have been current at Portimao, with Romain Grosjean absent courtesy of his IndyCar commitments with Juncos Hollinger Racing.
Piccini confirmed that Iron Lynx and Lamborghini have deserted the plan outlined on the launch of the SC63 final 12 months to subject its IMSA automotive alongside its common WEC entry in Austin at first of September.
He identified that there would unlikely be room for a further entry at a circuit with one of many smaller pit storage allocations on the WEC schedule, including that it could even be tough for the crew to run a second automotive.
“Doing Le Mans with two vehicles is already tough in our first 12 months, so it isn’t in plan now,” he mentioned.