This weekend, the first GT3 built entirely at Sant’Agata Bolognese will wrap up its IMSA season at Petit Le Mans. It’s time for goodbyes, new horizons… and maybe even a championship title. The IMSA North American Endurance Championship will hold its traditional season finale, Petit Le Mans, this Saturday at Road Atlanta (United States). In Georgia, Lamborghini will have the opportunity to put his Temerario GT3 through its paces once again in one of the world’s great endurance classics. And he’ll also have a chance to win his first championship title.
A GTD Pro title is possible
The crew of the No. 9 Lamborghini, consisting of Andrea Caldarelli and Sandy Mitchell, is in fact in contention for the championship title in the GTD Pro class. The Italian-Scottish duo from the Pfaff team—joined this weekend by French driver Franck Perera—has 2,676 points after nine races heading into this final 10-hour round. That’s 53 points behind the No. 4 Corvette driven by Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg. They’re also six points behind the BMW M4 driven by Connor de Phillippi and Neil Verhagen. In IMSA, a class winner receives 350 points. The Bull’s chances of winning the title are slim, but still very much alive.
A Difficult Start
An unexpected result for a car launched seven months ago in the ultra-competitive world of GT3 racing, up against Mercedes, BMW, GM, Porsche, Ford, and Ferrari. Lamborghini has significantly fewer resources than these major customer racing programs. The Temerario GT3 is also the first car in its class to be designed entirely in-house, in Sant’Agata, by Lamborghini Squadra Corse. The development of its predecessor, the Huracán GT3, had been largely a joint effort with Dallara, particularly in terms of aerodynamics and the use of composite materials.
The new car’s debut was, in fact, a difficult one. Unveiled in March at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Temerario GT3 had a very inconsistent first season. The manufacturer is still getting to grips with this new platform, featuring its twin-turbo V8. Unlike the production model, the race car does not have a hybrid system. « For now, we're still just shooting darts in the dark. Sometimes we hit the mark, and sometimes we're way off the mark. », said Mirko Bortolotti, the brand's official driver in Europe, recently, To our colleagues at GT Report. « It feels like we’re just going through one test session after another, rather than arriving at race weekend with a setup that’s more or less dialed in, ready to fine-tune the details to adapt to the conditions and the situation. "
Tangible Progress
But things are looking up. This summer, Mirko Bortolotti kicked off the model’s winning streak by taking the checkered flag at the Oschersleben (Germany) round of the DTM «sprint» championship. The Temerario GT3’s most recent races in the U.S. have also been very encouraging. The Italian car claimed its first class victory in an endurance race at the 6 Hours of Road America in early August.
This performance was repeated a few weeks later with another victory, achieved in a shorter race by the Caldarelli-Mitchell duo at Virginia International Raceway. In September, at Indianapolis, the two men delivered another strong performance, finishing in third place. This resurgence can be attributed to a favorable Balance of Performance (BoP) adjustment, as well as a deeper understanding of the car’s fundamentals. « At the beginning of the year, many people unfairly criticized the car quite harshly, Franck Perera explained recently to Endurance-Info. For our part, we knew we had to give him some time ». The highly experienced French driver is pleased with another factor that has kept the Lamborghini in the running for the title: « The car rarely breaks down, and—particularly in IMSA—it has demonstrated excellent reliability ".
The air wrench
One of the keys to the Road Atlanta weekend will be tire management. Like all cars competing in IMSA through 2035, the Temerario is equipped with Michelin tires. In the GTD Pro and GTD classes, the tire used is the Pilot Sport ProGT H1+. The allocation set by the organizers and the Clermont-Ferrand-based manufacturer is 14 sets per car. The organizers’ technical bulletin mandates a weight of 1,362 kg for the Lamborghini. This is more than 30 kg heavier than the Ferrari 296 GT3, which will require precise management of tire wear and changes. Furthermore, Petit Le Mans is a race often punctuated by caution periods, with 54 cars spread across the 4.088 km of this short and twisty circuit. Teams often favor a strategy aimed at conserving as many fresh tires as possible to push hard in the final hours.
Farewells and Outlook
The Pfaff Motorsports team, which operates the Temerario GT3, has often demonstrated great instincts, particularly during its victory at Road Atlanta. The Canadian team, which contributed significantly to the development of the new car, is competing in its final race under the golden autumn leaves of Georgia. Team owner Chris Pfaff recently announced a «hiatus» from the IMSA program to focus on operating the Mosport circuit.
So this will be the last time we see the iconic plaid-style checkered livery. Winning a first title for the Temerario and a final one for the team would obviously be a moving moment. A potential championship victory could also convince other teams to partner with Lamborghini Squadra Corse. The coming months will be decisive for the Temerario GT3’s sporting and commercial future. But they will unfold without this cornerstone.
- Petit Le Mans 2026
- Departure Saturday at 6:10 p.m. (French time)
- TV Broadcast: IMSA-TV and Automoto La Chaîne
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