Lamborghini's New Temerario GT3 Proves Its Worth at Its First Sebring

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Lamborghini's New Temerario GT3 Proves Its WorthLamborghini

In accordance with tradition, and with the reality that at least a million different things could go wrong over the course of a long, brutal race, Lamborghini expected a modest result from its new Temerario GT3 car at this weekend’s Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring.

Like all factory-backed efforts, the Temerario was tested extensively first in Italy, then elsewhere in Europe, and finally in the U.S. (including at Sebring) before it would ever turn a wheel in competition. The company says it completed something on the order of 10,000 miles of testing. But there are too many variables to expect competitiveness, much less perfection. That is particularly true at Sebring, where the bumpy track surface is unlike that of any other international track.

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And so, when the veteran Lamborghini driver Andrea Caldarelli qualified Pfaff Motorsports’ plaid Temerario 13th in the 13-car GTD Pro class field, there appeared to be no disappointment. As the quasi-factory team, Pfaff fielded the only Temerario at Sebring. The Huracan GT3, which has been racing in one form or another for 10 years, is still eligible to race and Lamborghini is committed to providing support for those cars until the model’s homologation is up in several years.

Gone is the ear-gasmic naturally aspirated V-10 of the Huracan. It’s replaced by a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8, as in the street-going Temerario. Unlike the all-wheel-drive street car, the rear-drive GT3 version ditches the hybrid system, and also swaps in smaller turbos. The big turbos of the road car are designed with the expectation that the electric portion of the powertrain will supplement the thrust before the big turbos have a chance to spin up. Can’t count on that in the race car.


Racers aren’t the most sentimental of creatures, though, they simply want to go fast. And Caldarelli is pleased with the torque delivery in the new car. The road car’s engine is capable of 10,000 rpm; the race car’s is limited by the rules to 8000 rpm. Caldarelli, who was part of the development of the new car from the beginning, is excited to detail all of the aspects that make the new car easier and more comfortable to drive than the Huracan. (He acknowledges with a chuckle that the drivability and comfort goals were partially self-serving.)

Thanks to a more consistent aero balance, the Temerario is easier to drive than the Huracan, which was widely regarded as one of the most physically demanding cars in the class. Caldarelli, proudly shows off the racer’s new steering wheel, which includes more controls and a clearer menu structure than the outgoing unit; for example, the brake balance can now be controlled from the wheel. The seat now has a mesh panel on the back through which a fan blows to keep a driver cool.

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Caldarelli, Sandy Mitchell, and Frank Perera finished ninth in class, one lap behind the GTD PRO-class winning Porsche 911 GT3 R. Lamborghini completed 320 laps. Three other GTD PRO and seven GTD cars did not finish. Not bad for a first stab.

Of course, because the Temerario hadn’t raced before Sebring, IMSA had to set its balance of performance settings based on testing and dyno data. So, how the Temerario fares in GTD PRO through this season will depend on the team learning and optimizing the new car, and IMSA’s desire to level the playing field of GT3 cars.

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