NEWS Getting to Know: Mirko Bortolotti Few names go as hand-in-hand at the top of the GT racing world over the past decade and longer quite as much as Lamborghini and Mirko Bortolotti. The Italian has contributed to some of the most important successes for the Sant’Agata Bolognese brand since his arrival in 2014. Hailing from Trento in the north of Italy, Bortolotti soon turned heads in go-karting before making the step up to formula cars, eventually winning the Italian Formula 3 championship and FIA Formula Two title in quick succession. For a while, it looked like Formula One was on the cards, with a number of tests for the likes of Ferrari, Red Bull Racing and Williams. But GTs presented Bortolotti with a firmer career option, and Lamborghini was the natural destination. Since making the switch away from single seaters, Bortolotti has gone on to become one of the fastest and prominent drivers in GT racing. He has won the Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring 12 Hours twice in class, the Petit Le Mans, GT World Challenge overall and Endurance Cup, the DTM title and played a pivotal role in Lamborghini’s SC63 project, scoring a point at the iconic Le Mans 24 Hours. An enviable CV in many drivers’ eyes, Bortolotti is not content with living in the past. His quest for even more success is unstoppable. How did you get into motorsport when you were young? When did you catch the racing bug? “Quite young, actually. I went into karting at the age of five and it was something that started off as a hobby at first, but which obviously became more than just that and eventually ended up in a professional job. I didn't have big financial backing behind or big family money, so everything I managed