Having never officially forayed into anything other than one-make GT racing, Lamborghini made a surprise move in September 2003 by announcing a small batch of Murcielago R-GT's. It came after a few important customers had requested a competitive Lamborghini with which they could use in international arenas like the FIA GT Championship and American Le Mans Series. Developed jointly etween Reiter Engineering (who make the cars) and parent company Audi Sport (who provided much of the technical input), the Murcielago R-GT's will be built to comply with the FIA's GT and the ACO's GTS category regulations. | |
Exact details are still sketchy although we do know R-GT's discard the stock Murcielago's four-wheel drive system in favour of a rear-wheel drive set-up whilst its weight is trimmed right down to the 1100kg class minimum. Engine-wise it uses a smaller 6-litre V12 as opposed to the stock versions 6.2 and this is coupled to an advanced sequential gearbox. Outside, the bodywork is adorned with subtly flared wheelarches, a chin spoiler, rear wing, panel retaining pins and new 16-spoke OZ Racing wheels. Priced at around £350,000, Lamborghini are aiming to sell at least ten R-GT's, the first customer examples of which were ready by spring 2004. Reiter had planned to enter an R-GT in the final two rounds of 2003's FIA GT Championship (Estoril and Monza), but after testing at Vallelunga in late September (pictured) and a series of new-car glitches, decideed to skip the Portuguese race.  March 25th, 2007 - The 2007 season of the FIA GT Championship got off to an exciting start at the Zhuhai International Circuit today, where the All-Inkl Racing Lamborghini Murcielago took a closely fought victory, giving Lamborghini its first international motor sport win. In front of the packed grandstand, with 22,000 spectators watching, the newly-adopted two-hour format gave a fantastically close race in both categories. Pit-stop strategy, always a factor, became vitally important when the safety car came out in the second hour. The final dash to the finish line saw the top three finish within four seconds. The Lamborghini was chased across the line followed by two Corvettes. Christophe Bouchut and Stefan Mücke started the season in the best possible way. The timing of the second pit stops along with a safety-car period saw the number 7 car take the lead in the closing stages of the race. At the re-start, a storming Bouchut kept the advantage ahead of the rest. With fastest laps being set one after the other, a frantic finish finally saw Lamborghini claim its first win. ''This victory is important for Hans Reiter, for our sponsor All Inkl and for Lamborghini,'' Bouchut said afterwards . ''I have worked a lot to develop this car, and I really wanted to give to Lamborghini this first win. Winning was one of our goal this season, we did it here in Zhuhai, for the first race. It is great for the team and for all the people who have worked hard.'' 2003 Frankfurt-The long-awaited return of Lamborghini to professional sports car racing edged closer to reality this week when the company unveiled the Murcielago R-GT, a new race car derived from its acclaimed super sports car, the Lamborghini Murcielago. The car was unveiled at the IAA Frankfort Motor Show. The Murcielago R-GT, developed jointly with renowned race car engineering company Reiter Engineering in Germany, and parent company Audi's sports division Audi Sport, will offer Lamborghini clients a car with which to compete in global professional motor sport. The car was built to the specifications of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), organizer of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, so that it would be eligible to compete at Le Mans and in the American Le Mans Series. The R-GT will be equipped with a Lamborghini air restricted 6 liter V12 engine, developing a highly competitive power output. The drive train, converted from the Murcielago permanent 4WD to RWD, as per the FIA/ACO regulations, will sport a sequential gearbox. The total weight will be contained within the relevant class specification of 1100 kg. American Le Mans Series drivers Oliver Gavin and Peter Kox, who compete for rival Corvette and Ferrari teams in the ALMS, will be co-drivers of the car in its maiden race, an FIA-GT event in Estoril, Portugal, on October 5. 'There is already substantial demand for the Murcielago R-GT, from motorsport teams and drivers alike, said Dr. Werner Mischke, Chairman and President of Automobili Lamborghini. We anticipate this new race car becoming one of the special attractions in GT motor sport. The presence of this new racing Lamborghini at international sports car events will be a perfect opportunity to showcase the competitive and performance advantages of the Murcielago.' 
|
No comments:
Post a Comment