To join VW Group stablemate Porsche in the LMDh endurance class
New details of Lamborghini’s Le Mans racer have been revealed ahead of its 2024 debut. Destined to race in both the European WEC and American ISMA racing series, the new LMDh-class racer will join a packed-out field including top-level rivals from Ferrari, BMW, Porsche, Peugeot and Toyota.
It will be powered by a twin-turbocharged V8 engine developed specifically for the LMDh racer by Lamborghini Squadra Corse. It’s the first time Lamborghini’s motorsport arm has had the chance to design an engine from scratch, and like other V8s in the series the unit will run a 90-degree V-angle. Power will be sent to the wheels via a seven-speed transmission developed and supplied by Xtrac.
In accordance with the LMDh (Le Mans Daytona Hybrid) class regulations, this engine will be paired to a control hybrid module, including an MGU sourced from Bosch, and battery and control units from Williams Advanced engineering. As with all its LMDh rivals, peak power delivery to the wheels will be limited to 671bhp, although its cumulative system power will be significantly higher. Lamborghini has not yet released specific figures for its combustion V8.
Lamborghini Squadra Corse has elected to partner with Ligier to supply the car’s chassis, diverging from VW Group rival Porsche which has partnered with Multimatic. This suggests that the two racers will be quite distinct from one another, as they are varied in terms of both chassis and the choice of combustion engine.
A new teaser image of the race car itself has also given us our first look at the exterior, revealing a typical Lamborghini y-shape running light that dominates the angular and futuristic-looking body. As in many of its racing counterparts, the cockpit is very narrow to keep the car’s frontal area as compact as possible, and at the back sits a large stacked rear wing.
Lamborghini Head of Motorsport Giorgio Sanna commented: ‘I am absolutely delighted that Lamborghini will be taking the next step in our motorsport journey, the step into LMDh and the top level of sports car racing. LMDh will play a special role in Lamborghini’s Motorsports strategy, giving us the unique opportunity to expand our customer racing activities to new platforms and enforce our long-term partnership with customer teams and drivers.’
Lamborghini’s entry in this class of endurance racing precedes the marque’s forthcoming hybrid road car models, starting with the V12 Aventador’s successor that’s already nearing its global debut. With such a clear and obvious connection between race and road cars in the LMDh class, manufacturers are queuing up to be part of the action, which is only good news for fans of endurance racing.
This article originally appeared at evo.co.uk
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