Lamborghini Squadra Corse has announced the first two drivers in the line-up for the LMDh (Le Mans Daytona h) program, which will debut in 2024 in the FIA World Endurance Championship (Hypercar class) and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (GTP class). The Factory Drivers Andrea Caldarelli and Mirko Bortolotti, both currently involved in the most important GT competitions with Lamborghini, have been confirmed for the new project, not only as drivers but also as test drivers, contributing to the development of the prototype.
“We are especially proud to announce Mirko and Andrea as the first drivers for the LMDh program,” commented Giorgio Sanna, Lamborghini’s Head of Motorsport. “Both have contributed substantially to achieving historic results for Lamborghini in GT racing and their addition to the LMDh project also rewards their continued commitment to the Squadra Corse family. I’m sure that their talent and experience will be an added asset to our competitiveness in the premier endurance class.”
Bortolotti was born in Trento on January 10, 1990. He started his career in karting and at 15 he debuted in formula racing cars, racing for six seasons in different series and winning the Italian Formula 3 Championship and the FIA Formula 2 title. He had his first wins with Lamborghini in Italian GT in 2014, and the year after had a number of podium finishes in the Blancpain GT Series and a win at the ADAC GT Masters with the newly launched Huracán GT3. At the end of the season, he was confirmed as an official driver and in the following years won the Blancpain GT Series championship (2017), 24 Hours of Daytona (2018 and 2019), and the 12 Hours of Sebring (2019) in the GTD class at the wheel of the GRT Grasser Racing Team Huracán cars. Bortolotti then made his debut in the DTM championship with Grasser Racing Team, and leads the standings at the halfway stage of the 2022 season.
“I’m delighted to continue my journey with Lamborghini,” commented Bortolotti, “and to start an exciting new chapter in LMDh. I’m grateful to Lamborghini Squadra Corse for all the efforts put in place to make it happen and for the unconditional trust they have put in me since 2014. It is a huge honor and responsibility to represent the Brand at the highest stage of endurance racing and to compete for overall victories in the main endurance classics.”
Caldarelli was born in Pescara on February 14, 1990, and after debuting in karting and European formula racing, he moved to Japan to pursue a brilliant career in formula racing cars and Super GT. In 2017, he was recruited by Lamborghini as an official driver, contributing to winning the Blancpain GT Series title with teammates Bortolotti and Christian Engelhart in the Grasser Racing Team Huracán GT3. In 2019, he won the GT World Challenge Europe “triple crown” at the wheel of the Huracán GT3 EVO of the Orange 1 FFF Racing team (where he is also team principal) paired with Marco Mapelli. In 2020, he won the 24 hours of Daytona in the GTD class with Paul Miller Racing. The following year he was the star of a triumphant season in the Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS, winning the drivers’ title with the K-Pax team Lamborghini. In 2022, Caldarelli has stayed in the American championship and is on course for a second successive title, having won every race of the season so far for K-PAX Racing.
“I’m really happy to be part of the program, which is truly fantastic, and in general about this new challenge from Lamborghini Squadra Corse,” commented Caldarelli. “Back in 2017, when I started racing for Lamborghini, I had the goal of fulfilling my childhood dream: to race with my favorite brand of car in the most prestigious endurance races. I had the opportunity to race at the Circuit de la Sarthe in 2022, winning both heats of the Road to Le Mans with the Huracán GT3, and it was really special. I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel of an LMDh: I’m really excited about this new adventure, and I’ll do my best to bring all my experience to this project and to win new and prestigious trophies.”
Source. Lamborghini
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