Swiss motorsport engineer Max Welti has been appointed head of Lamborghini’s new motorsport division, Squadra Corse.

Welti replaces Lamborghini R&D chief Maurizio Reggiani, who was only heading the squad until a suitable manager could be found.

The 60-year-old Swiss national is a former racing driver and at one point also managed a dancing school (his other passion is choreography).

He has competed in Swiss sports car racing and has had senior roles at Sauber and the Swiss A1GP team. He has also served as head of motorsport at Porsche, where he was responsible for the German automaker’s 24 Hours of Le Mans victory in 1994.

Welti’s appointment as head of Lamborghini’s Squadra Corse is just the latest development in the Italian automaker’s motorsport expansion. Lamborghini continues to expand its Super Trofeo one-make series and in January announced that it was making a return to international motorsport, competing initially in the GT3 category with a Gallardo-based race car.

Welti is serving in his new role for Squadra Corse for the first time this weekend at the Super Trofeo race in Misano, ltaly.

“l've experienced a Iot in motorsport, but I particularly Iook forward to this new challenge,” Welti said at the announcement of his appointment. “Lamborghini is an extremely fascinating brand with a long and great tradition, fantastic sports cars and an exciting vision for the future.”

Squadra Corse is a specialist team within Lamborghini's R&D department and is dedicated to motorsport, with the current focus being on GT3 racing, the Super Trofeo series, and a customer driving program dubbed Esperienza.

The Esperienza program caters to enthusiasts by offering test drives and track and ice driving programs. The Super Trofeo series, meanwhile, provides an avenue for rookie racers and gentleman drivers to sample the world of motorsport, while the new GT3 program is for more experienced racers wanting to compete with the Lamborghini marque worldwide.

2013 Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 FL2 race car

2013 Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 FL2 race car