Lamborghini will contest the Intercontinental GT Challenge full-time in 2020 after confirming a five-round programme spearheaded by ORANGE1 FFF Racing Team by ACM.
The Italian manufacturer makes its debut as a full-season Intercontinental entrant during the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour on January 31 – February 2, while the Huracan GT3 Evo will also race at Mount Panorama for the first time.
FFF Racing join the championship following a standout 2019 season in Europe where the Chinese squad claimed both the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Teams’ and Drivers’ titles, as well as the GT World Challenge Europe Drivers’ crown.
Italians Andrea Caldarelli and Marco Mapelli, who became the first drivers to win the Overall, Endurance and Sprint championships in the same season, will now attempt to add an Intercontinental GT Challenge title at the first time of asking. They’re joined at all five rounds of the world’s only global GT3 series by fellow Lamborghini Squadra Corse factory driver, Dennis Lind.
The Dane is also no stranger to silverware after winning the Blancpain GT Series Asia Drivers’ and Teams’ titles with FFF Racing and Lamborghini in 2018.
“After the 2019 season, we are committed to take up another important challenge for this year,” said team owner Fu Songyang. “Together with our partners Lamborghini Squadra Corse and ORANGE1, the next step for our team is the biggest we could aim at, the Intercontinental GT Challenge. In a certain way, we already won in Asia in 2018 and Europe in 2019, so 2020 could be the right opportunity to take everything under the same name.
“Honestly, I think the challenge is going to be quite serious, as the level of the competition is very high, and we are going to represent one of the most prestigious manufacturers. Choosing Andrea, Dennis and Marco was a natural option and the continuation of the project started last year. They definitely are the best drivers we could have for this new venture.”
Lamborghini join Audi, Honda and reigning champions Porsche on the list of Intercontinental manufacturers already confirmed for 2020. More are expected to follow in the coming weeks ahead of Bathurst’s season opener later this month.
Visits to four more iconic circuits on as many continents then follow Australia’s international enduro: the Total 24 Hours of Spa (Europe), Suzuka 10 Hours (Asia), inaugural Indianapolis 8 Hour (USA) and Kyalami 9 Hour (Africa).