Lamborghini weighs up LMDH entry
Lamborghini could be the next manufacturer to jump on the LMDH bandwagon. The Italian marque has revealed that it is working towards joining the category in 2024 with the same chassis-engine platform that Volkswagen group sister brands Porsche and Audi will begin racing the year before.
Giorgio Sanna, boss of the Lamborghini Squadra Corse competitions department, revealed that there is “strong interest” in the Lmp2-based category that will allow manufacturers to race in the World Endurance Championship and the IMSA Sportscar Championship in North
America with the same machinery.
“We have always said that it is the right category for motorsport in general and also for Lamborghini,” he said. “Clearly on the technical side the best opportunity is the VW group platform. We are sharing some ideas and vision inside the group and I hope we will make a decision soon.”
Sanna ruled out Lamborghini joining LMDH in year one of the formula in 2023: “For us it would be a big jump and we need time to prepare ourselves.”
The timescale envisaged by Sanna is almost certainly linked to the capacity of Porsche/audi chassis partner Multimatic Motorsports to develop the base car and different aerodynamic configurations, as well as to build chassis in significant numbers. Both German manufacturers have committed to having factory and customer cars on the grid from the get-go.
Sanna confirmed that Lamborghini was in discussions last year with Dallara, one of four licensed P2 constructors, about LMDH. The change of tack is believed to have resulted from the original proposal being turned down at board level.
Bentley, another member of the VW group, is also known to have had discussions about using the same spine of an LMDH as Porsche and Audi for a return to Le Mans in time for the centenary of its first victory in 1924. Marque motorsport boss Paul Williams said that LMDH was “still a consideration” as it plots its motorsport future beyond GT3.