Lamborghini Iron Lynx will be aiming to end its first season in the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) on a positive note this weekend as the season comes to a close with the 8 Hours of Bahrain.
The season finale is a full circle journey for the Lamborghini SC63 LMDh prototype, which began its competition life in the Middle East, in nearby Qatar at the end of February. Over the course of the season, the #63 crew of Mirko Bortolotti, Edoardo Mortara and Daniil Kvyat have produced encouraging performances, including a top 10 finish in the Le Mans 24 Hours.
The line-up of Bortolotti, Mortara and Kvyat remains unchanged for the final round of the year, while fellow Lamborghini Factory Drivers Franck Perera and Jordan Pepper will take part in the FIA WEC Rookie Test following the eight-hour race.
For Perera, this will be the first time the Frenchman has sampled the SC63, while Pepper returns behind the wheel, having driven in the Le Mans test day in place of Matteo Cairoli back in June.
In LMGT3, the pair of Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2s will be looking to finish what has been a frustrating campaign on a high. The #85 Iron Dames combination of Sarah Bovy, Rahel Frey and Michelle Gatting have shown strong form several times in 2024 but have yet to be rewarded with a podium finish despite their efforts. Meanwhile, the #60 crew of Matteo Cressoni, Claudio Schiavoni and Franck Perera will aim to add to their podium at Spa-Francorchamps earlier in the year.
The Hypercar trio heads into the final weekend of the year with high hopes following a breakthrough first entry into the Hyperpole session at the previous round in Fuji, Japan. A superb performance from Kvyat gave the SC63 its best starting position of the year, in ninth place.
Indeed, the car ran strongly in the early phases of the race, profiting from a second-lap incident for cars in front, and fought admirably for another top 10 result. Unfortunately, mechanical issues forced the #63 to retire, robbing the team of a likely points finish in the six-hour race.
The Iron Dames replicated their best finish of the season in fifth in LMGT3, having had podium contending pace yet again. A poorly timed virtual safety car period, for the #63 Hypercar, meant it lost track position and a shot at finishing third. The #60 was also in the hunt for some points at various stages after going off-sequence, and eventually finished 13th.
Track Description
Situated just over half an hour’s drive from the Bahraini capital, Manama, the 5.412km Bahrain International Circuit is a 15-turn track which was designed and built by Hermann Tilke and first opened in 2004. It is a mix of heavy braking zones and fast, sweeping corners which combine to present a myriad of challenges to both drivers and setup in order to find the right setup. Although primarily flat, the downhill braking at turn eight has often caught drivers out as the search for adherence at the apex. It is one of the many overtaking opportunities on the circuit, with the most obvious coming at the end of the main straight, the tight, first-gear hairpin at turn one. Traffic management has been a key factor in the WEC races in recent years and the sweeping turns five, six and seven require patience for Hypercars negotiating lapped LMGT3 cars.
Q&A with Daniil Kvyat, Lamborghini Iron Lynx
How much are you looking forward to ending the WEC season on a high in Bahrain?
“Of course, we are looking to do our best in Bahrain as it is the last round of the year. Our aim is always to try and achieve the best result possible and that starts from hitting the ground running in practice to get the right balance and setup of the car. We’ve shown some good signs lately and more speed in the car so hopefully we can finish the year on a positive note.”
What are the main challenges of the Bahrain track?
“For sure, tyre management will be a big concern here because tyre degradation is quite high, it’s an abrasive track so we must be careful. Choosing the right compounds as well will be important and getting the most out of those tyres in the race will be the key to a good result I believe.”
Looking back on the season, how much improvement has there been the performance of the Lamborghini SC63?
“We have made a lot of improvements since Qatar because it was still like a test day for us in round one, even during the race. So, the improvements have been very positive but at the same time, I think we have hit the limit with this car and now we are looking at what upgrades we can make for the future.”
How do you think the Lamborghini SC63 will perform in Bahrain?
“Hard to say, we will try to make the car work as well as we can in practice; we have some potential to do that and hopefully make it all click that we did in Fuji.”
The weekend at a glance
Thursday 31st October
Free Practice 1 (12:15-13:45)
Free Practice 2 (17:50-19:00)
Friday 1st November
Free Practice 3 (12:00-13:00)
Qualifying – LMGT3 (16:00-16:12)
Hyperpole – LMGT3 (16:20-16:30)
Qualifying – Hypercar (16:40-16:52)
Hyperpole – Hypercar (14:00-22:00)
Saturday 2nd November
Race (11:00-17:00)
