The Lamborghini SC63 LMDh program will be put on hold for the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, the Italian marque has confirmed.
Announced officially in early August 2025, the manufacturer revealed the move is part of “strategic realignment” and a recalibration of future ambitions in top-tier endurance racing after barely two seasons of running its Ligier-based SC63 LMDh prototype.
The original vision for the SC63 program was an ambitious global campaign with entries in both the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC Hypercar class and the American IMSA GTP class, aiming for maximum visibility with cutting-edge hybrid technology.
The project represented Lamborghini’s intent to step toe-to-toe with legendary sportscar manufacturers, expanding the brand’s presence in the highest echelons of sanctioned racing.
However, as is becoming clear, the rapidly evolving complexity of the Hypercar/GTP rulebooks, soaring technical demands, and escalating budgets have consistently reshaped the playing field, ultimately forcing Lamborghini to reconsider its operational priorities.
“The Hypercar/GTP project was launched with the ambition of further expanding the brand’s presence in top-tier endurance racing,” a statement from Lamborghini read.
“The program was designed to ensure global visibility through the presence of a hybrid racing car in each of the two championships where this class is admitted.
“However, the conditions on which the program was based have significantly changed. As the project developed, resource demands—both in terms of budget and technical complexity have grown beyond original projections.
“Given this context, Lamborghini has made the strategic decision to refocus its efforts and investments on the GT3 platform and Super Trofeo, which remain the cornerstones of the brand’s motorsport activities and a key pillar in delivering performance excellence to its customers around the world.
“Automobili Lamborghini remains firmly committed to motorsport as an integral part of its brand DNA and will continue to evaluate future racing opportunities with the same ambition and passion that has defined its sporting spirit.”
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A crucial factor underlying Lamborghini’s decision revolves around the project’s ballooning resource requirements. Initial projections for budget and engineering quickly became outdated amid ongoing development.
Lamborghini which partnered first with Iron Lynx for a dual WEC/IMSA campaign and then with Riley Motorsports for its solo 2025 IMSA GTP Endurance Cup entry, found itself chasing new technical targets almost every month.
The addition of highly sophisticated hybrid powertrains and the need for continuous performance upgrades placed enormous strain on both finances and technical staff.
The challenge was exacerbated by a significant incident: a heavy crash in testing at Paul Ricard, which derailed the SC63’s development timeline and forced yet more resource allocation.
Performance on track did not live up to expectations, either in the WEC or IMSA. The SC63’s highest-profile result in its debut 2024 WEC season was a tenth-place finish at Le Mans while in IMSA the entry fared a little better, scoring seventh-place finishes at the grueling Sebring 12 Hours in 2024 and the Watkins Glen 6 Hours in 2025.
Mechanical retirements at both the Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring’s spring classic further sapped momentum out of the project.
Even with planned upgrades including a new rear suspension recently under validation at Riley’s North Carolina facilities, Lamborghini weighed the prospects of incremental gains against the immense resources required to get anywhere near the front.
The brand acknowledged that the project would need substantial further investment and technical evolution—much more than originally modeled—for a shot at regular podium contention.
Adding to the complexity, the Lamborghini SC63 LMDh program faced external regulatory pressures distinct from what its original two-series plan anticipated. In particular, the FIA/ACO introduced a two-car minimum entry requirement for the WEC Hypercar class from the 2025 season onward.
For Lamborghini, committed as a “small company” by comparison to some of its larger automaker rivals, the cost and logistical implications of running two factory cars in the hyper-competitive environment became another insurmountable obstacle.
After just one year, Lamborghini had already withdrawn from WEC, citing regulatory change, lack of competitiveness, and the exit of Iron Lynx, their original operational partner.
With the partnership dissolved, continuing in IMSA with a single Riley-run car was a stopgap, unable to recapture the initial strategic value of the program.
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