Lamborghini appoints BMW LMDh manager Leschiutta as new motorsport boss

Lamborghini has recruited Maurizio Leschiutta from BMW the place he headed up the M Hybrid V8 LMDh programme to develop into its new motorsport boss.

Leschiutta has taken over as head of motorsport to supervise the Italian producer’s LMDh prototype, GT3 and one-make sportscar programmes on the Italian producer’s in-house Squadra Corse competitions division.

The Italo-Canadian strikes into the function at Lamborghini 10 months after his predecessor, Giorgio Sanna, was relieved of his duties final March.

He’ll report on to chief expertise officer Rouven Mohr, who had been performing motorsport chief within the interim.

Leschiutta described his new function as a “nice pleasure” and “an vital milestone”.

“I hope I can contribute a small paragraph in one of many many pages of its historical past books, and I’m assured that, collectively, we will rise to the challenges within the years to come back,” he mentioned.

Mohr added: “We’re delighted to welcome Maurizio Leschiutta to the Lamborghini household heading into the brand new season – he’s somebody who has an unbelievable wealth of experience and information in motorsport.”

Maurizio Leschiutta, Head of Motorsport Lamborghini

Picture by: Lamborghini S.p.A.

Leschiutta’s profession has included an 11-year stint on the Ferrari Components 1 staff in its engine division, throughout which era he labored as a help engineer for drivers comparable to Gerhard Berger, Jean Alesi and Eddie Irvine.

He converted to sister marque Maserati in 2003 to work on the Ferrari-based V12 engine that powered the ultra-successful MC12 GT1 contender, subsequently shifting into race operations on the programme.

He was technical director of the WRT staff’s DTM assault with Audi in 2019 earlier than becoming a member of BMW M Motorsport as chief engineer of its programme within the German-based touring automotive sequence after which taking mission management of the M Hybrid V8 in 2021.

The arrival of Leschiutta at Squadra Corse coincides with a downscaling of the SC63 LMDh programme, which final yr integrated one automotive within the World Endurance Championship and one in 4 of the IMSA SportsCar Championship’s long-distance occasions.

Lamborghini has withdrawn from the WEC for 2025 and has a GTP class entry for a single automotive within the 5 rounds of the IMSA Endurance Cup.

It cited a scarcity of assets to run in each championships after the WEC decreed in June that producers competing within the Hypercar class should area two vehicles.

The announcement of Leschiutta said that Lamborghini “will enter its SC63 as a Squadra Corse entrant for the primary time”.

That is affirmation of a whole cut up with the Iron Lynx staff that fielded the Lambo LMDh in WEC and IMSA final yr, in addition to working the Hurcan GT3 EVO2 in each sequence.

Lamborghini has but to disclose the construction behind an entry that shall be listed as Automobili Lamborghini Squadra Corse.

It has thus far solely confirmed that the automotive shall be pushed on the Daytona 24 Hours season-opener on 25/26 January by Romain Grosjean, Daniil Kvyat, Mirko Bortolotti and Edoardo Mortara, who had been all a part of its LMDh squad in 2024.

The primary assessments of a brand new GT3 contender developed from the Temerario street automotive launched final summer season are scheduled for this yr forward of its launch to prospects in 2026.

It’s being developed along side Podium Superior Applied sciences somewhat than Dallara Automobili just like the Huracan.

The Tremendous Trofeo one-make model of the automotive is because of come on stream in 2027.

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