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New Year, New Cars: GT Updates Bring Haute Cuisine to ‘Meat and Potatoes’

Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche All Enter the 2023 Season with Improved Racers for the WeatherTech Championship

 

By John Oreovicz

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Production cars go through “all-new” platform iterations or “mid-cycle refreshes” every four to six years. Production-car-based racing cars like the GT3-specification machines that compete in the GT Daytona (GTD) and GTD PRO classes of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship are no exception.

 

Last year, BMW introduced a new generation of its M4 GT3 and Acura produced an “Evo” (evolution) package for the NSX GT3. For 2023, Ferrari and Porsche are unveiling completely new designs, while Lamborghini has again chosen the Evo route for its Huracán GT3. With those three marques representing 16 GTD and GTD PRO entries for the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona, fully half of the GT classes field will be brand spanking new.

 

While not as exotic as the GTP prototypes that will vie for overall victory at Daytona, the production-based GT3 class cars are nonetheless pretty darn exotic technical machines. Think of them as IMSA’s “meat and potatoes,” developed and prepared to the haute cuisine standards of a Michelin-starred restaurant.

 

Here’s a closer look at the GTD and GTD PRO cars that will make their worldwide competition debut later this month:

 

Ferrari 296 GT3 (shown above)

 

Tried and True: New for 2023, the 296 GT3 is the ninth generation in a line of “junior” Ferraris that dates to the Dino 246 GT from the early 1970s. Unlike the Dino, which when new was not considered a “real” Ferrari because of its V-6 engine (Enzo Ferrari famously said, “A Ferrari is a 12-cylinder car”), the V-6 hybrid-powered 296 comes fully blessed with the famous Prancing Horse badge. The 296 GT3 replaces the successful 2016 Ferrari 488 GT3, which received an Evo refresh in 2020.

 

What’s New: The most significant difference compared to the 488 GT3 is the engine, with the 296’s 3-liter turbocharged V-6 replacing the 4-liter turbo V-8 from the outgoing car. Ferrari’s V-6 is unique in utilizing a wide 120-degree vee angle, with the twin turbochargers nestled in the gap. The marque says the new powerplant is lighter, features a lower center of gravity, with faster turbos creating improved throttle response. The car features a new six-speed gearbox and has been designed to simplify service and maintenance. Relentless aerodynamic research has resulted in a 20-percent gain in downforce over the 488 GT3 Evo. Ferrari has responded to feedback from drivers to create a more ergonomically comfortable driving environment, with improved air conditioning and many key controls moved from the dash to the steering wheel. Safety innovations include a new seat mounting system developed in conjunction with Sabelt.

 

Who’s Who: Four 296 GT3s are slated the Rolex 24, with Risi Competizione (a former class winner at Daytona) fielding the only GTD PRO entry. AF Corse, Triarsi Competizione and Cetilar Racing set for GTD.

 

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Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2

 

Tried and True: Like its Italian counterpart Ferrari, Lamborghini has sold a “compact” sports car for some 50 years in a lineage that starts with the 1972 Urraco. Like its predecessor, the 2004-14 Gallardo, the Huracán shares a platform with the Audi R8. The production Huracán debuted as a 2015 model, and in 2020, both the production and racing car received a mid-cycle refresh dubbed EVO. This year, the GT3 racing car receives enough of an upgrade to warrant EVO2 nomenclature.

 

What’s New: While the Huracán’s growling 5.2-liter V-10 remains fundamentally unchanged, Lamborghini has developed a new, hexagonal snorkel air intake to improve the engine’s breathing and improved the fuel management system. Other key external aerodynamic changes include a new diffuser and redesigned rear wing. Structural upgrades include a Xylon-coated floor, Kevlar/honeycomb side intrusion panels and a strengthened roll cage. Lamborghini will build new cars for customers or can offer the EVO2 upgrades as a bolt-on package for an existing car.

 

Who’s Who: Five EVO2s are on the Rolex 24 entry list, highlighted Iron Lynx Racing, which will split its three cars between GTD and GTD PRO, including an all-female driver lineup for its No. 83 Iron Dames GTD contender. The other GTD Lamborghinis will be prepared by NTE Sport and US RaceTronics.

 

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Porsche 911 GT3 R

 

Tried and True: It doesn’t seem right use the term “venerable” for an iconic sports car like the Porsche 911. Perhaps that vibe stems from the fact that Porsche has steadily developed, improved and upgraded the 911 platform for nearly 60 years without a name change, through seven generations and a once-unthinkable swap from air to liquid cooling for its traditional flat-six engine. The 911 has grown bigger and more powerful over the years, but the car’s easily identifiable shape and true rear-engine format remains the same after all those decades. The latest iteration of the production 911, Porsche internal type name 992, was unveiled in 2019; this year, the 911 GT3 R makes the move to the 992 platform.

 

What’s New: Porsche somehow finds ways to continually refine and improve the road-going 911, and the same goes for the GT3 racing car. Displacement of the water-cooled, naturally aspirated flat-six has been increased from 4.0 to 4.2 liters, and Porsche made a priority of enhancing drivability and tractability. The driver’s seat has been moved closer to the center of the car to improve safety and weight distribution, and like Ferrari, Porsche moved many controls to a complex new steering wheel. For the exterior, Porsche employed a completely different aerodynamic philosophy. Effort has also been put into making the construction of the car more modular, making changes or repairs faster and easier.

 

Who’s Who: Split between GTD and GTD PRO, Porsche’s seven Daytona entries are the most of any manufacturer. Defending GTD PRO champion for the Rolex 24 and the 2022 season, Pfaff Motorsports returns with a new driver lineup. Porsche’s GTD ranks also boast considerable pedigree; they include Wright Motorsports, MDK Motorsports, AO Racing and WeatherTech Championship newcomers Kelly-Moss Racing with Riley Technologies.

 

Activities for the 61st Rolex 24 At Daytona begin with the annual Roar Before the Rolex 24, slated for Jan. 20-22. The opening round of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship flags off the afternoon of Saturday, Jan. 28.