Barri Puts the New Gallardo GT3 FL2 Third on the Grid
On May 4, 2013, Giacomo Barri placed the freshly homologated Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 FL2 third on the grid at the opening round of the Campionato Italiano Gran Turismo. The result arrived under pressure: a red flag interrupted the compressed 20-minute qualifying session, limiting every driver’s window for improvement. Fellow Lamborghini entry Giorgio Sanna qualified eighth in a second FL2.
A P3 start at the season opener mattered beyond the single time sheet. This was the competitive debut of a substantially revised race car, and slotting it onto the second row against established GT3 machinery from Ferrari and Porsche suggested the engineering direction was sound.
“The temperature was a bit lower than the previous sessions and our performance also improved, so we managed a good third spot on the grid.”
Barri’s observation about cooler conditions helping the car is a small but telling detail. GT3 cars live and die by tire and brake management across varying ambient temperatures, and the FL2’s updated cooling package was designed precisely to exploit those variables more consistently than its predecessor.
What Made the FL2 Different
The “FL2” designation (short for Facelift 2) signaled more than a cosmetic refresh. Lamborghini says the updated car received “24-hour” brakes, improved engine cooling, and reduced fuel consumption, priorities shaped by endurance racing demands rather than outright qualifying pace. Reiter Engineering, the Austrian firm that built and maintained the Gallardo GT3 program from its inception, developed the car in cooperation with Sant’Agata.
One report describes the FL2 as approximately 25 kg lighter than the previous specification, powered by a naturally aspirated V10 through a six-speed automated manual gearbox. The same source notes revised race camshafts for a broader torque curve and Mahle pistons aimed at improving long-run reliability. Those are changes that rarely show up in a single qualifying lap but compound over a full race distance, exactly the scenario Lamborghini and Reiter were targeting.
Deliveries to customer teams in Europe and Asia began in March 2013, with the model intended for use across the 2013 and 2014 racing seasons. For a customer racing program, that timeline matters: teams needed proven hardware quickly, and a strong qualifying debut helped validate the investment before the first chequered flag even fell.
The 2013 GT3 Landscape and Lamborghini’s Position
In 2013, the GT3 category was one of the most fiercely contested spaces in motorsport. Ferrari’s 458 Italia GT3 and Porsche’s 911 GT3 R were the dominant customer platforms, backed by deep development budgets and large grids of privateer entries. Lamborghini’s Gallardo GT3 program operated at a smaller scale, which made every result count disproportionately for the brand’s racing credibility.
The Italian GT Championship served as a particularly visible proving ground. Running on home soil against Ferrari meant the results resonated beyond the paddock, and a P3 qualifying slot for the FL2 in its first competitive outing sent a clear signal to prospective customer teams evaluating their options for the following season.
Customer GT3 programs function as much on confidence as on lap times. Teams invest hundreds of thousands in chassis, spares, and engineering support. A strong debut result from factory-supported entries lowers the perceived risk of choosing a less established platform. Barri’s qualifying performance, modest as a single data point, functioned as a proof of concept for the entire FL2 program.
Barri, Sanna, and Lamborghini’s Driver Ecosystem
Giacomo Barri and Giorgio Sanna represented two different facets of Lamborghini’s motorsport involvement. Sanna would later become head of Lamborghini Squadra Corse, the division responsible for the brand’s entire racing and track-day operation. His presence behind the wheel in 2013 underscores how closely Lamborghini’s competition leadership was connected to the actual racing program, a trait that distinguished the operation from larger manufacturers who separated management from driving duties more rigidly.
Barri’s role was more straightforward: deliver results that proved the car worked. His P3 qualifying lap did that cleanly, even under the pressure of a red-flagged session that cut available track time. Sanna’s P8 was less dramatic but still placed a second FL2 comfortably inside the top ten at a round where every team was learning the new car’s limits.
From the FL2 to GT3 Dominance
Viewed through the lens of what came next, the Gallardo GT3 FL2 looks like a transitional chapter rather than a destination. The Huracán GT3, developed as a direct replacement, went on to become one of the most successful customer racing platforms in the world, winning Daytona, Spa, and Bathurst. The engineering priorities embedded in the FL2 program, durability-focused brakes, thermal management, fuel efficiency, carried forward into the Huracán and now inform the upcoming Temerario GT3.
According to one report, the Gallardo GT3 FL2 competed in the Italian GT Championship from 2013 through 2016, overlapping with the Huracán GT3’s introduction. That extended service life speaks to the car’s fundamental soundness and to the loyalty of customer teams who kept running it years after its intended two-season window.
For anyone following Lamborghini’s current GT3 trajectory, the FL2 is worth remembering as the moment the brand’s racing engineering stopped being a sideshow and started building toward systematic competitiveness. Barri’s P3 at the 2013 Italian GT opener was a small result in absolute terms. The program it validated was not.
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