Sebring 12Hrs
Lamborghini Factory Driver Sandy Mitchell set for first Sebring 12-Hours as he gives all-new Temerario GT3 its global race debut with PFAFF Motorsports
Lamborghini factory driver Sandy Mitchell will this weekend (March 20/21) give the all-new Temerario GT3 its global race debut when he contests the 12 Hours of Sebring in Florida, the second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The 26-year-old from Forfar will partner fellow Lamborghini factory drivers, Italian Andrea Caldarelli and Frenchman Franck Perera, behind the wheel of the No9 Lithia & Driveway Temerario GT3 prepared by top Canadian team, Pfaff Motorsports on the 55-car grid. For the Scot it’s a rare privilege to be one of the three drivers trusted by Italian supercar giant Lamborghini to debut the Temerario GT3, the all-new sportscar which replaces the super-successful Huracan GT3 after more than 10 years’ of its global success.
“It’s a massive honour to be one of the three drivers trusted with the first race of the Lamborghini Temerario GT3,” former British GT champ Mitchell, who will contest the full IMSA season in the US, stated. “It’s something I’m definitely very proud of, and it’s a really big moment in my career.”
Mitchell, whose British GT title in 2020 was claimed in a Huracan GT3, has extensively tested the Temerario GT3 at Paul Ricard in France, Vallelunga in Italy, as well as Sebring. And the Scot is excited at the prospect of racing in the new car, resplendent the team’s iconic ‘red plaid’ livery and which switches from a V10 petrol engine to a twin-turbocharged V8.
“Testing has gone really well so far and we’re planning to hit the ground running this weekend,” Mitchell, personally-backed by Tunnocks and Dama Fortuna Premium Tequila, continued. “The car is understandably quite different to the Huracan. It’s a lot more modern in terms of the technology, including the cockpit and driver aids like traction control, plus it’s more inline with other modern GT3 cars which have come out recently.
“Overall it’s a completely new product. It’s certainly not another evolution of the Huracan. The Temerario GT3 is slightly longer in terms of wheelbase, as is the case with the Temerario road car, so it should be a little bit more stable. It certainly feels different to drive, but it most definitely still has the fantastic Lamborghini DNA.”
Having impressed in the opening IMSA round, the Daytona 24H in January when he set the team’s fastest lap time in the final outing of the Pfaff Motorsport Huracan GT3 Evo2, this will be Mitchell’s first time racing at Sebring, the 3.65-mile road course acknowledged as being one of the toughest, and bumpiest, in America.
“It’s definitely really bumpy, especially the final corner and the first corner,” Mitchell admitted. “That’s definitely going to be a challenge not only for us, but for everyone. Certainly in testing the Temerario seemed to be strong, in so much as it handled the bumps pretty well. We’re hoping that trait continues into this weekend’s race, because that would definitely be a bonus.”
And with a number of Lamborghini’s senior board members, including CEO Stephan Winkelmann, travelling from their Italian HQ at Sant’Agata Bolognese to watch the race, Mitchell is understandably cautious when pushed on targets for the weekend.
“The main target, with a brand new race car, is to finish the race,” he stated matter-of-factly. “Get through the whole 12 hours and finish in the points, That would be an achievement. A 12-hour endurance race is tough at the best of times, and Sebring is probably one of the hardest tracks on a car with it being so bumpy.
“Of course, Pfaff and Lamborghini are obviously always wanting to be successful, and we would all love to push for a GTD Pro class podium. But this weekend is a step into the unknown with a race car not only making its debut, but doing so in a 12-hour race on one of the most demanding circuits there is on the calendar. I know we have good people around us, plus great support from Lamborghini as well for this event. We’re feeling ready.”
