Difficult weekend for Lamborghini SC63 as FIA WEC enters second half of season
#63 crew ran battled for top 10 finish in the 6 Hours of São Paulo before puncture
Lamborghini Iron Lynx was left to rue bad luck on the FIA World Endurance Championship’s first trip to Interlagos in Brazil since 2014, as a late puncture meant the #63 crew of Mirko Bortolotti, Daniil Kvyat and Edoardo Mortara could only manage 17th at the end of the 6 Hours of São Paulo.
Coming into the fifth round of the season off the back of a morale-boosting first top 10 finish with the Lamborghini SC63 LMDh prototype at Le Mans, improved performance was the main target for the team as the second half of the year began in South America.
High degradation meant that tire strategy varied between the teams, with the #63 making the most of the softer medium compound to run inside the top 10 positions approaching half-distance. Unfortunately, the pace of those around proved superior and a late puncture extinguished any hopes of a second consecutive point finish.
Meanwhile, in the LMGT3 class, it was another bittersweet weekend for the #85 Iron Dames crew of Sarah Bovy, Rahel Frey and Michelle Gatting who were denied a likely podium finish after taking their second pole position of the year. A burst water pipe at the fourth pit-stop while running second contributed to an eventual retirement, while the sister #60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 of Matteo Cressoni, Franck Perera and Claudio Schiavoni finished 14th after receiving a drivethrough penalty.
Free Practice and Qualifying – Hypercar
Having never previously visited the Interlagos circuit, the weekend was a discovery for the Lamborghini Iron Lynx team. Focus, therefore, centered on gaining an understanding of how the SC63 and the Michelin tires performed on the tight and technical track, which produced higher than normal degradation. The weekend began with the first of three free practice sessions, but running in FP1 was curtailed after an incident for an LMGT3 car, which caused barrier damage. The #63 ended up 16th and an unrepresentative five seconds off the pace. FP2 was subsequently extended due to the red flagged opening session, and the #63 was again the 16th fastest, albeit reducing the deficit to the best time to just over a second. Improvements were made ahead of FP3 on Saturday, which allowed the car to place sixth quickest, with Kvyat qualifying the #63 18th on the grid for the race.
Race – Hypercar
Tire strategy proved an intriguing variable at the start of the six hours, with the #63 starting on the harder, more durable compound. Kvyat took the start but struggled to find the ultimate performance on the hards, dropping to the back of the field before moving up to the cusp of the top 10 towards the end of the second hour. Mortara took over with four hours to go, having switched onto the faster medium compound tire that appeared to unlock more stability and improved race pace from the SC63. During Mortara’s double stint, the #63 found itself battling well inside the top 10, rising as high as fifth at one point – due in part to a litany of penalties for several cars in front – and matching the pace of the #35 Alpine, #38 JOTA Porsche and the #93 Peugeot. By the time Bortolotti took over for the final two hours, the #63 began to struggle with the tire drop-off and dropped to 12th before it suffered a puncture, which forced it to make an additional pit-stop. The team remained committed to finishing, and Bortolotti brought the car home at the finish in 17th place, benefitting from a crash for the #12 Porsche in the final hour.
