Factory Drivers Mirko Bortolotti, Luca Engstler and Jordan Pepper write a new chapter in the Sant’Agata Bolognese firm’s history
Sant’Agata Bolognese/Spa-Francorchamps, 29 June 2025 – Lamborghini has written a new chapter in its illustrious history by winning the 24 Hours of Spa. After three consecutive class wins in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2018, 2019 and 2020, a double success in the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2018 and 2019 and victory in the Petit Le Mans last season, the Sant’Agata Bolognese firm triumphed for the first time in the classic Belgian endurance event. The victory marks Lamborghini’s 191st in the GT3 era and serves as the perfect precursor to the launch of the Huracán successor, the Temerario GT3 which will be launched at the Goodwood Fesitval of Speed on 11th July.
The breakthrough maiden success, Lamborghini’s first major international GT3-only 24-hour race win, around the 7.004km circuit, was sealed by the #63 Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 crew of Factory Drivers Mirko Bortolotti [2024 DTM drivers’ champion], Luca Engstler and Jordan Pepper.
Pepper himself was given the duties of qualifying the car after it had made it into the top 20 Superpole session on Friday afternoon. The South African initially put the car 12th on the grid before a penalty for not respecting the delta time for exiting the pit-lane dropped it seven places for the race.
From the 10th row of the grid, it was Bortolotti who started the race and moved the #63 up two positions during a single stint after an early full course yellow neutralised the field on the second lap. Pepper then took over and drove a double stint before Engstler did likewise inside the opening hours of the race. But it was as night fell that the race started to come towards the #63 trio as it moved towards the front of the pack in the early hours of Sunday morning.
From that moment on, Bortolotti, Engstler and Pepper successfully managed a race which, in the absence of rain, demonstrated the full potential of the Huracán GT3 EVO2 car.
Another full course yellow period with a little over four hours remaining seemed to have handed the strategic advantage to the Porsche #96, which elected to make a pit-stop during this moment. This gave the #96 the lead but, first in the hands of Pepper and then Bortolotti, the #63 began to reduce the deficit to the front from over 17-seconds to nothing as the pair negotiated lapped traffic. Bortolotti then regained the lead when the Porsche slowed with a puncture just before its stop with 1h48m to go.
The Italian kept his cool in the gruelling Belgian heat to bring the car home to a famous victory at the end of the 24 hours, by over eight seconds at the finish.
The other Pro entry Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2, occupied by Factory Drivers Sandy Mitchell, Marco Mapelli and Franck Perera were also firmly in victory contention before their race ended with a power steering failure. Mitchell started strongly and showcased the speed of the #163 VSR machine by taking the lead during his opening double stint. A refuelling system issue cost the team some time at nightfall, but the trio remained inside the top 10 after midnight. However, their race came to a premature end shortly after 4am. The Gold Cup #333 Paul Motorsport and Bronze Cup #76 Barwell Motorsport entries suffered up-and-down race but proved the reliability of the Huracán GT3 EVO2 by reaching the chequered flag.
QUOTES
Jordan Pepper: “Winning this race makes me extremely proud, I have been an official factory driver with this brand for three years now and they have become my family, and to see how much effort has gone into the programme versus some of our competitors, everyone back home in Sant’Agata, is amazing. But I want to thank everyone who gave me this opportunity to join Gottfried and his team, which I thought was a new challenge in my life. We have had heartbreak together but this has made us stronger; this has been the goal that we circled on the calendar, and I am so proud of this. Also I want to thank Mirko and Luca a hundred times because they did an awesome job.”
Luca Engstler: “I have no words, this is the first victory for Lamborghini in this race; I have been working my whole life to be here and celebrate in style like we are doing now. I am super happy and I so thankful to the Grasser team and Lamborghini and all the partners who made it happen.”
After topping Superpole last year at Spa [also with Grasser Racing Team] and now victory in the 77th edition of the 24 Hours, Lamborghini has closed the cycle that already points towards the future with the successor to the Huracán, the Temerario GT3 – which will be presented on 11th July at the Goodwood Festival of Speed – set to make its racing debut in 2026.
Maurizio Leschiutta, Lamborghini Head of Motorsport: “I am very happy, in my first year with Lamborghini, to win the Spa 24 Hours. I want to thank the drivers and the team who have done something truly special, and also to the extended team at Lamborghini Squadra Corse who have done a perfect job over the years. They have brought us to where we are today.”
Rouven Mohr, Chief Technical Officer: “This is another dream that is coming true, because we have four fantastic 24-hour races in the world and Spa is one of the most amazing races. And to win it has been fantastic, the job that the whole Squadra Corse team has done has been superb and a good example of a perfect collaboration and I am super proud of this. This is the best way to end the 10-year history of the Huracán GT3, but we still have many more races to focus on and win.”
