#63 pairing of Mortara-Grosjean finish 10th in penultimate round of the year after late caution
Sant’Agata Bolognese/Indianapolis, 21 September 2025 – The Lamborghini SC63 endured late heartbreak in the penultimate round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as a likely top five finish went begging after falling on the wrong side of a strategic gamble late on.
The combination of Edoardo Mortara and Romain Grosjean fought admirably throughout the six-hour race with an upgraded #63 LMDh and was firmly in the mix until the start of the final hour. With fuel saving a concern, the team gambled on a short fuel stop – initiated after contact with a lapped car – but had to make do with 10th after a late full course yellow.
Free Practice and Qualifying – GTP
Fresh off the back of a promising weekend at the previous round in June, the Lamborghini SC63 arrived at Indianapolis with a new rear suspension. The car responded well to the Evo joker upgrade, with Grosjean and Mortara taking it to eighth quickest in the first practice session and fourth in the second. The team focused on higher fuel runs in each session and was around four-tenths of a second off the ultimate best ahead of qualifying. Due to an incident in second practice, the #63 had its fastest time taken away and ended up with the ninth fastest time – upgraded to eighth on the grid after a penalty for the polesitter, with Grosjean setting a best time of 1m15.170.
Free Practice and Qualifying – GTD Pro and GTD
Practice began well for the #9 Pfaff Motorsports GTD Pro Huracán on Friday, with Caldarelli and Mapelli ending up second quickest, just under a tenth off the best time. The team ran high fuel race runs in the first session, with a similar programme scheduled for the second session in which it finished sixth fastest. In qualifying, Caldarelli took the car to fifth on the grid, getting the nod over the #77 Porsche with whom it shared an identical time of 1m23.559. Due to a penalty for another car, the #9 started the race from fourth.
In GTD, Misha Goikhberg took the #78 Forte Racing Huracán to 12th on the grid after the team were forced into a gearbox replacement after Friday’s opening practice. The #45 Wayne Taylor Racing entry ended up 18th on the grid, having been near the sharp end in Saturday morning’s second session.
Race – GTP
From eighth, Grosjean immediately went on the offensive at the start, making up two positions by the first corner before eventually settling into seventh at the end of the opening lap. Multiple full course yellows plagued the first half of the race but the #63 leapfrogged to fifth after the first round of stops. Indeed, the car rarely left the top five placings throughout and maintained a strong pace with both Grosjean and Mortara at the wheel, often matching the leaders.
Mortara completed his stint in the middle of the race before handing back over to Grosjean who took the car to the finish, as strategy began to play a crucial role in the outcome. Unfortunately for the #63, a battle with a lapped Porsche approaching the start of the final hour resulted in slight contact which pitched Grosjean onto the grass. The team then elected to make a short energy-only pit-stop in an attempt to recover positions at the end, but a badly timed full course yellow meant the car had to settle for 10th at the end.
Race – GTD Pro and GTD
Caldarelli took the start in the #9 and made good progress to take third around the outside of the first corner, consolidating the position in the early going either side of a full course caution. It dropped to fifth after the first pit-stops and unfortunately went two laps down after being hit by another car which damaged the rear of the Huracán GT3 EVO2. Having pitted to make repairs, it got back both of the lost laps with Mapelli at the wheel and eventually finished ninth.
In GTD, the #78 started by Goikhberg endured an early setback after receiving a drivethrough penalty for contact with a Ferrari at the first corner. Newcomer Filgueiras and Farnbacher kept pushing throughout and reached the finish. Meanwhile, the #45 made strong progress with Hindman and Formal at the wheel after Doyle completed his minimum drive time and was running third before a mechanical issue caused it to retire with just over an hour remaining.
Quotes –
Romain Grosjean: “We made a lot of progress this weekend, we had a really good pace all through the weekend. I think we’ve worked well as a team; this was the first time that we’ve really been in the mix, in the top five all day so I think we can take this as a positive. Now, our focus is on Road Atlanta and let’s see if we can end on a high.”
Edoardo Mortara: “I’m really happy to have completed my first IMSA race of the season, after not getting to drive the car in Daytona earlier this year. It was a pleasure to fight at the front and showcase our potential, especially in the vfirst four or five hours. I had two really long stints where I was saving a lot of fuel, which was a nice surprise, matching the pace of the others. Unfortunately, we had a little contact late on, but without this I think there was the potential to finish in the top five. Now, we look forward to Petit Le Mans where I hope we can make further improvements.”
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship reaches its conclusion on the weekend of 9-12 October with the 10-hour Petit Le Mans held at the Road Atlanta circuit in Georgia. The race also marks the final outing for the Lamborghini SC63 before taking a sabbatical next year.
