MCR Grand-Am

Racing Lamborghinis were, for many years, sort of a taboo within the manufacturer from Sant’Agata Bolognese. Since the tractor manufacturer started to build sports cars, the focus has always been to develop cars that would be superior to those from Ferrari, with Ferruccio Lamborghini believing that motorsports was something that drained a lot of resources from the company. This vision kept Lamborghini away from the race tracks, with the first purebred racing Lamborghini only released in 1996, the Lamborghini Diablo SV-R built for the Super Trofeo one-make series. Only in 2024 the italian marque has presented its first prototype for a high end category, the short lived SC63 which raced in FIA WEC and IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship. This, however, did not prevent wealth individuals and racing teams to transform the Italian cars (or parts of them) into racecars across the last six decades.[Note: this post has been last update on 18-Oct-2026].

Brazilian tracks previously saw the Fúria-Lamborghini, created by Toni Bianco for Jayme Silva, which utilized the engine and transmission from a Lamborghini Miura that had been totaled in an accident. More recently, there was the MCR Grand Am—a prototype developed for the GP1 class of the Endurance Brasil series. This story begins in 2014, when Fernando Poeta, a racing driver from Rio Grande do Sul and owner of two Lamborghini Gallardo GT3s, decided to invest in the construction of a domestically-built race car. This decision was prompted by the fact that renewing the temporary import permits for his existing cars would have required them to leave the country—a process that was both costly and time-consuming.

The design was developed by race car engineer Luiz Fernando Cruz, founder of MCR Race Cars and designer of various winning cars in categories such as Formula Renault and Ford, Brazilian Endurance Championship, Sports 2000, OSS and races like the 12 Hours of Tarumã (traditional endurance race from Brazil), among others.

Building of the car was done in the workshop from Noel Teixeira, supported by traditional Brazilian racing team Mottin Racing, from Luciano Mottin, which was also responsible to campaign the car in the races from Brazilian and Gaúcho Endurance Championships.

Development work began in 2014, a time when the Endurance Brasil regulations only permitted prototypes with tubular-frame chassis. Poeta did not feel comfortable in the domestic prototypes of that era, which were generally open-cockpit models with cramped interiors. Having followed several Grand-Am races alongside his friend Oswaldo “Ozzi” Negri Jr., Cruz opted for a concept inspired by the IMSA regulations for “Daytona Prototypes.” The tubular chassis design was created entirely using CAD and completed in just a few weeks. Utilizing the powertrain from a Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560 GT3—featuring a 5.2L V10 engine and a six-speed sequential Höllinger transmission—the team constructed the tubular chassis and a fiberglass body. Equipped with a 100-liter fuel tank, the race car ended up exceeding the 900 kg minimum weight limit for the GP1 category, coming in at 940 kg without the driver.

However, with the return of the Lamborghinis from abroad, the project’s execution ended up being slower than expected, as the team devoted most of its time to preparation and the season’s races. In the words of Cruz himself:

“During 2015, we manufactured the chassis and suspension in a relatively short period—between March and the middle of the year.
In the second half of the year, we focused on the bodywork concept, which was developed through a manual process carried out by myself and a fiberglass specialist. We spent months shaping every component until we arrived at the final forms.
Certain concepts were pre-defined, such as the use of a water radiator—following the trend seen in the DP [class/category] and also aiming for better weight distribution over the front axle.”

Once the model was finalized, molds for the bodywork panels were produced toward the end of 2015. Concurrently, the team worked on assembling the electrical, fuel, water and oil cooling, and steering systems, as well as the instrument panel—a process that was ultimately completed in 2016. Initially, the plan was to debut the car at the very first race of the season. It did take part in practice sessions for the “Three Hours of Santa Cruz do Sul” (the second round of the Copa Brasil de Endurance and the third round of the Campeonato Gaúcho), but the team opted to postpone its competitive debut, as engineer Luiz Cruz explained:

“I thank all manifestations (of support) from our friends and let you know that the team choose to postpone the prototype’s debut for the next round, however we will race tomorrow with the GT3 Lamborghini. It was impossible to adjust some details during the short time in the official practice sessions, as well as the four entered drivers did not had enough time to practice with the new car.”

This way, the official debut happened in the 3 Hours of Tarumã race, with drivers Fernando Poeta, Andersom Toso and Fernando Fortes. In qualifying, the MCR got the fifth place, with a time of 1″02, finishing the race in third place overall, one lap down the winners. This result was sort of a forecast for the MCR Grand-Am: although the car never got a pole-position in qualifying, it was always a reliable car, with good race rhythm.

Back in 2016, the season culminated in a victory at the 12 Hours of Tarumã, achieved by the six-man lineup of Fernando Poeta, Fernando Fortes, Marcelo Santanna, Andersom Toso, Pedro Queirolo, and Henrique Assunção—a result that Cruz considers one of the project’s highlights and one of the most thrilling moments of his career:

“It was a very special moment for me, as I was able to witness four different projects of mine competing for the win. These included the MCR GrandAm, the MCR P2 Audi Turbo (also from Mottin), the LFC Tornado Hayabusa—belonging to my friend Cali Crestani—and the MCR P3 from the Equipe Tubarão team. The latter was the only one among them that didn’t take the lead at any point, though it still finished third overall.
The battle for the win was fierce, with each of the three frontrunners taking the lead at various stages. In the morning, the #46 MCR P2—a car that had won the 12 Hours race numerous times—ran into trouble, leaving the fight for the top spot to the MCR GrandAm and the Tornado.
They swapped positions several times. In the final hour of the race, the Tornado had to make an unscheduled pit stop for repairs while in the lead, handing the victory to the MCR GrandAm, which was making its debut. The Tornado rounded out the podium in second place, with the MCR P3 in third.
This was one of the most thrilling races of my entire career. Despite having so many 12-Hour race victories under my belt—I’ve lost count of how many—this one felt especially meaningful.”

In 2017 the GP1 category saw a rise in competitiveness, with the arrival of cars like the Metalmoro JLM AJR and Porsche 911 GT3 R. For that season, Mottin Racing received the sponsorship of energy drink company Dopamina, which also became the main sponsor of the now Dopamina Endurance Brasil Championship. The season highlight was the overall victory in the Guaporé roung of the Endurance RS. The now proven reliability showed crucial for that season, resulting in a second place finish at that year Endurance RS championship for Fernando Poeta.

In the Brazilian Championship, however, the MCR V10 suffered from reliability issues during the early rounds, achieving as best result a second place in class in the 500 km of São Paulo. The problems kept the team away from the title run in 2017.

For the 2018 season, the GP1 class was split into GT3 for FIA GT3 class cars and P1, for LMP3 and tubeframe sports prototypes with large displacement engines. This season saw the arrival of a new generation of competitors, like the Sigma P1 and an increase in the number of AJRs running.This meant that Mottin Racing wasn’t able to capture any class or overall victory. However, the MCR’s good reliability meant the trio of Claudio Ricci, Fernando Poeta and Beto Giacomelli could capture 5 podium finishes in 7 rounds, managing to take third place in 2018 Endurance Brasil Championship and the P1 championship title in the Endurance RS Championship.

For the 2020 Season, Poeta returned to the MCR Grand Am, now run by FTR Motorsport and equipped with a Ford Coyote V8 engine and

Technical Analysis

As mentioned earlier, the MCR Grand Am has a tubeframe chassis, with carbon steel square tubes for the front and rear structures, and round tubes for the roll cage, as required by FIA Annex J.

Viewed from the front, the MCR Lamborghini is a mix of elements from Daytona and Le Mans Prototypes. That’s mainly because the cockpit is quite large (1), Daytona style, however the design aero design has otherwise a European approach, like the raised nose (2). During its career, the car received quite a few combinations of dive planes in the front: during development, two fins were used per fender, however the upper element was changed for a larger one already in the car debut, probably seeking more front downforce to help with aero balance. For 2017, the lower element also grew in size, similar to the superior element (3), while in 2018 only the lower element was kept. Curiously, the prototype haven’t had integrated headlights during the 2016/2017 season, initially using lights embedded to the side mirrors (see below), that eventually got replaced by LED lights mounted on the fenders (4).

Opposed to other contemporary Brazilian prototypes that put the driver right in the middle of the cockpit, in the MCR the driver sits lightly off-set to the left.

In 2018, the MCR’s front end received a few updates, like integrated headlights (5) and 2 NACA ducts, probably to help with brake cooling (6).

The cooling layout is somewhat odd for a mid-engine prototype, as the radiator is mounted in the front (a carry-over solution from the Gallardo GT3), venting the hot air through an hood opening similar to those found in GT cars. Front wheel arches have wheel cuts to help reduce induced lift by the spinning duo of tire + rim.

Viewed from another angle, the side profile is very similar to the Daytona Prototypes, displaying two large NACA ducts that drive air to the rear brakes (7) and 2 smaller ones that vent the engine bay (8).

Initially, the MCR Grand Am haven’t had any air intake over it’s roof, however in 2016 a small air intake was added. In 2017, what resembles an air exhaust was added, resulting in a very unique layout. Considering were the engine air intake is positioned, these air intake/exhausts seem to have a function to help the cockpit ventilation.

Viewed from behind, the MCR Grand Am has a large diffuser (9), with two elements with higher inclination, and a less aggressive center element with two inner strakes to help separate the airflow. This element is partially supported by two stems attached to the rear wing mounts. The exhaust pipes (10) are placed in what seems to be almost the same position as the GT3 Gallardo. The rear wing itself (11), resembles a lot the Gallardo rear wing, as a comparison between the two cars shows. Somewhat strange, there is a polycarbonate rear glass, which may improve rear w view capabilities a lot.

For the 2019 season, Fernando Poeta and Beto Giacomello has chosen to store the MCR, and returned to race the GT3 Gallardo in the recently created GT3 Light class, for FIA GT3 class built before 2012 and Stock Cars.

After a hiatus during the 2019 season—when Fernando Poeta opted to compete with a Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 in the Light category—the MCR Grand Am returned to the track for the 2020 season. However, the Lamborghini V10 engine was set aside, and the car was instead powered by a 5.0-liter Ford Coyote V8 unit.

For the opening round of the 2020 season, the FTR Motorsport team introduced several aerodynamic updates, including a combination of front canards: a large lower element paired with an additional element positioned on the side of the front fender (12). Another change involved the replacement of the rearview mirrors (13); while these increase aerodynamic drag, they also offer a significant improvement in visibility for the drivers.

Another new feature implemented is the roof-mounted air intake (13)—an element that has appeared in various different configurations over past seasons, and which now consists of a rectangular opening extending the entire length of the cockpit roof on the #18 prototype.

For the second stage of the season, held in Curitiba, the only change was the use of just one canard at the front, in a race that was shortened to only 13 full laps (image above).

In the third round, held at the tight Velopark circuit, the #18 MCR demonstrated strong performance during the qualifying sessions—with Cláudio Ricci clocking a best lap of 53.196 seconds, the fastest time in the P2 class that weekend. As the race unfolded, several other competitors encountered issues; the car driven by Fernando Poeta, Arthur Caleffi, and Cláudio Ricci completed the highest number of laps in its category, yet it did not secure the win, as the team was disqualified for using a set of tires that had not been sealed by the organizers.

Following this event, the MCR returned to the track only for the final round—once again held at Velopark—featuring several significant updates. Mechanically, the transmission was replaced by a sequential Hewland unit, managed by a Geartronics system. Furthermore, the engine cover underwent a complete overhaul, most notably with the addition of a dorsal fin (14) and the relocation of the engine air intake to the car’s central scoop. These upgrades proved effective, resulting in a victory in the P2 class.

In 2021, Poeta and Cláudio Ricci won the P2 class championship, securing 6 class victories while facing new competitors such as the Giaffone G21, Absoluta ABS01, and Sigma P1 G2. In 2022, the P2 class regulations were revised to include P3 prototypes and GT3 Light models. Consequently, cars such as the Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3, Ferrari 458 GT3, and Lamborghini Gallardo LP600+ GT3 joined the grid—yet the outcome remained the same: another title for Poeta and Ricci, along with 5 more P2 victories. The 2023 season marked the retirement (for the time being) of the MCR Grand Am, following Fernando Poeta’s acquisition of a Ligier JSP320. As the new car would not arrive in time for the season opener, the MCR was entered into the P1 class one last time as an interim solution.

If you wish to learn more about Race Car Aerodynamics, I reccomend checking the Competition Car Aerodynamics from Simon McBeath. It has been very useful to my learning process in preparing the techcnical analysis for the website.

Results:

Acknowledgements

We’d link to thank Luiz Fernando Cruz by sharing his comments about the development and the tracking of the history of the MCR Grand Am, which have been invaluable in writing this article.

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Sources:

Galeria de Imagens – Império Endurance Brasil 2019. Available at: http://www.imperioendurancebrasil.com/imagens.html.

Racecarpress. Available at: https://www.facebook.So/racecarpress.racecarpress.

O novo protótipo MCR Grand-Am V10 foi testado em Tarumã. Available at: https://www.diariomotorsport.com.br/o-novo-prototipo-mcr-grand-am-v10-foi-testado-em-taruma/.

Mottin Racing: Available at: https://www.facebook.com/MottinRacing/.

Images

[1]: Sourced from: Galeria de Imagens – Império Endurance Brasil 2019. Available at: http://www.imperioendurancebrasil.com/imagens.html.

[2]: Sourced from: Racecarpress. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/racecarpress.racecarpress.

[3]: Sourced from: O novo protótipo MCR Grand-Am V10 foi testado em Tarumã. Available at: https://www.diariomotorsport.com.br/o-novo-prototipo-mcr-grand-am-v10-foi-testado-em-taruma/.

[4]: Sourced from: Mottin Racing: Available at: https://www.facebook.com/MottinRacing/.