Sustainable Biz Magazine - Magazine - Page 19
LMDh car revealed at Goodwood Festival of
Speed ahead of the 2024 FIA World Endurance
Championship and IMSA WeatherTech
Sportscar Championship racing programmes
L
amborghini Squadra Corse has
launched its first hybrid endurance
racing prototype, the SC63.
Unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed,
the SC63, is set to compete in the Hypercar
class of the 2024 FIA World Endurance
Championship, including the 24 Hours of
Le Mans, and in the GTP class of the IMSA
WeatherTech Sports Car Championship
Endurance Cup, comprising classic races
such as the 24 Hours of Daytona and
12 Hours of Sebring. Lamborghini has
partnered with Italian team Iron Lynx to run
the car in international competition and has
signed world-class drivers from the world of
Formula 1 and endurance racing.
The LMDh project represents a new concept
of racing and fits the Direzione Cor Tauri
strategy presented in 2021: a roadmap
for electrification leading the company to
hybridize the entire model range by the
end of 2024 enhancing driving emotions
and performances at the same time.
Thanks to the SC63 this approach has been
applied also to the motorsport programme
representing a new pillar of the Lamborghini
Manifesto: Driving Humans Beyond.
“The SC63 is the most advanced racing
car ever produced by Lamborghini and it
follows our roadmap ‘Direzione Cor Tauri’
laid out by the brand for the electrification
of our product range,” says Stephan
Winkelmann, Lamborghini Chairman and
CEO. “The opportunity to compete in some
of the biggest endurance races in the world
with a hybrid prototype fits with our vision
for the future of high-performance mobility,
as demonstrated for road legal cars with the
launch of the Revuelto. The SC63 LMDh is
the step into the highest echelons and into
the future of motorsports for our Squadra
Corse.”
The SC63 features an all-new 3.8-litre twin
turbo V8 engine that has been developed
by Lamborghini engineers specifically for
the racing program. The engine is a ‘cold V’
configuration, meaning that the turbos are
mounted outside the vee angle of the engine
which makes them easier to cool and to
service. Furthermore, the ‘cold V’ solution
lowers the mass and optimises the car’s
centre of gravity. This solution, combined
with a specifically developed aero balance
and attitude, has been identified as the most
effective to achieve the best tyre grip, and
perfect balance, drivability and consistent
speed both over a single lap but also across
long distance races.
Power from the engine and the hybrid
system, which is standard across the LMDhcategory cars, is limited by regulation
to 500kW (680 CV). The Power Unit is
managed by a Bosch electronic control unit.
The LMDh rule set specifies a standard
gearbox, battery and motor generator
unit (MGU), which helps to contain the
development costs for the prototype.
Under the skin, Lamborghini engineers
have been able to exert their influence over
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