DRIVEN: Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 at Sepang

They say there’s a first time for everything – and that you never seem to forget it. Don’t get me wrong, this writer is more than open to welcome new experiences but when one too many firsts are thrown at you, things tend to get a little bit squeamish.

Judge all you want but imagine this scenario for a moment. It’s your first time driving at Sepang, you get into a left-hand drive car – again for the first time – and hear the bark of a naturally-aspirated 5.2 litre V10 fire up behind you.

Before even acclimatising to the alien sensations that bombard every fibre of my being, the walkie goes off. “Last car ready? Ready? Okay, follow me.” As philosophised by Eminem, my palms were sweaty, knees weak and arms felt absurdly heavy as I trundled down the pit lane.

Prior to the internal chaos, the atmosphere at the Lamborghini Huracan Esperienza event held at the Sepang International Circuit from November 21 to 23 was like any other race weekend. That is to say it was noisy, hot, and definitely one way to get your adrenaline pumping.

The event itself was held in conjunction with the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo World Finals. The final round will see racers from three separate divisions of the series – Europe, Asia and North America – compete for the ultimate bragging rights.

This round will also see the final time the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo take to the circuit as it makes way for the new Lamborghini Huracan LP 620-2 Super Trofeo, which is set to feature in 2015’s race season.

With the qualifying session happening at the same time as our technical briefing, I could only hope that I didn’t miss out any important details on how to handle the Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4. After all, it does carry a price tag in the region of RM2.1 million with tax.

The Huracan, as you might already know, replaces the ageing but ever-so-popular Gallardo as Lamborghini’s entry model. It carries over a reworked version of the 5.2 litre, naturally-aspirated V10 engine with 610 hp at 8,250 rpm and 560 Nm of torque at 6,500 rpm.

Transmission is a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, dubbed Lamborghini Doppia Frizione, and is tasked with sending power to all four wheels. Top speed is rated at 325 km/h with the century sprint taking only 3.2 seconds to complete.

Direct- and multi-point fuel injection systems are coupled to a start-stop system, ensuring that the new bull is another step up in terms of efficiency. It complies with EU6 emission regulations and fuel consumption is quoted at 9.6 km/litre – more than acceptable for a car of this nature.

Another highlight is a feature dubbed ANIMA – ‘soul’ in Italian – which is basically Lambo’s answer to Ferrari’s ‘manettino’ system. A small red toggle located on the bottom spoke of the hexagonal-themed steering wheel allows the driver to select between three modes – Strada, Sport and Corsa.

An official dry weight of 1,422 kg is possible thanks to a hybrid space frame chassis formed out of a combination of aluminium and carbon fibre. As a result, the new chassis is said to offer an increase in torsional rigidity by as much as 50% over the Gallardo.

Within a span of thirty minutes or so, the briefing was all but over. Shouldering my bag and looking completely out of place amongst a bunch of wealthy, middle-aged Austrian clients, we headed for the pit lanes. Oh, and before I forget to mention, it was pouring throughout qualifying and even into the early moments of our briefing.

The cacophony of multiple V10s firing up as we approached the designated area confirmed my fear/excitement. Laid out before us were four Huracans along with a pair of lead cars, a grey Huracan and a red Aventador.

In this instance, being picked last was a definite godsend. With that said, my turn came a tad too fast as I was ushered into the Huracan. Contorting myself into the cockpit, I just about had enough time to get a comfortable driving position before an official knelt down by the wide sill.

“Okay, you see this? ANIMA, yes? I give you Sport, Strada noise not so good, not so loud. Yes?” I nodded but insisted starting off in the mildest setting. “No, no, Sport easy. Okay? Good.” Then he slammed the door shut.

The walkie next to me crackled to life. “Last car ready? Ready? Okay, follow me.” Right-hand paddle tugged for first gear and ANIMA nudged back into Strada, I feathered the throttle and audibly asked the Huracan to take of me.

As soon as our convoy exited the pit lane, the lead Aventador vanished into the horizon, along with the lead Huracan. Feeling completely powerless, I pinned the throttle wide open, only to find Turn 1 approaching at a rate that I couldn’t process.

The last time I felt fear of that magnitude was when I was eleven and had to approach a crush to give her a birthday gift. Internal organs somersaulting, I jumped on the brakes and turned in at the same time – which was a big no-no.

To my surprise, the car held on and powered through the corner without any sense of drama. Glancing down at the instrument cluster, I caught a glimpse of the electronic aids coming to life as they came online to rescue this damsel in distress.

“Last car, please keep up. Please keep up.” Emasculated and stripped bare of any remaining ounce of dignity, I pushed the car harder – running into the limiter at one point – before the rear of the convoy was in clear view again.

As we sped up through the circuit, one thing became clear. The onboard electronics always ensured that even the most ham-fisted of drivers can pilot the Huracan at insane speeds without crashing it. That, and the Huracan is a fairly easy car to learn how to go fast with.

Turn-in was remarkable as I chucked the car into various corners, the all-wheel drive system shuffling power and the Pirelli P Zero tyres providing more than enough grip to keep the car in check. The carbon ceramic brakes were barely pushed to the limits, despite repeated hard braking from triple-figure speeds.

As we approached the start of the main straight, the convoy slowed in preparation for an acceleration test. The moment the lead car and following Huracan had blurred themselves into the horizon, I dropped the hammer as the Huracan rearranged my perception of speed. How fast did I go? A feeble 210 km/h.

The raw shriek of the V10, located just behind me, wailed itself into oblivion as the transmission smashed the subsequent gears in with a sense of ferocity that borders on physical assault – and all this only in Strada mode.

As the final lap drew to a close, the Huracan had succeeded in scaring, impressing and then reassuring me that this was a car with a monumental repertoire when it came to defining the term ‘usability’. The fact that commands for me to catch up seized after the first lap further accentuates how easy it is to get to grips with the baby Lambo.

In less than ten minutes, it was all over – my first time on a circuit had arrived at its conclusion. Just as I started to recover from the onslaught, a Lamborghini Veneno rolled out into the pit lane, its 750 hp-equipped, 6.5 litre naturally-aspirated V12 burbling ominously.

Unfortunately, taxi rides in the Veneno were only reserved for clients. Which didn’t really matter, as the howl of its engine down the pit and subsequent exit towards the first corner was more than enough for us peasants.

A final surprise came in the form of a static display of the aforementioned Lamborghini Huracan LP 620-2 Super Trofeo inside one of the hospitality suites. If a normal Huracan is a bit too reserved for you in terms of its aesthetics, perhaps this is the perfect visual (and no doubt, aural) antidote.

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