A Breakthrough Circuit Beckons Again
Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 3.925 km (2.439-mile), 14-turn road course occupies a specific place in the SC63’s short history, and the Lamborghini prototype returns there on September 21 with something it lacked a year ago: genuine recent form.
Edoardo Mortara slots back into the #63 alongside Romain Grosjean for the penultimate IMSA Endurance Cup round, replacing Mirko Bortolotti and marking his first GTP start since the Daytona 24 Hours in January. The pairing arrives on the back of a seventh-place finish at Watkins Glen that matched the SC63’s best-ever IMSA result, set at Sebring last season. More telling than the position itself: the #63 spent large portions of the wet-dry Watkins Glen enduro out front, with Grosjean and Daniil Kvyat sharing driving duties. A late stop for fuel and energy shaped the final classification, but the pace was real. Lamborghini described the result as “morale-boosting,” and for a program still finding its competitive footing in GTP, leading laps in race conditions counts for more than the finishing order might suggest.
Lamborghini frames last season’s race at Indianapolis as a breakthrough for the prototype, and the numbers back up the sentiment. Grosjean charged from 10th on the grid to take the lead in the opening hours, exploiting a wet track that played to the #63’s strengths. Contact with a GTD car ended that run prematurely, but the performance left an impression on the paddock. Returning to the same circuit with better recent form gives the team a clearer baseline and a chance to prove that Watkins Glen was not a one-off.
Where the SC63 Finds Its Edge
For enthusiasts tracking the SC63’s development arc, a pattern is emerging. The car’s best results keep coming at circuits where mixed conditions or technical layouts neutralize some of the raw pace advantage held by more established GTP programs. Indianapolis delivered exactly that scenario in 2024, and Watkins Glen did the same weeks ago.
Grosjean already knows the Indianapolis layout intimately from that 2024 drive, and his familiarity with the car’s current behavior, sharpened over the Watkins Glen weekend, should anchor the setup work through Friday and Saturday practice. Whether Indianapolis delivers similar changeable conditions remains entirely up to the weather, but the team at least arrives with confidence that the car can compete when the variables break its way.
With only two IMSA endurance rounds remaining in 2025, Indianapolis is the kind of event where consistent execution matters more than outright heroics. Lamborghini’s team will want to convert the pace shown at Watkins Glen into another clean race weekend, particularly on a track where the SC63 already proved it can run at the front when conditions align. The six-hour race on Sunday closes out the penultimate round, leaving only the Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta to finish the calendar.
What Mortara Brings After Eight Months Away
Mortara’s return to the SC63 cockpit after an eight-month gap from GTP racing is the most significant personnel change heading into this weekend. His absence since Daytona means he missed the program’s incremental progress through the spring and summer, but his broader endurance racing resume is extensive. The Swiss-Italian driver brings a calm, methodical approach that complements Grosjean’s more aggressive style, a useful pairing for a six-hour race where tire management and clean stints often determine the result.
Lamborghini confirmed the driver swap without detailing why Bortolotti is unavailable. For the team, the priority is continuity of pace. Mortara’s job will be to get up to speed quickly and deliver consistent lap times during his stints on Sunday, while Grosjean provides the thread of continuity from Watkins Glen.
One practical detail worth noting: the race-by-race driver announcements that Lamborghini adopted for the 2025 endurance calendar mean the #63’s crew can shift between events. Bortolotti, Grosjean, Kvyat, and Mortara all remain part of the factory driver pool. This flexibility lets Squadra Corse optimize pairings for each circuit, though it also means fans need to check the entry list before each round.
Resilient Racers: Franco Renhack Rides with the #63
Beyond the competition, Lamborghini Squadra Corse is supporting IMSA’s Resilient Racers program at Indianapolis. The initiative raises awareness for children facing pediatric cancer and other serious illnesses, partnering with the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer and Camp Boggy Creek.
The designated Resilient Racer for the Battle on the Bricks is Franco Renhack, from Ponte Vedra, Florida. Lamborghini says Franco has lived with epilepsy since he was 18 months old and is a regular attendee of Camp Boggy Creek, a medical camp for children based in Eustis, Florida. His name will appear on the #63 SC63 throughout the weekend. Programs like this are a quiet but meaningful part of IMSA’s race weekends, connecting the spectacle of prototype racing to something larger than lap times.
Weekend Schedule at a Glance
The Battle on the Bricks weekend runs from Friday through Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. All times are Eastern Standard Time.
| Session | Date | Time (EST) |
|---|---|---|
| Free Practice 1 | Friday, September 19 | 11:15 to 12:45 |
| Free Practice 2 | Saturday, September 20 | 08:55 to 10:25 |
| Qualifying | Saturday, September 20 | 15:15 to 16:45 |
| Race | Sunday, September 21 | 11:40 to 17:40 |
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