Automobili Lamborghini has begun deliveries of the new Gallardo LP 560-4 race cars to drivers taking part in the inaugural Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo, following completion of a gruelling testing programme this week.

There’s only seven weeks before the season begins at Silverstone on 02 May, and the first batch of pilots in the pan-European series received their cars this week. Teams will be able to test their cars at Misano, Italy during the beginning of April, with Lamborghini engineers on hand to support teams with data and set-up advice.

Demanding circuits such as Estoril in Portugal and Adria in Italy have been used extensively by the Lamborghini development team to refine braking, suspension and geartrain systems. However, the all-wheel drive Super Trofeo test cars have taken the trials in their stride, performing faultlessly during every session, clocking up thousands of kilometres between them.

“By completing durability testing, we now have all the data we need on the performance and reliability of the car,” said official Lamborghini test driver Giorgio Sanna. “The development team’s role now switches to testing each customer car, to ensure every one is set-up in the same way and that all cars on the grid have identical performance. The development car feels responsive and secure, inspiring confidence; we will ensure that the driving experience and handling is the same for all drivers.”

“Rigorous testing over the last six months has proven what we’d expected: that the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo can offer an unrivalled blend of performance, glamour and entertainment,” said Director of Brand and Design for Automobili Lamborghini, Manfred Fitzgerald. “Testing has gone extremely smoothly, which is testament to the strength, reliability and performance of the Gallardo Super Trofeo design.”

The Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo will debut in May 2009 featuring the Lamborghini Super Trofeo: a lightweight version of the Gallardo LP 560-4. The Super Trofeo will come with a reworked chassis and a power output of 419 kW (570 hp) from its V10, ‘Iniezione Diretta Stratificata’ engine. The race car will feature Lamborghini’s permanent four-wheel drive, making the Super Trofeo the only one-make, all-wheel-drive motorsport series.

Luxury Swiss watchmaker Blancpain is title sponsor. The Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo will run over six European race weekends, alongside other prestigious series such as the FIA GT Championship and DTM. Either one or two drivers per car can register for the series, comprising of free practice and a qualifying session, and three 40-minute races during the race weekend.

The first race weekend of the 2009 provisional calendar will run on 02-03 May at the Silverstone circuit in the UK, followed by Adria in Italy on 15-16 May; Nuremburg’s Norisring in Germany on 26-28 June; Spa in Belgium on 23-25 July; Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya in Spain on 19-20 September; and culminating on 03-04 October at Paul Ricard, France.