Team Hopes Consistency Equals Continued Success in Upcoming Season
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Forte Racing officially announced the return of Misha Goikhberg and Loris Spinelli to the No. 78 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 for the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.
The duo was part of the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class-winning team for the WeatherTech Championship season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. They will be joined for the five IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup rounds by IndyCar driver Devlin DeFrancesco.
The team is entering their second season in the WeatherTech Championship GTD class, following a strong finish to their rookie season with four top-five finishes, two podiums and a win in the final five races – culminating in a fifth-place finish in the 2023 points standings.
Goikhberg has committed to Forte Racing for another two seasons, providing the team with stability through the end of the 2025 season.
“I’m very excited to start the new season which starts at our first test in Daytona in December,” Goikhberg said. “It’s very nice to have continuity from 2023, and we are all eager to build on our form from the end of 2023. Thank you to everyone at Forte and Lamborghini.”
Last month Spinelli was promoted to Lamborghini factory driver status after a shootout against the world’s top Lamborghini drivers following the Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals at the Vallelunga Circuit in Italy. Other 2023 highlights for the Italian driver include setting a WeatherTech Championship GTD track record at Watkins Glen International and helping the team secure a second-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the win at Motul Petit Le Mans.
“2024 is just around the corner and I can’t wait to start it with my boys,” Spinelli said. “The last few rounds for us were very constructive where we learned a lot. I am sure we can do a good job next season.”
In addition to DeFrancesco’s open-wheel experience he has also found success in IMSA, including a Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) win in the 2022 Rolex 24 At Daytona.
“I’m hugely excited for the opportunity to be joining Shane (Seneviratne, team owner) and Lamborghini for the five IMSA endurance races,” DeFrancesco said. “Looking forward to fighting for race wins and podiums with this great group of people. Looking forward to working with everyone and getting started in Daytona.”
Seneviratne is confident the team can continue to build on the momentum they had at the end of the 2023 season.
“I am delighted to have Misha and Loris back for another full season in 2024,” Seneviratne said. “We built such great chemistry as a team and look forward to continuing that working relationship which will continue to strengthen the team’s success. We are also welcoming Devlin DeFrancesco, an IndyCar driver, onto our team for the five endurance races. We look forward to Devlin bringing a high level of experience from the IndyCar paddock and his contributing to the growth of the team.”
All three drivers will join the team for the IMSA Sanctioned Test at Daytona International Speedway, Dec. 6-9. The team’s Rolex 24 At Daytona driver will be announced in the coming weeks.