Lamborghini factory driver Sandy Mitchell delivered an impressive, mature performance as he helped steer his all-new Temerario GT3 to a top 10 GTD Pro finish

Lamborghini Factory Driver Sandy Mitchell impresses as all-new Temerario GT3 bags top-10 finish on Global debut in Sebring 12Hrs with PFAFF Motorsports.

Lamborghini factory driver Sandy Mitchell delivered an impressive, mature performance as he helped steer his all-new Temerario GT3 to a top 10 GTD Pro finish as the car made its global race debut at the daunting 12 Hours of Sebring in Florida, the second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Mitchell, the 26-year-old from Forfar, partnered fellow Lamborghini factory drivers, Italian Andrea Caldarelli and Frenchman Franck Perera, in the No9 Lithia & Driveway Temerario GT3 prepared by top Canadian team, Pfaff Motorsports.

“What we’ve achieved first time out, on what is acknowledged as being one of the bumpiest and most demanding circuits in the world — and in Lamborghini’s first-ever in-house designed and developed GT3 — is fantastic,” former British GT champ Mitchell stated.

“Of course, naturally you want to be fighting for the podium, but we knew that was always going to be a tall order given this was the first-ever race with the Temerario GT3. But there were huge positives. We learned a lot out there and to complete the race with no major issues is testament to the hard, detailed work everyone at Lamborghini Squadra Corse and Pfaff Motorsport have put into debuting the car at Sebring.”

Lining up on the 55-car grid 13th in GTD Pro, Caldarelli took the opening 50-minute stint before handing the car to Mitchell in 12th place. The Scot rattled off a series of quick laps including, at the time, the car’s fastest lap of 2mins 01. 894secs on the 3.65-mile road course, before handing the car over to Perera with 10 hours remaining.

With just over nine hours to run, the Frenchman miraculously avoided a stricken Ferrari and Mercedes which had come together exiting the final corner, zig-zagging between the Ferrari on his left and the Mercedes on the right.

Following a 150-minute stint by Caldarelli, Mitchell was back in the car with around five-and-a-half hours remaining. The Scot, personally-backed by Tunnocks and Dama Fortuna Premium Tequila, again impressed during his 160-minute stint. Having taken over the car in 12th, the Scot had navigated through the traffic and taken advantage of the retirement of a couple of rivals to climb through the field, at one time holding sixth.
“I really enjoyed that stint,” he explained. “I was able to settle into a really good rhythm and enjoy the feel of the Temerario at race pace. Conditions got tougher towards the end of the stint as we were all battling with the low setting sun, but there are few more satisfying moments than racing at Sebring at dusk.”

With just under three hours remaining, Mitchell handed the car to Perera with Caldarelli eventually bringing the #9 Lamborghini home 10th in class. And Mitchell was delighted with the Temerario’s debut performance.
“The car’s already feeling good,” he stated. “I’m really excited to be part of this new Temerario era with Lamborghini and we’ll be working hard to get ourselves even further up the grid. It’s great to bring the car home and bag some championship points. Getting to the end of this race while we’re pretty much still developing the car is a fantastic achievement and a terrific way to mark our debut with the Temerario GT3.”
Mitchell returns to action in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship when GTD Pro returns at Laguna Seca, California, on May 1-3.