JLOC Lamborghini team set for mid-season Evo2 upgrade

Lamborghini gave the new Huracan GT3 Evo2 its debut in January's Rolex 24 at Daytona, and as well as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, examples of the car are also set to race in GT3-based series such as the DTM and GT World Challenge Europe this year.

However, long-time Japanese Lambo customer JLOC is still running its pair of entries in SUPER GT's lower GT300 class in the previous-generation Evo spec that has been used since 2019.

JLOC boss Isao Noritake explained that a planned delivery date of April - right around the time of the opening race in Okayama - meant a decision was taken to delay the transition to Evo2 machinery.

Instead, the team now plans to take delivery of its upgraded machines between the third round of the season at Suzuka at the start of June and the fourth round at Fuji Speedway two months later.

"At the end of last year, Giorgio [Sanna, Lamborghini Head of Motorsport] said, 'Whatever happens, we want to do a final test at Daytona," Noritake told Motorsport.com.

"They want to deliver perfect cars to us, but the proposed delivery date became April. But for us, it was difficult timing.

"There is a long gap after Round 3 [at Suzuka], so we are thinking the best time is to do it then. Now we are in contact with them about it."

The decision to delay the introduction of the Evo2 Huracan has also had a knock-on impact on JLOC's hopes of recruiting a factory Lamborghini driver for the 2023 SUPER GT season.

Noritake told Motorsport.com last year that he hoped to have access to one of the Italian's drivers for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2023.

"Actually, Giorgio also said that if the car was on time for the opening round, having a factory driver would no issue," he said. "But because we ended up in a kind of half-and-half situation, we couldn't do it from the start.

"But there's a possible we can get one as a third driver later in the year."

JLOC's pair of Huracans performed well in last weekend's Okayama pre-season test, with Takashi Kogure setting the overall best time in the GT300 class of 1m25.400s in the #88 car.

The sister #87 machine was fifth-fastest, a little under four tenths behind in the hands of Natsu Sakaguchi.