Cadillac V-Club Cadillac V Racing News

2026 Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona - Cadillac V-Club Experience Update

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 06:04:59 GMT

This was the10th year for the Cadillac V-Club to attend the Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona IMSA event and it was by far the best experience ever. 180,000+ spectators were on hand and the Cadillac Car Corral was overflowing with V-Series vehicles! Cadillac hospitality was outstanding and it was a memorable experience for all members who attended. Click here to view our photo album from the event.

There were only 75 two-person hospitality suite ticket packages available, and 70 members of the Cadillac V-Club were fortunate enough to purchase one of the packages before they sold out. The Cadillac V-Club hosted a Road Rally cruise to Daytona during which 55 members drove their V's to park in the car corral and participate in the parade laps on Friday evening. Each 2026 Road Rally participant received a commemorative Road Rally long sleeve hoodie t-shirt, a 2026 Road Rally lapel pin and a 2026 Road Rally 40 oz custom drink tumbler.

The V-Club also hosted our 3rd annual 24 Minutes of Rolex karting race at K1-Speed on Thursday afternoon where Ludovik Saumur was crowned the champion. On Thursday evening, 82 attendees (members and their guests) joined us for a reception dinner at Carrabba's. Friday through Sunday, the Cadillac Racing suites were open daily with a full schedule of activities including meeting the Cadillac Racing teams, Q&A sessions with Cadillac Engineers and Executives. On Friday evening after the parade laps, all attendees were hosted by Cadillac at the Daytona Hall of Fame Museum.

The 2026 Rolex 24 At Daytona was a successful outing for Cadillac Racing as the #31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R finished a strong second overall, just 1.569 seconds behind the winning Porsche, despite heavy fog reducing the race to a 17-hour sprint. Driven by Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, Frederik Vesti, and Connor Zilisch, the #31 Cadillac charged from a lap down to secure Cadillac’s ninth podium in 10 years.

Navigating through overnight fog that brought on yellow conditions for more than six-and-a-half hours, the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R finished second, just 1.5 seconds behind the No. 7 Penske Motorsports car.

The Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing teams faced similar challenges throughout the race. The No. 40 V-Series.R finished sixth while the No. 10 V-Series.R suffered a mechanical issue near the tail end of the race, forcing the team to retire from the event.

Following the runner-up finish, Cadillac Racing now has 105 podiums (21 GTP®, 84 Dpi®) since joining IMSA prototype competition in 2017. The teams are now focused on the road ahead, with the 74th running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring® on March 18–21 in Sebring, Florida.

Key Cadillac Racing Highlights:

Performance: The #31 Whelen Cadillac demonstrated top-tier pace, nearly catching the #7 Porsche in the final hour of the shortened race.

Qualifying Issue: The #31 Action Express Racing Cadillac initially took pole position but was moved back after failing a technical inspection, allowing the #93 Acura to take the top spot.

Leadership: The #31 Cadillac held the lead early in the race (around hour 4) before the intense overnight fog.

Engine & Design: The team ran the Cadillac V-Series.R, utilizing a 5.5-liter DOHC V8 engine, which is the brand's primary hybrid racecar in the GTP class.

Success Record: This result marks the second consecutive runner-up finish for Cadillac at the Rolex 24.

Cadillac will be offering a suite hospitality/parking corral ticket package at 5 additional venues in 2026. For more info, visit RaceDayVIP.com .

64th Rolex 24 At Daytona - Cadillac Racing & Cadillac V-Club

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 14:37:57 GMT

For the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona, Cadillac Racing will field entries with Wayne Taylor Racing (WTR)/Konica Minolta Cadillac and Action Express Racing (AXR) Whelen Cadillac, featuring drivers like Jordan Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque, and Colton Herta for WTR, while Whelen's lineup includes Earl Bamber, Frederik Vesti, and Jack Aitken (with Connor Zilisch potentially joining), as they aim for overall victory in the GTP class against strong manufacturer competition from Porsche, BMW, Acura, and Aston Martin.

The event, a capacity 61-car grid, will take place January 24-25, 2026, with pre-race testing (ROAR) starting January 16-18.

Cadillac's 2026 Rolex 24 Teams & Drivers:

Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing (No. 10)
Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing (No. 40)
Cadillac Whelen (No. 31)

The car used will be the Cadillac V-Series.R powered by the purpose-built Cadillac 5.5L DOHC V8 engine which is designed to the Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh) regulations. The 2026 version will feature aerodynamic updates and other improvements following data acquisition from the 2025 season. It is powered by a naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V8 engine and a spec hybrid system.

January 21-25. 2026

For 2026 the Cadillac V-Club is hosting a members only V-Series vehicle Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona Road Rally cruise to Daytona International Speedway. RSVP registration to participate in the Road Rally sold out in less than 30 minutes which was limited to 50 vehicles. The V-Club Road Rally has multiple launch points with members attending from the North Central, South Central, Atlantic Northeast and Atlantic Southeast regions. All Cadillac V-Club members who purchase a ticket package will receive the following benefits and commemorative gifts.

One (1) on-site parking pass to the Cadillac V-Performance Car Corral. Access limited to Cadillac vehicles only
Two (2) three-day suite passes to the Cadillac V-Performance Hospitality Suite with indoor/outdoor seating and views of the entire circuit
Exclusive opportunity to drive your Cadillac on the track at Daytona International Speedway (parade laps Friday evening)
Premium catered meals, snacks and beverages in the Cadillac V-Performance Hospitality Suite
Exclusive behind-the-scenes access with Cadillac Racing teams and drivers
Meet and greet opportunities with Cadillac executives and V-Performance engineers
K1-Speed 24 minutes of Rolex race on Thursday afternoon invitation
Member reception dinner on Thursday evening invitation
Road Rally participants also will receive a custom commemorative Road Rally long sleeve hoodie t-shirt and Road Rally lapel pin

World Endurance Championship 8 Hours of Bahrain - Cadillac Racing Results

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 14:00:53 GMT

PHOTO CREDIT: Cadillac Racing

In the recent 8 Hours of Bahrain race, Cadillac's No. 12 car finished in sixth place, while the No. 38 car, which was Jenson Button's final race, finished in 16th. The No. 12 car finished sixth despite a challenging Balance of Performance (BoP) and was the only Hypercar to score points in every race that season.

Cadillac didn’t pull off a miracle and claim its first-ever WEC title, but the V-Series.R was far stronger than expected in Bahrain.

The #12 climbed to sixth despite a clear performance deficit.

“With the BoP we had, we knew it was going to be a challenge, but we gave it absolutely everything, and we can be proud of that said Alex Lynn."

It was less positive for the #38, with Jenson Button ending his professional racing career in unlucky fashion. Hit by a penalty and an ill-timed safety car, he finished a distant 13th.

Still, with three poles, a 1-2 in Brazil, and consistent pace all year, Cadillac ends 2025 fourth in the championship, and the partnership with Jota already looks like a natural fit.

No. 12 Cadillac: Finished in sixth place. The drivers were Alex Lynn, Norman Nato, and Will Stevens.
No. 38 Cadillac: Finished in 16th place. This was Jenson Button's final professional race. He faced challenges including a penalty and an ill-timed safety car.
Overall season: The results concluded the season, with Cadillac tying its best standing of fourth in the Manufacturers' Championship.

Cadillac race results at the 2025 8 Hours of Bahrain

Car No.	Team	Drivers	Position
12	Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA	Alex Lynn, Norman Nato, Will Stevens	6th
38	Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA	Jenson Button, Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais	16th

Season achievements for Cadillac

Top-four in Manufacturers' Championship: Cadillac ended the 2025 season tied for its best Manufacturers' Championship finish, placing fourth.
Consistent scoring: The No. 12 car was the only Hypercar in the 2025 WEC season to score points in all eight races.
Race win and poles: The No. 12 trio secured Cadillac's maiden WEC victory earlier in the season and earned three pole positions.

Cadillac Finishes Strong in IMSA Series Racing!

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:08:04 GMT

Cadillac finished the 2025 IMSA Championship strong, winning the final race, Motul Petit Le Mans, but did not win the overall season championship. The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R team, with drivers Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, and Frederik Vesti, took the overall victory, marking their second consecutive win to end the season. However, Porsche secured both the GTP driver and manufacturer championships for 2025.

Race Finish:

Cadillac won the season-ending Petit Le Mans race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

Team and Drivers:

The winning car was the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, driven by Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, and Frederik Vesti.

Season Championship:

Despite the strong finish, Cadillac did not win the overall 2025 IMSA GTP season championship. Porsche, with drivers Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell, won both the driver and manufacturer titles.

Manufacturer's Championship:

Cadillac finished third in the 2025 IMSA GTP Manufacturers' Championship. This was the result of the season finale, where the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R won the Motul Petit Le Mans, but Porsche won both the manufacturer and team titles. The No. 31 car also finished second in the GTP Teams' Championship.

Cadillac goes back-to-back at the Motul Petit Le Mans in Atlanta!

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 12:24:24 GMT

After the recent win at the Indianapolis Speedway, Cadillac has gone back-to-back at the Motul Petit Le Mans to conclude the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Cadillac won the 2025 Petit Le Mans, with the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R driven by Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, and Frederik Vesti taking the overall and GTP class victory. This marks a second consecutive Petit Le Mans win for Cadillac and for the No. 31 team, though Porsche secured the 2025 IMSA GTP championship titles.

Winning car: The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R. Winning drivers: Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, and Frederik Vesti.

Race details: The win was Cadillac's second consecutive victory at Petit Le Mans and its second consecutive race win to end the season.

Championship context: Despite the race victory, the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche team, driven by Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell, clinched the 2025 IMSA GTP driver and manufacturer championships with a third-place finish.

The #31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R LMDh took the flag after 10 hours of racing around Road Atlanta with a 5.1s margin over #23 The Heart of Racing Aston Martin Valkyrie Le Mans Hypercar shared by Ross Gunn, Roman De Angelis and Alex Riberas. The Action Express Cadillac was the fastest car for the majority of the 10-hour IMSA SportsCar Championship finale at Road Atlanta, but had to fight back from an early delay to retain the Petit Le Mans crown won by the Chip Ganassi Racing squad in 2024.

Whelen Cadillac ends drought at IMSA Battle on the Bricks

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 02:00:03 GMT

Cadillac Racing won the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks in IMSA at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on September 21, 2025, with the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac, driven by Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, and Frederik Vesti, securing the team's first IMSA victory of the season. The Cadillac team finished 1-2 at Indianapolis, dominating the race and leading a majority of the laps.

Key Details of the Victory:

Date: September 21, 2025

Winning Car: No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R

Winning Drivers: Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber, and Frederik Vesti

Significance: This marked Cadillac's first IMSA win of the 2025 season and the first overall victory for the Whelen Cadillac team since the 2023 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Performance: Cadillac was dominant, leading the majority of the laps and finishing with a 1-2 result.

Race Highlights:

Jack Aitken started the race on pole position and led the field.

The #31 Whelen Cadillac led 210 of the 243 laps in the race.

After a strong performance, the Cadillac V-Series.R held off a charging #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac for a 1-2 finish.

For additional info and highlights of the race, visit Racer.com

Checkout Action Express Racing on Facebook!

CADILLAC FORMULA 1® TEAM UNITES F1® STARS TO LAUNCH 2026 CAMPAIGN

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 13:31:58 GMT

SOURCE: Cadillac Pressroom

August 26, 2025 — Fishers, Indiana and Silverstone, UK — The Cadillac Formula 1® Team today announced the signing of two, star drivers – 10-time Grand Prix winner Valtteri Bottas and fellow F1® standout and six-time Grand Prix winner Sergio “Checo” Pérez – to lead the team into its debut season in Formula 1® in 2026. Click here to learn more about the Cadillac F1 Team.

Together, Bottas and Pérez bring an unmatched blend of experience, leadership and technical acumen, positioning the Cadillac Formula 1® Team to hit the ground running as it joins the world’s most elite racing series. With more than 500 combined Grand Prix starts, over 100 podiums and deep development expertise, the pair will play a central role in shaping the team’s competitive foundation from day one.

"From the moment I began speaking with the Cadillac Formula 1® Team, I felt something diﬀerent – something ambitious but also grounded,” said Bottas. “This isn’t just a racing project; it’s a long-term vision. It's not every day that you get a chance to be part of something being built from the ground up and helping shape it into something that truly belongs on the F1® grid.

“I’ve had the honor of working with some of the best teams in the world, and I can already see the same professionalism and hunger here. This is an iconic brand with a big legacy in American motorsport, and to be a part of the story as it enters the world stage of F1® is incredibly special for me. I’m looking forward to representing the American spirit of racing on the greatest circuits in the world. I’d also like to thank Mercedes for their unwavering support and sportsmanship in facilitating such an exciting step.”

Pérez added: “Joining the Cadillac Formula 1® Team is an incredibly exciting new chapter in my career. From our first conversations, I could sense the passion and determination behind this project. It's an honor to be part of a building a team that can develop together so that, in time, we will fight at the very front. Cadillac is a legendary name in American motorsport, and to help bring such a fantastic company to Formula 1 is a huge responsibility, one I’m confident of taking on. I’m proud to be part of such an ambitious and meaningful project from the very beginning. I’m really pleased to be part of such a dynamic line-up, and together I believe we can help shape this team into a real contender, the team of the Americas. We’re counting on support from across the continent – and we want to make everyone proud.”

Backed by TWG Motorsports and General Motors (GM), the Cadillac Formula 1® Team is building from the ground up and creating a culture rooted in innovation and performance.

The team will operate out of three key motorsport hubs: Fishers, Indiana; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Silverstone, UK – merging American engineering ingenuity with European racing expertise.

“Signing two very experienced racers like Bottas and Checo is a bold signal of intent,” said Team Principal Graeme Lowdon. “They’ve seen it all and they know what it takes to succeed in Formula 1®. But more importantly, they understand what it means to help build a team. Their leadership, feedback, race-hardened instincts and of course their speed will be invaluable as we bring this team to life. A big thank you to the team at Mercedes for their co-operation and understanding.”

Dan Towriss, CEO of the Cadillac Formula 1® Team and TWG Motorsports, a division of TWG Global, emphasized the synergy of experience and ambition. “Bottas and Checo bring the perfect balance of talent, maturity, and drive. They’re not just accomplished racers, they’re builders, collaborators, and professionals who will help define what the Cadillac Formula 1® Team stands for. This moment marks more than just a lineup announcement. It’s the beginning of a bold new chapter in American motorsport.”

Cadillac’s entry into Formula 1® marks a high-performance evolution for one of America’s most storied and largest automotive brands.

"Our new drivers are a welcome addition to the Cadillac racing family— each brings a depth of experience, and an unwavering passion to win,” said Mark Reuss, GM President. “Together, we’re building the foundation for American motorsports that will be an extraordinary legacy for Cadillac, GM and the sport.”

VALTTERI BOTTAS – F1® STATS

Nationality: Finnish

Date of birth: August 28, 1989

F1® debut: 2013

F1® race starts: 246

F1® race wins: 10

F1® race podiums: 67 F1® pole positions: 20 F1® fastest Laps: 19

Best F1® world championship finish: 2nd (2019, 2020)

SERGIO PÉREZ – F1® STATS

Nationality: Mexican

Date of birth: January 26, 1990

F1® debut: 2011

F1® race starts: 281

F1® race wins: 6

F1® race podiums: 39 F1® pole positions: 3 F1® fastest Laps: 12

Best F1® world championship finish: 2nd (2023)

Cadillac Racing Historic 1-2 finish at the 2025 Six Hours of São Paulo

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 01:26:58 GMT

Cadillac Racing achieved a historic 1-2 finish at the 2025 Six Hours of São Paulo, marking its first-ever international Hypercar victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). The No. 12 Cadillac V-Series.R of Hertz Team JOTA, driven by Alex Lynn, Will Stevens, and Norman Nato, won the race, with the No. 38 Cadillac V-Series.R taking second place. This achievement represented a significant milestone after two-and-a-half seasons of competition, overcoming strong opposition and delivering a dominant performance.

Details of the Victory

Event: 2025 Six Hours of São Paulo.
Race Series: FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
Cars: Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercars.
Team: Hertz Team JOTA.
Winning Drivers (No. 12): Alex Lynn, Will Stevens, and Norman Nato.
Key Achievement: Cadillac's first international Hypercar win.
Overall Result: A dominant 1-2 finish for Cadillac.

Significance

Breakthrough:

The victory broke Cadillac's long wait for a Hypercar win in international competition.
International Impact:

This win was a major international milestone, marking the first time an American automaker secured a 1-2 sweep in the WEC's top class.

The win underscored the long-term nature of the Cadillac Racing project in sports car racing.

For more details on the race results visit Auto - Cool Content for Auto Fans

CGR & Cadillac Wins 2024 Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 10:56:52 GMT

Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais, Scott Dixon celebrate their Petit Le Mans victory (IMSA/Michael L. Levitt/LAT Images).

SOURCE: SportsCar365

Chip Ganassi Racing overcame an early race sensor-related infraction to take a dramatic victory in Saturday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans, while Porsche Penske Motorsport’s Felipe Nasr and Dane Cameron claimed the GTP drivers’ championship with a third place finish.

Renger van der Zande made a bold pass around the No. 6 Penske Porsche 963 of Nick Tandy into Turn 1 with 15 minutes remaining to take the lead in the ten-hour contest, which included a nearly five-hour run of green flag racing.

The No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac, which dropped off the lead lap in the opening hour due to a mechanical black flag for a sensor-related issue, came back into contention following a multi-car accident involving the then-second placed Ricky Taylor in the final hour.

It set up a 35-minute shootout to the finish that saw six GTP cars restart on the lead lap.

Van der Zande, who also overcame a drive-through penalty for incident responsibility with the No. 20 High Class Racing Oreca 07 Gibson in the third hour as well as a spin on his out-lap with two hours to go triggered by a GTD car, shared the win with Sebastien Bourdais and Scott Dixon in the team’s final WeatherTech Championship race with Cadillac.

The pole-sitting No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac, which had two early race penalties, completed the top-five in the race after also making a late-race pit stop with Jack Aitken at the wheel.

2024 Lone Star Le Mans WEC Results

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 14:00:34 GMT

Monday, September 2, 2024

The Cadillac V-Club Car Corral & Suite was at full capacity this past weekend at the Circuit of Americas track in Austin, Texas. Suite access included VIP parking in front of the main grandstands, paddock access both days and a pit walk on Sunday.

On Saturday afternoon Cadillac Racing drivers Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn visited the suite to sign autographs and participate in a photograph session.

On Sunday morning, Tony Roma, GM Executive Chief Engineer of Corvette & Cadillac V-Series vehicles hosted an open Q&A session with Cadillac V-Club members.

AF Corse Ferrari capped off a monumental day for Ferrari by taking the win in the World Endurance Championship’s Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of the Americas on Sunday. After Charles Leclerc gave Ferrari a home victory in the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix earlier in the day, the team of Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye and Robert Shwartzman gave the No. 83 its first win of the WEC season.

The No. 50 AF Corse Ferrari placed third and the No. 2 Cadillac Racing entry had its best finish of the season with a fourth-place effort in the team’s Ganassi-run V-Series.R LMDh Hypercar.

“I think it was a really good day,” said Earl Bamber. “We managed to execute the race well and did the most we could. It would have been great to get on the podium, but we came home with a solid result.”

Click here to view an album of photos from this event on our Flickr page.

Lone Star Le Mans World Endurance Championship (WEC) @ COTA

Wed, 22 May 2024 23:32:03 GMT

The Cadillac V-Club will be hosting a Car Corral/Suite at the Circuit of Americas track on Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1. Watch for the email announcement to RSVP register on our CadillacVClub.com calendar. Your RSVP confirmation will include a link to purchase your ticket(s) immediately via the COTA/WEC website.

This is a Cadillac V-Club exclusive event available only to members of the Cadillac V-Club. Members are not authorized to share the COTA/WEC private link with any non-member of the Cadillac V-Club. If a non-member purchases tickets, their payment will be refunded, and tickets will not be provided.

Tickets will go on sale Monday, June 3 at 10:00AM CT and there will only be 50 tickets (seats) available, first come/first serve. A waitlist will open once sold out.

The cost of each ticket will be $500. Members may purchase 1 ticket plus up to 1 additional ticket for a guest. The purchase of the primary ticket will include:

Cadillac V-Club Corral VIP Parking for 2 days (primary only)
Cadillac V-Club suite access in the main grandstands which will include meals and non-alcoholic beverages.
Big screen TV and WIFI access
Paddock/Pit row credentials
Parade Laps
Photos (both group and individual throughout the event)
Commemorative T-Shirts

Click here for additional details.

Cadillac Racing LIVE from Le Mans - Watch Party!

Sat, 10 Jun 2023 13:00:00 GMT

Cadillac Racing LIVE from Le Mans

After 20 years, Cadillac Racing returns for 24 hours of Le Mans. Follow this link during the race for exclusive POV cockpit views of all the action as it happens, along with hourly updates, interviews and other surprises.

JUNE 10

9:45AM-1PM ET: Starting line watch party

Hosted by Brian Till and designer Chris Mikalauskas

2PM-6PM ET: Race updates and more from the Cadillac LIVE studio

Hosted by Brian Till and a Cadillac LIVE agent

6PM ET (6/10) – 9AM ET (6/11): Enjoy unfiltered race streaming, straight from Le Mans

JUNE 11

9AM-10AM ET: The final laps

Hosted by Brian Till

Click Image to join the "live" watch party on Saturday, June 10 and Sunday June 11, 2023:

CGR Cadillac takes commanding IMSA win at 2023 Laguna Seca Race

Mon, 15 May 2023 02:48:05 GMT

SOURCE: RACER MAGAZINE - By Richard S. James | May 14, 2023

In the fourth IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race of the season, GTP has its fourth different winner and first repeat victory for a manufacturer as Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande yo-yoed through the field to claim victory for the No. 01 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R and Chip Ganassi Racing.

Through a rough start and ill-timed yellows, both Bourdais and van der Zande ended up deep in the field and had to work their way forward while completing 100 laps around the 2.238-mile, 11-turn WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca during the 2h40m Motul Course de Monterey. On the final restart, with 40 minutes left and Alexander Sims freshly installed in the No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac in the lead, van der Zande drove around the outside of Sims in Turn 3 to take the point. Sims hung on for a while, but would eventually also fall victim to Nick Tandy in the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsports 963.

“I felt sorry for the guy because I’ve been in that situation, in Ohio last year, where you’re coming cold into the car and into a restart,” said van der Zande of the pass on Sims. “It’s so easy to lock up your front tires in Turn 1. It’s really easily done and those cold tires are not easy at all. So for him to do that restart, after basically he woke up this morning, then he was mine. So I’ve been in this situation and I feel sorry for Alex because it’s not how good I was, it was a bad situation for him to get that restart. He followed me really well after that. He was on the pace doing a lot of pressuring me in traffic as well.”

It was generally not a good day to be a polesitter, as the best any of them could manage was third. Overall pole winner Matt Campbell had a major brake lockup into Turn 1 at the very start, and almost everybody joined him, but Campbell in the No. 7 PPM Porsche got the worst of it, sliding well wide and dropping back into the field. Colin Braun assumed the lead in the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06. The No. 60 was looking strong, but putting a second stint on the Michelin tires early in the race left the MSR Acura sliding backward through the field and into a position from which Braun and Tom Blomqvist could never really recover.

Campbell continued to be his own worst enemy, as after having mostly passed Jarrett Andretti in the new Andretti Autosport GTD Aston Martin Vantage, he moved over to try to get inside the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura heading into Turn 11. But having not cleared the Aston, he hit it, sending Andretti into the tires that protected the beginning of the pit wall and crashing into pit lane. Andretti was uninjured in the incident. Campbell was given a drive-through penalty for incident responsibility. Felipe Nasr would later exit the course in Turn 9 and make impact with the wall, requiring some rear bodywork changes for the No. 7 and effectively ending any opportunity for a good result.

Throughout the middle of the race, the No. 31 AXR Cadillac looked unbeatable and the team clearly had the best tire strategy for that point in the race as Derani drove away from the field. When during a yellow he handed over to Sims with fresh tires, though, Sims had no luck holding off the hard charging van der Zande, who had belted into the No. 01 earlier in the race.

“Pipo was doing a fantastic job; he had really good pace,” said Sims. “I was given everything I could have been given to do the job but ultimately I didn’t have the same pace as Pipo and I made two pretty costly errors in terms of the restart not getting my tires up to temperature properly. Renger just drove around the outside of me. Then I was just being too cautious in traffic and Nick got past me. Still, we didn’t do any stupid mistakes. So good points today and nice to be on the podium.”

Tandy was charging forward at the end, but couldn’t get up to the No. 01 to mount any challenge for victory. He and Mathieu Jaminet came into the race with a one-point lead over the AXR squad, and they still left Monterey at the head of the championship.

TOP 5 RESULTS

Cadillac Racing - GTP V-LMDh Race Car - the Roar is Unmistakable!

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 14:36:57 GMT

The Cadillac V-LMDh is a sports prototype racing car designed by Cadillac and built by Dallara. It is designed to the Le Mans Daytona h regulations, and made its debut in the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship at the season opening 24 Hours of Daytona.

2023 Rolex 24 Hour V-LMDH Protoype Entries in the GTP Class - Results are Encouraging!

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 14:47:36 GMT

Photo: Jake Galstad/IMSA
SOURCE: Sportscar365 AUTHOR: Daniel Lloyd

Chip Ganassi Racing and Action Express Racing were encouraged by the reliability of their new Cadillac V-LMDh prototypes during the Rolex 24 at Daytona despite missing out on the win.

Both Ganassi cars and the sole Action Express machine completed the race without significant car-related delays, unlike entries from the other three LMDh manufacturers.

External factors played the biggest part in affecting Cadillac’s race. Setbacks included the No. 01 car being struck from behind by an LMP3 car in hour five, later followed by a drive-through penalty for leaving the pits when its fuel hose was still attached.

The No. 31 Action Express Cadillac dropped out of contention after contact with a GTD car at the Le Mans Chicane.

There was also an electrical problem resulting in a steering wheel change for the No. 01, however it spent less total time on pit road than the winning Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06, which battled gearbox dramas.

“We were flat-out the entire time,” Chip Ganassi Racing’s global director of operations Mike O’Gara told Sportscar365.

“The only issue a Cadillac had was from contact. None of them went in the garage, nothing fell off, and [there were] no major issues. We were impressed with that.

“We’ve got to find a little bit of speed. I’m a racer and I don’t like losing, but deep down I’m happy with what we accomplished over the last few months.”

O’Gara said it wasn’t easy to pinpoint a reason why the CGR Cadillacs ultimately lacked the pace to challenge the Acuras that finished first and second.

“I feel like our reliability is probably better, looking at how many times they were in the pit lane working on things,” O’Gara reckoned.

“I don’t think the speed is one thing: it’s probably ten little things that we’ve got to figure out.

“That’s why we work with Dallara and the GM folks. Each of us puts in our own little bit and hopefully we can figure out how to beat those guys.”

Action Express team manager Gary Nelson told Sportscar365 that the suspension damage caused by Derani’s unseen contact with an unidentified GTD car interrupted a clear mechanical run for the No. 31 crew.

“Based on all the testing that we did, all the work Dallara and General Motors did, I had a good feeling coming into the race that we would be able to contend and be competitive,” he said.

“I really felt like we would be there at the end. Unfortunately, at 4 a.m., we had contact that damaged our suspension and it took 17 laps to repair it.”

Nelson explained that the contact resulted in a broken suspension bracket.

“It actually didn’t break right during the contact,” he noted. “Pipo said he felt a bump and a few laps later it got worse.

“There were several bolts holding the suspension and they were breaking, so we had to go in the garage. At that point, it was not our day.”

Despite the setback damaging Action Express Racing’s chances of a podium, Nelson indicated that the experience will be useful considering such an incident can only occur in a racing situation.

“All of our tests went without much chance to have contact: we were just running laps,” he said.

“The GT cars and the differences in speed, the tire warmup time… all of those things we had to learn in traffic during the race. Fortunately for everybody, the weather was ideal for a 24-hour.

“We did a 24-hour test at Sebring and we felt quite confident. The unknown is always something to worry about. But once we got going and all the systems were working correctly, our plan was to hang around the top five and race at the end.

“We were doing just that, keeping the leaders in sight. Unfortunately, we had that contact but we got five laps back.

“If this had been a 12-hour race, we would have been aiming for the win. Sebring is a 12-hour race, so we’re excited and we’re going there to win it.”

GM sports car racing program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser added: “We brought three Cadillacs, which was the most of any brand, and all three took the checkered flag.

“I’d say everyone who has worked on this project, whether it be the engineers at Cadillac, the designers at Cadillac, the engineers at Dallara, Chip Ganassi Racing, Action Express Racing – everyone – should be so proud of everything we’ve accomplished.”

New GTP Liveries Revealed by Cadillac

Thu, 12 Jan 2023 14:00:00 GMT

Cadillac Racing revealed the liveries for the three cars it will field this year: the No. 01 Cadillac Racing and No. 31 Whelen Engineering V-LMDh cars in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the No. 2 Cadillac Racing V-LMDh in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The No. 2 Cadillac will compete as the No. 02 in the Rolex 24 before moving on to the WEC season.

The Cadillac liveries share a V-Series graphic-and-color theme. Each car wears one of the primary colors of the V-Series logo, including No. 01 in gold, No. 02 in blue and red on the No. 31. Co-developed by Cadillac Racing, Cadillac Design and Dallara, the final car design was informed by the Project GTP Hypercar that debuted last summer and incorporates distinctive Cadillac design elements such as vertical lighting and floating blades.

“From an aesthetic point of view, the LMDh regulations allowed us to create a vision for the car that is clearly Cadillac,” said Chris Mikalauskas, lead exterior creative designer, Cadillac. “And that’s really exciting for fans and for people who are true enthusiasts, every car is unique.”

The Cadillac V-Club will have over 50 members who will witness from the Cadillac V-Corral suite the premier of Cadillac's new V-LMDh entry in the GTP class at the 60th Rolex 24 at Daytona---IMSA's 2023 season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

Cadillac Unveils ‘Artful yet Functional’ GTP Design

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 13:16:17 GMT

SOURCE: IMSA.com by Jeff Olson

At first look, it steals your breath. Sleek yet aggressive, bold yet elegant. Undeniably a Cadillac, yet an altogether different kind of Cadillac.

Meet Cadillac’s Project GTP Hypercar, which previews the manufacturer’s third-generation prototype race car.

What went behind the design of the new car was complicated and layered, an in-depth project involving dozens of people from several areas, melding the success of the Cadillac DPi-V.R that’s been winning races and championships in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Daytona Prototype international (DPi) class since 2017 with the unlimited possibilities of the new car and the new-for-2023 Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class.

“It’s exciting to start a new chapter,” said Chris Mikalauskas, Cadillac’s lead exterior creative designer. “We’ve proven ourselves in IMSA and we want to continue to prove ourselves, but we really just want to prove ourselves now on an even higher level of vehicle.”

Mikalauskas and his design team brought the car from idea to reality in just 15 months. Thursday’s Project GTP Hypercar preview was the “wow” part. Now it’s time to see how the race car develops as the new car and class prepare to begin racing in January at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. On-track testing is set to begin later this summer.

“It’s a cool canvas to be able to show people the fact that we’re going to continue to make performance products in the future and this is a sample of what they might look like,” Mikalauskas said. “I just want people to realize that we’re not done making cars that are going to perform extremely well. It’s something we very much want to be a part of, and this design previews that.”

The trick for Mikalauskas and his team of engineers was to carry the success of Cadillac’s DPi V.R – which won two titles and four consecutive Rolex 24s in its six years in the WeatherTech Championship – to the new car.

“We know certain things work,” Mikalauskas said. “Whenever you radically change the proportions of a vehicle, not everything translates. While we have the experience and the winning pedigree, we definitely had to do some invention and discovery on this new program.

“We’re super excited and super happy about where we ended up, but it wasn’t as easy as saying, ‘OK, take the DPi and stretch it this way and stretch it that way.’ It was a ground-up build.”

The new car will be powered by a 5.5-liter V-8 engine paired with the LMDh single-source hybrid powertrain. Cadillac intends to compete in both the WeatherTech Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), including next year’s 24 Hour of Le Mans.

“Cadillac will be competing again on the world racing stage, and we are all thrilled to return to Le Mans after 22 years,” said Rory Harvey, Vice President Global Cadillac. “By competing in both the 2023 IMSA and WEC championships, Cadillac Racing has the opportunity to demonstrate its capability, craftsmanship and technology.”

The manufacturer has been demonstrating those attributes in North America since 2017, winning three WeatherTech Championship titles, four IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup championships and the Rolex 24 At Daytona four times in a row. Last weekend’s victory at the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic on Detroit’s Belle Isle by the No. 01 Cadillac driving duo of Renger van der Zande and Sebastien Bourdais was the manufacturer’s 26th in IMSA competition over the past five-and-a-half seasons.

Cadillac’s success with the DPi car played into the design of the new car.

“Knowing why it worked is really the important thing to take away,” Mikalauskas said. “In certain situations on the new car – again, with it being so different and having different tracks to run on – the objectives changed.”

So it was up to Mikalauskas and a team of engineers at Cadillac Racing, Cadillac Design and Dallara to create something artful yet functional, meeting the specifics of the LMDh platform while maintaining Cadillac design cues like the brand’s distinct vertical headlamps and taillights.

“We love it from a design side and an aesthetic side because the car is lower and wider and has great proportions,” Mikalauskas said. “But all of those proportions came from performance needs. While the car did change quite a bit, all of those changes were necessary to run the new power plant.”

Five manufacturers – Acura, BMW, Cadillac and Porsche in 2023 and Lamborghini in 2024 – have announced plans to compete with LMDh cars in the GTP class, which replaces DPi as the top prototype class in the WeatherTech Championship in 2023. Those cars are also eligible to race in the WEC Hypercar class.

Bourdais, Renger van der Zande, Cadillac win 2022 IMSA Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix

Sun, 05 Jun 2022 12:49:31 GMT

SOURCE: autoweek.com by Mike Pryson

If Sebastien Bourdais is missing Indy cars, he certainly doesn't act like it.
Bourdais added another trophy to the trophy case on Saturday when he teamed with Renger van der Zande for the overall win at the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Presented by Lear.

Bourdais, who won the pole on Friday evening, led every lap of his first stint on Saturday afternoon to set the pace, and van der Zande held off a charge by race runner-up Oliver Jarvis of the Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura DPi to seal the win.

Bourdais' pole was his fourth in five races this season for the Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi, and the win was his second of 2022. Not bad for a guy many thought was too old, or at least didn't have enough left in the tank, for a ride in the NTT IndyCar Series.

All Bourdais did in his Indy car career—a career that started with CART way back in 2003—was win four championships and 37 races. His four titles are tied for third all-time in with Mario Andretti and Dario Franchitti. His win total is seventh on the all-time list.

"For or me, a guy from Le Mans, my IndyCar years for me were winding down," the 43-year-old Bourdais told Autoweek. "The opportunities were wearing off. I had been fighting my way through IndyCar with smaller teams, and timing was everything.

"We were trying to do something with Chip Ganassi for a few years, but I was contracted to Dale Coyne and so they didn’t materialize. When the opportunity to race with Chip came about last year, I didn’t have anything else solid to say no. At that point, how could I even think about saying no? I gotta go.

"You miss the boat on those programs if you’re not in at the beginning, then it’s very difficult to get in. I think it was right for me. I’m 43 years old and I’m not getting any younger. You've got to recognize your chances, and for me it was clear that was the right thing to do."

Bourdais' racing plate is not only IMSA. On Saturday, just hours after the finish of the IMSA race on Belle Isle, both winning drivers were on a plane to France and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, June 11-12. There, Bourdais will team with Nico Mueller and Ryan Cullen for British-based Vector Sport in the LMP2 class. Van der Zande will race in GTE AM in a Ferrari 488 with JMW Motorsports American drivers Mark Kvamme and Jason Hart.

Next year, Bourdais plans to be in the middle of a sports car renaissance in IMSA and the World Endurance Champion and back at Le Mans, where the new Le Mans Hypercar class will include LMDh cars from the GTP class in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

"Next year is gong to be 20 cars, at least, racing for the win at Le Mans," Bourdais said. "Then another five or six more cars in ’24. I don’t think the cars will be as exciting for the drivers because they're heavier, more power, but less downforce. But the formula is obviously bringing in all that interest from everywhere, between the OEMs, the press, the public, and that’s what we drive for. When you feel the buzz around the series, for us even if the cars are a little less fun to drive, it’s going to be the golden age of endurance racing."

"If those new programs have a three-, four-year lifespan, and if it goes as well as it seems like it’s going for the interest and the support from the manufacturers, it could go on until the end of my professional career. So, that’s really the way I’m looking at it."

Cadillac Secures Third Place at Laguna Seca

Mon, 02 May 2022 02:47:05 GMT

No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R finishes third for the fourth year in a row

MONTERREY, Calif. (May 1, 2022) – Pipo Derani is in a rut at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Derani, splitting seat time with first-year teammate Tristan Nunez in the 2-hour, 40-minute race slowed by one full-course caution for 18 minutes, led the Cadillac DPi contingent in the fourth round of the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship.

The reigning IMSA DPi champion has finished third, co-driving the No 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, in the race on the 2.238-mile, 11-turn natural-terrain road course for four years in a row. But, for accruing championship points anyway, he’ll take it and move on.

SOURCE: Speedway Media... Read More

Cadillac DPi-V.R posts podium finish in 60th Rolex 24 At Daytona

Sun, 30 Jan 2022 23:25:30 GMT

No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac races to third place in twice-around-the-clock event

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 30, 2022) – Taped front and center in the JDC-Miller MotorSports hauler is a big, bold and inspirational message for the four drivers of the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R and crew. Believe.

It is a reflection of the passion of the entire organization, which in the 60th Rolex 24 At Daytona – and every IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race – lives by the credo of when you all pull together, you move as one.

With Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook, Luic Duval and Ben Keating sharing the seat of the powerful and nimble Cadillac DPi-V.R, the little team that could placed third by a mere 4.420 seconds in the twice-around-the-clock race to lead the five-car Cadillac contingent.

The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, with reigning IMSA DPi driver champion Pipo Derani, Tristan Nunez and Mike Conway behind the wheel, finished fourth for defending IMSA DPi team champion Action Express Racing.

SOURCE: Speedway Media - Read More...

Cadillac Wins IMSA Series Championship - DPi Goes Down to the Wire with Last-Lap Lunge

Sun, 14 Nov 2021 18:36:04 GMT

Image Credit: Tony Roma

SOURCE: IMSA.com

BRASELTON, Ga. – The route to the championship was straightforward: The top finisher among the two contenders at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta would be the champion.

The finish, of course, was anything but straightforward.

Felipe Nasr held on as Ricky Taylor tried to pass him on the final lap Saturday night, recovering after Taylor bounced through a gravel trap and back on track in front of him, to claim the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Daytona Prototype international (DPi) title by finishing second in the Motul Petit Le Mans.

Nasr was chasing eventual race winner Harry Tincknell but leading the championship battle when Taylor tried to pass Nasr heading into Turn 10A on the final lap. The two cars made contact, and Taylor’s No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 bounced off course and returned to the track ahead.

But Nasr’s No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R passed Taylor heading into Turn 11 and held on for second place in the race – and the championship – through the final turn of the final race of 2021 to prevail by 0.405 seconds.

“I knew he was going to try to make a last-minute move, but that was a little too wild,” Nasr said. “All the way to the gravel and then coming across the track. If there was grass there, he could have just continued. He had to go through the gravel, and then I had to drive to take the position back.

“There are many ifs. If I was behind and I had to do something, for sure you’ve got to try it. Maybe it was a little too much, but I get it. He’s a racer, too. He’s got to try something.”

While Nasr was going out as a champion, Tincknell, Oliver Jarvis and Jonathan Bomarito were helping Mazda go out as a Motul Petit Le Mans winner in its final race in DPi. Tincknell drove the No. 55 Mazda Motorsports Mazda RT24-P past Nasr for the lead in Turn 7 with 22 minutes remaining in the 10-hour race and held it to the finish.

“To be honest, I just had a feeling the whole race that the opportunity was going to open up through (Turn) 6 into 7,” Tincknell said. “It’s not really a normal passing place, but I also knew in the back of (Nasr’s) head, he had a championship to think about as well.”

Nasr’s championship run came in his final race with Action Express Racing, which announced last month that Tristan Nunez will replace him in the No. 31 car next season. Nasr’s co-champion, fellow Brazilian Pipo Derani, spoke of the emotion behind the championship.

“For me personally, it was very emotional to look back and slowly start to realize that I’m a champion,” Derani said. “I’ve learned from the mistakes I’ve made and I’ve grown so much as a person over the last year. To finish this chapter with Felipe was great.”

Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque and Alexander Rossi had the same mission as their rivals – keep the No. 10 Acura ahead of Nasr, Derani and Mike Conway in the No. 31 Cadillac. That mission was in reach for almost all of the race’s 410 laps.

“The championship literally came down to the last corner,” Taylor said. “I just have to say I gave it everything I had. There’s going to be a lot of nightmares before Daytona (the 2022 season opener) just thinking about what I could have done differently.”

While Nasr and Derani shared the drivers’ championship, Action Express claimed the DPi team championship – its fifth since 2014 – and Cadillac claimed the DPi manufacturer title.

But at times, Nasr’s final stint was difficult for his teammates to watch.

“It kept us on the edge of our seats all the way to the end there,” Conway said. “It was hard to watch. I had to walk off a couple of times from the TV and catch my breath. This is what this championship is like. The IMSA series is really tough. It always goes down to the wire.”

At one point in the race, the Mazda was three laps behind with various mechanical issues, but the driver trio regained the distance in a matter of two hours and charged into the lead. The victorious farewell was an upbeat sendoff to the car’s four-year run in IMSA’s top class.

“At the start of the program, we were spraying fire extinguishers at it,” Tincknell said. “Now we’re spraying champagne at it after one of the biggest races in the world.”

They weren’t the only ones spraying champagne into the chilly Georgia night. Nasr, Derani and Conway held an emotional celebration of their own.

“It came down to the last corner after 10 hours of racing,” Nasr said. “I said to the team, ‘Why does it have to be so hard? What a day. What a day!”

Image Credit: Tony Roma

Manufacturers and Teams Are Raving about the LMDh Prototype Class Set to Debut in 2023

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 23:55:34 GMT

SOURCE: IMSA.com - Jeff Olson

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Wayne Taylor calls it “a good first step.” Mike Krack says it’s “the perfect match.” For Tim Cindric, it’s “an opportunity we haven’t seen in our lifetime.”

In little more than a year, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will unveil a new version of its highest class. In conjunction with Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), LMDh cars will replace Daytona Prototype international (DPi), turning IMSA’s fastest and most technically advanced racing cars into a platform for hybrid technology that matches global sports car formats.

It’s a grand, expansive and complicated undertaking. It’s also enjoying a positive afterglow in the months since its announcement. Five manufacturers – Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac and Porsche – have committed to building LMDh cars. So far, three teams in the WeatherTech Championship have announced plans to field LMDh entries beginning with the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January 2023.

More are expected to announce LMDh plans in the coming months.

Tim Cindric

“It has the potential of having the equipment and regulations common across IMSA and the ACO,” said Team Penske President Tim Cindric, who’s preparing his team to partner with Porsche in its IMSA LMDh plans. “It’s an opportunity we haven’t seen in our lifetime, I don’t think. As a team, we wanted to be involved.”

In the next few weeks, IMSA NewsWire and IMSA.com will delve into LMDh from the perspective of team owners and managers. Some of the most influential minds in IMSA will examine the response, the potential and the expectations of LMDh.

So far, the plan has met an affirmative response.

“We come now from a long GT era, and we have now the possibility to do a cost-effective (LMDh program to compete) for an overall win,” said Krack, Head of BMW M Motorsport. “This is very attractive, and at the same time you can sell technology. These two go well together.”

Announced in January 2020, LMDh generated more momentum last month when Cadillac announced its development of an LMDh program with two established and successful DPi teams – Chip Ganassi Racing and Action Express Racing.

Gary Nelson

“We were really hoping this would happen,” said Gary Nelson, manager of Action Express. “The format really got our attention. In my mind, trophies should be hard to get. I like tough competition, and that’s what this looks like it will provide.”

The class is based on a cost-capped car generating more than 670 horsepower from the combined output of an internal combustion engine and a hybrid powertrain. Four constructors – Dallara, Ligier, Multimatic and ORECA – will build chassis, and manufacturers will be allowed to brand engines and stylize the bodywork.

Wayne Taylor

“When there’s a big technology change, you’re starting from a clean sheet of paper,” said Wayne Taylor, whose Wayne Taylor Racing is part of Acura’s current DPi program and considered a front-runner to continue in Acura’s LMDh plans. “With the pressure to use and create clean energy, this is a good first step.”

As auto manufacturers continue to hone hybrid technology and move toward electric production vehicles, racing offers the ideal proving ground and stage for the change. It’s not surprising, then, that LMDh has received an endorsement of participation.

“IMSA has always made sure that they have the constructors on board, their teams on board and their audience,” Krack said. “It’s a package that all of us need. For us, it’s the perfect match.”

Whelen Engineering Cadillac Wins at Road America

Mon, 09 Aug 2021 00:12:43 GMT

Source: Cadillac Media Pressroom - Kyle Chura

The Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R driven by Felipe Nasr and Pipo Derani won today’s running of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Sportscar weekend race at Road America.

Felipe Nasr started the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R from pole position for the two-hour-and-forty-minute race. He had to weather two restarts from yellows to maintain the lead throughout his stint. He turned the car over to Pipo Derani and he proceeded to keep the red Cadillac at the front of the field for most of his stint as well. The only scare for the Cadillac’s was the 60 Acura stretching fuel and hoping for a late race with yellow until it had to pit for fuel with less than four minutes remaining. The win is the second in a row for the team and their third on the season (Sebring, Watkins Glen and Road America).

“The race started pretty well,” Nasr said. “It was great to get the pole position yesterday. We know how important it is at this place to drive in clean air. It helps the whole setup of the car. You can look after your tires and [it helps] with fuel economy. At the start, I had a lot of pressure from the No. 10 car going into Turn One. After that, it was all about hitting the marks and that proves the car was good enough to stay in the lead. We knew it was going to be a fuel saving race to make it to the end.

“It [the win] was great. I just want to say a big thank you to the guys at Action Express Racing. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac was amazing to drive today. It’s hard to believe when you get a perfect weekend like this because they are so hard [to come by]. Winning here after winning at Watkins [Glen], back-to-back wins, it just shows how much work and effort we’re putting into the car and the team. The [Championship] fight is on. We’re going to bring the Championship to all of us here. We’re certainly going to give them [the competition] more battles until the end [of the season].”

“We had a fantastic weekend – perfect to be honest,” Derani said. “When I was in the car, the No. 60 car was out of my hands. So, I just hit my marks and focused on making sure we could make it to the end saving fuel. Not having a yellow [late in the race], helped us. The No. 60 eventually had to come into the pits with that off sequence strategy they had. That allowed us to just focus on bringing the car home. I’m really happy. We had a fantastic weekend. We didn’t put a foot wrong in any practice. We even skipped practice #1 because we felt it was too risky to go out with the amount of rain. Without testing in the rain, we went out there and put it on pole. That’s fantastic. That set the tone for us from the very beginning. I just want to say a big thank you to Whelen Engineering, Lucas Oil, Cadillac, and all of our sponsors for giving us an opportunity to go racing and to go win back-to-back races, which is awesome.”

Kevin Magnussen took the start in the No. 01 V Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R. He ran in the top four before turning the car over to Renger van der Zande who had the task of combining fuel economy with making up positions to get on the podium to finish in third on the day.

“I am not so sure how the others made it. I had to save a lot,” van der Zande said. “So, at the end maybe I could push a little bit. We lost a little speed in that last final fuel run, so we will have to look at what happened. Of course, we came to win, but we didn’t have the speed, so we’ll take a podium finish for the team and Cadillac today.”

The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R was started by Tristan Vautier. He was able to maintain contact with the front running DPi cars at the beginning of his stint but fell back with tire degradation. He handed the car off to teammate Loic Duval who brought it home in sixth.

“Rough day, we were lacking pace,” Vautier said. “I managed to hang on for a little while, we were already struggling to keep the tires underneath us. We were lacking a bit of overall grip. It is disappointing. We tried to play the fuel and saw it wasn’t going to work. We are happy for the No. 31 Cadillac bringing it home for an amazing race. So that is great for them. We need to do our homework to be quicker next month.”

Cadillac IMSA Road America Results:

1. No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, Felipe Nasr, Pipo Derani

3. No. 01 V Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R, Renger van der Zande, Kevin Magnussen

6. No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R, Tristan Vautier, Loic Duval

The IMSA WeatherTech Championship Sportscar weekend at Road America television broadcast will air on NBCSN, tonight, August 8, at 8 p.m. ET.

The next round for the IMSA WeatherTech Championship will be at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, September 10-12.

Image credit: Cadillac/Richard Prince

Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac Wins Detroit

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 23:59:16 GMT

SOURCE: CADILLAC MEDIA PRESSROOM - KYLE CHURA

Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Kevin Magnussen and Renger van der Zande drove the No. 01 Cadillac DPi-V.R to the win in today’s running of the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship Chevrolet Sports Car Classic Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle Park.

At the drop of the green flag on the 100-minue IMSA WeatherTech race Magnussen had the measure of the field. The Dane was able to keep the 01 Cadillac DPi-V.R in the lead the entire race. Under hot conditions and running the bumpy island circuit he handed the car to Renger Van Der Zande who had to navigate a restart and bring the car home to the checker for the team’s first win with the brand.

“I haven’t won a race since 2013 and it feels great,” Magnussen said. “The whole season we have been fast, but just not getting it to the end. We led a lot of laps this year and finally the right laps. Chip Ganassi Racing had an impressive weekend (referring to the win in IndyCar earlier in the day). I was happy to contribute to that with a win as well.

“Coming here and knowing I was going to be able to fight for wins was a real privilege. To go racing with this awesome car at these awesome tracks with this team is a dream. I feel very fortunate and blessed to be able to do that. To come out of this weekend with the big trophy it’s pretty special. I am back in a winning situation and really enjoying it.”

“Having a Brazilian behind you is never easy,” van der Zande said. “We controlled the race. Kevin did a mega job in qualifying to get us to the front. We just kept control of it. You have to be lucky at street tracks not having crazy yellows at the wrong time. I think IMSA did a good job giving everyone a chance controlling the yellows. The car was really nice. We had the Cadillac set-up really well. The team gives you a lot of confidence so I can do what I do and that’s drive cars fast. The win on the home soil of GM, very proud.”

“Obviously a big day for the team,” Chip Ganassi, team owner, said. “I don’t think it is any secret that this team was put together at the last minute in the fall of 2020. It is really special to have an availability of talent, like the guys to my right, that want to come and drive for you. I couldn’t be prouder of these two and the work they put in over the winter. They are the kind of teammates you like to have and the kind of people you want to have in your organization. I think they have a great future in the sport.”

Pipo Derani took the start in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R from third. He was able to drive to second place by the second turn after the green. He put pressure on Magnussen for the lead. Felipe Nasr took over with 47 minutes remaining and followed van der Zande out of the pits for the only stop of the race. He was able to keep the red Cadillac close, but never close enough to attempt a pass.

“I feel like their car [No. 01 Cadillac] was always better on the restarts,” Nasr said. “You could see it on Pipo’s restart as well. They would make a gap. We seemed to have a better tire on longer stints. But I feel like they were pretty good on the restarts.

“It was a fast-paced race. Although I hate to come in second as a driver, I’m happy for Cadillac because we got a 1-2 finish here in Detroit. We couldn’t be here last year. So, it was so great to see the fans and the fans are full of energy. I’m so glad we’re able to put it together. Thanks to IMSA and all the sponsors involved. It was awesome to be back here. I simply love this track. But hey, it was good for the points – looking ahead to the Championship. We got back-to-back podium finishes coming off the race at Mid-Ohio. It’s pretty satisfying, but at the same time we still have to work.”

Tristan Vautier showed the speed of the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R racing to third in the first few laps of the race. He was balked by a slower GT car that allowed the Mazda to overtake. Teammate Loic Duval was in a battle during his 47-minute stint to hold off the charging Acura for fifth place.

“It was good,” Vautier said. “After yesterday I pushed really hard at the start to shake things off and I was able to get up to P3 at the start. I struggled to keep with the pace of the leaders. The two lead cars were in a league of the their own. A GT car blocked me really bad and allowed the Mazda to get around me. We lost the third spot and that put us a bit on the back foot for the pit sequence. I think the four of us from P3 for P6 were kind of the same. We need to find the pace of the 01 and 31 for the next weekend.

Cadillac IMSA Detroit Results:

1. No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R, Renger van der Zande and Kevin Magnussen

2. No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, Felipe Nasr and Pipo Derani

5. No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R, Tristan Vautier and Loic Duval

The IMSA WeatherTech Championship will travel to upstate New York for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, June 24-27.

Whelen Engineering Cadillac Finishes Second at Mid-Ohio

Sun, 16 May 2021 19:14:39 GMT

SOURCE: CADILLAC PRESSROOM - KYLE CHURA

The Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R driven by Pipo Derani and Felipe Nasr finished second in today’s running of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Acura Sportscar Challenge Presented by the TLX Type S at the Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course.

The Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course is known for being tight and favoring light weight cars. Today’s race was a lesson in fuel saving strategy and the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R team showed their engineering prowess by finishing second today.

The race witnessed only one full course caution period, which made for a torrid pace over the two-hour-and-forty-five-minute run time. Felipe Nasr was the closing driver in the red Whelen Engineering Cadillac and had to manage the fuel economy of the V8 powered car over the last stint. The Action Express Team was wearing out their calculators by constantly giving the Brazilian driver the necessary information to maintain a gap to third while still trying to go for the win. In the end, second was the result giving Nasr, Derani, and the team their best finish of the year.

“That was the name of the game – saving fuel,” Nasr said. “I have to credit Whelen Engineering Racing. They did an awesome job on strategy – especially on getting clear track and having enough fuel to go to the end. But, I have to say it was a little too extreme. That made me lose that position. We wanted to win that race. It was hard to do everything at the same time – save fuel, keep temperature in the tires. We knew the Acuras had a little more in their two tanks. So, they had a margin to play [with]. Whereas we were on the extreme limit. I think I saved the most fuel I ever have in a race. I’m happy and sad at the same time because once you feel you can grab the win and then let it go. It’s hard. But, that’s racing. We made the most of what we had. We came away with a lot of points, which are needed in the Championship. We haven’t been up on the podium yet this year. It’s a nice way to get things moving again. Thank you to our sponsors Cadillac, Whelen Engineering and Lucas Oil.”

The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R driven by Tristan Vautier and Loic Duval came to the checker in fourth. Like the 31, the JDC-Miller Motorsports managed team did not have to splash for fuel and made the most of the day with a fourth-place finish.

“Our pace was ok, but we were struggling a little bit on starts and restarts on cold tires,” Vautier said. “It was a very fun first stint for me battling with the Wayne Taylor car. In the end it was all about who could make it to the finish line. We managed to salvage a decent result with good fuel saving by the team and Loic. We wanted better, but fourth place is good points and we made the most of the race in the end.”

Kevin Magnussen and Renger van der Zande drove to a fifth-place finish. The team had to overcome a start penalty when Magnussen pulled out of line before crossing the start stripe. As the race progressed the team was running strong in the top four. With just five-minutes remaining van der Zande was forced to pit for a splash of fuel sealing a top five finish.

“Basically, we went swimming across the river, made it halfway, and we had to go back [referring to the splash of fuel at the end],” van der Zande said. “The car was much better in the race than qualifying. The team did a great job getting the 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac good for the race. I made some cool moves getting by the Acura and the 5 Cadillac. We learned a lot about what the car needs on a low grip track and we will take the forward.”

Cadillac IMSA Mid-Ohio results:

2. No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, Felipe Nasr and Pipo Derani

4. No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R, Tristan Vautier and Loic Duval

5. No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing DPi-V.R, Renger Van Der Zande and Kevin Magnussen

The teams will travel to the Motor City and the temporary road course on Belle Isle for the Detroit Grand Prix, June 11-12.

Mustang Sampling Cadillac Wins Sebring

Sat, 20 Mar 2021 13:30:47 GMT

SOURCE: CADILLAC MEDIA PRESSROOM - KYLE CHURA

The Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R won today’s running of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

The race started with Pipo Derani taking the green from pole in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R. Derani was soon passed by Renger van der Zande in the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R. Forty-minutes into the race, Derani was hungry to get the lead back and went to the inside of Turn 17 and got squeezed into the wall when the 01 was forced over by a GTD car. Derani had to pit the 31 for repairs sending them down four laps.

As the race went on the top five DPi competitors exchanged the lead. When night fell, the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac in the hands of Scott Dixon took the lead on the 3.7-mile, 17-turn central Florida circuit. The cool temperatures of the early evening favored the set-up of the Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac. With just an hour left Dixon had contact while trying to make it to pit road taking them out of contention.

From the darkness arose the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R with Tristan Vautier, Loic Duval, and Sebastien Bourdais. The team found pace in the night after recovering from a slow start. The JDC-Miller Motorsports team drove to the front leading the race in the last hour. With just 36-minutes remaining the team made their last pit stop with Bourdais at the wheel. With 14-minutes left Bourdais radioed that the car was loose. The IndyCar champion and endurance veteran worked with the sway bar adjustments to make-up for the lack of downforce from a broken rear wing to bring the team their first win in IMSA DPi competition.

“At the start of my last stint everything was under control,” Bourdais said. “We were super strong at the beginning, went from P6 to P1. Our sequence of pit stops was very strong. We kept jumping people. I thought from then it was going to be easy, the Mustang Sampling Cadillac was really good. Then the rear wing fell off with 10 laps to go. That was the hardest 10 laps of my life. The balance went way forward on the car. I compensated with the bars and brake balance. Still the car was unbelievably loose in the fast corners. I can’t believe we won it. Honestly, I could have crashed the car about 10 times. Especially before I figured out there was something seriously wrong. The rear tires started to degrade really bad. I was just hanging on. To stay in front of the field like this is one of my greatest achievements."

After the pit in incident the Chip Ganassi Racing team made quick repairs returning van der Zande to the race who would cross the line fifth.

“It’s pretty frustrating,” Dixon said. "I’m not sure how – I know I hit the BMW on entry. It was a very late call for the pits, so I was scrambling to get everything undone in time. I was trying to turn back to get to pit road and there was just a car there and so I hit them on the way in. That was definitely a tough one there. I feel bad for the team because everyone was doing a fantastic job and the car was fast. Credit to everybody at Chip Ganassi Racing. It’s definitely unfortunate, but we had a good run there.”

Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr, and Mike Conway had an eventful race. Derani had the start from pole and was soon overtaken by the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R driven by Renger van der Zande. Forty-minutes into the race, Derani tried to retake the lead going into the inside of the entry of Turn 17 and was squeezed into the wall by van der Zande and a GTD car. The resulting damage and repairs cost the team four laps. The team had made up two laps until with just over four hours to go, Nasr had contact with the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R causing another out of sequence stop. With just under two hours remaining, Conway lost drive and stopped out on the track in Turn 7 ending the day for the team.

“The best way to put it is, it just wasn’t our day today,” Nasr said. “It’s hard to believe it all. We’ve got to be realistic. We had a fantastic car all weekend and we dug our own hole. We had to pay the consequences for our mistakes. It was a big setback for the team when Pipo brushed the wall. From there on, it was playing catch up. It was a bad day. I feel sorry for the whole team. We deserve to be up front. Our sponsors deserve to be up front. And, we just didn’t give them what they deserve. That’s all of us included. I hope we can get things straight and go after the next one.”

The No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R started by Jimmie Johnson was a factor for most of the race. Together with Simon Pagenaud and Kamui Kobayashi they were on the lead lap all race. Aside from a spin early by Johnson, the drivers kept the 48 Cadillac competitive all day. However, the team violated the drive time rule. The official drive time showed that Pagenaud exceeded his allowable drive time. IMSA rules state that one driver cannot drive more than four hours in a six-hour period. The overage was less than a minute. When this happened in the late afternoon the race turned into a test session as they were no longer being scored.

“It was so intense out there all week," Johnson said. "I can't put into perspective what I experienced the last two days. I made plenty of mistakes that I need to clean up. I felt like I was in a position to really get aggressive and I just over-stepped a little. A lot of lessons learned and a good run for this Ally Cadillac team. The team really responded well after my spin and got us back into contention. Simon and Kamui put in great last stints. The drive time penalty negated all of the effort today, but we are a team. We will learn and come back even stronger for Watkins Glen in June."

Cadillac Racing Sebring results:

1.No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R, Tristan Vautier, Loic Duval, Sebastien Bourdais

5.No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R, Kevin Magnussen, Renger Van Der Zande, Scott Dixon

6.No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, Felipe Nasr, Pipo Derani, Mike Conway

7.No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R, Jimmy Johnson, Simon Pagenaud, Kamui Kobayashi

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship take a near two month break with the next event being the Acura Sportscar Challenge to run at Mid-Ohio, May 14-16.

Detroit Grand Prix & Cadillac V-Corral Cancelled

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 14:01:41 GMT

The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) received official notification from the organizers of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear that this year’s event, which was scheduled from May 29-30, has been canceled for 2020.

Wayne Taylor Racing Wins 58th Rolex 24 at Daytona

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 16:06:40 GMT

Source: WayneTaylorRacing.com

2020 ROLEX 24 POST RACE REPORT

The No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team put on a dominant performance to win the 58th Rolex 24 at DAYTONA. The team won by one minute and five seconds over the No. 77 Mazda Team Joest entry, and shattered the previous 24-hour distance record at Daytona International Speedway, completing 833 laps for a total of 2,965.5 miles.

The No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team put on a dominant performance to win the 58th Rolex 24 at DAYTONA today. The team won by one minute and five seconds over the No. 77 Mazda Team Joest entry, and shattered the previous 24-hour distance record at Daytona International Speedway, completing 833 laps for a total of 2,965.5 miles.

The win marks the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac Dpi V.R’s second victory in a row at the crown jewel event for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and It's third title of the iconic endurance classic in four years.

Ryan Briscoe, who joined the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team ahead of the 2020 season, qualified fifth and took the green flag for the 2020 racing season under beautiful sunlight on Saturday afternoon. The team, including full-time drivers Briscoe, Renger van der Zande and endurance-race support drivers Kamui Kobayashi and Scott Dixon, made steady progress in the opening hours of the race, with Kobayashi eventually taking the lead in the third hour of the endurance-classic.

As the race developed into the night, the Konica Minolta Cadillac team began to unveil its dominating pace. With perfect pit stop execution, decisive moves on track and colder temperatures that suited the black, blue and white Konica Minolta machine, the Indianapolis-based team led the majority of laps during the night.

But challenges began to set in for the team in the early Sunday morning when Briscoe had to serve a stop and hold penalty in pit lane for exiting pit lane while red lights were displayed. The 60-second penalty caused the No. 10 machine to drop off the lead lap and to fourth place with just over 5 hours to go. Thanks in part to two full-course yellows and a stellar stop by the team that beat the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac out of the pits, Briscoe managed to worked his way back to the lead.

Kobayashi completed the final two hours and 42 minutes of the race to seal the win for the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team, crossing the line over a minute ahead of the nearest competition. The win marked Kobayashi and van der Zande’s second overall wins of the Rolex 24 at DAYTONA, a first overall win for Briscoe and a fourth Rolex win for Dixon.

“I feel on top of the world,” said team co-owner, Wayne Taylor. “No one single person wins this race, it’s a team event. Big thanks to Cadillac and especially Konica Minolta with Rick Taylor and Mike Mathe who have been so supportive of my family and I for so many years. We could also not win without the support of CIT Group and AMETEK| Powervar and ESP. To do what we do today is quite historic. I won here twice as a driver and now three times as a team owner. Five wins! It makes me want to win it every year, for the rest of my life.”

“It feels fantastic to win for a second time in a row at Daytona,” commented Kobayashi, who amazed with a triple stint to seal the win for the team. “It feels much different to last year with the difficult conditions. This year the conditions were perfect and we were pushing, fighting all 24 hours of the race. The No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R was fantastic to drive and it was great to finish the race for everyone. Big thank you to the team, Konica Minolta and Wayne [Taylor] for all their support, everyone did a great job.”

“Just a fantastic victory,” said Briscoe, who joined the team ahead of the 2020 season. “I just feel super privileged to be part of the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team. Wayne [Taylor] has put together such a first-class program that always does well here at Daytona and this is the team’s third Rolex 24 at DAYTONA win in four years. It’s just incredible as far as statistics go and to be part of that is phenomenal. From engineers to mechanics and my co-drivers, everyone just did a great job.”

“I’ve never had such a good car at Daytona, or anywhere for that matter,” enthused van der Zande, who scored his second win in a row at the Rolex 24 at DAYTONA. “We took everything we learned from last year and made a huge step forward, which is very encouraging for the rest of the year. I’m just proud of the whole No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team. We had such a great collaboration between all the drivers and I’m just super happy.”

“For me, the biggest part of the story was how we all came to be part of the team,” said Dixon, who joined the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team for the first time this year. “Being part of the reigning race-winning team is probably the hardest thing you can do, because you are trying to repeat. You have that in the back of your mind the whole time. We had times during the race with adversity, but the team was able to rebound with strategy and the driver line-up just worked through it in a calm manner, which is hard to do. I’ve been a part of many 24-hour races in my career, but to come back from the many deficits we had in this race showed the absolute commitment from the team. I’m really proud to be part of the team and I have to thank Chip [Ganassi] for letting me join Wayne [Taylor], Max [Angelelli] and everyone at Konica Minolta. We’re winners, that’s all that counts.”

With the dominant win at the 58th Rolex 24 at DAYTONA today, the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team leads the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship standings and the North American Endurance Championship as it heads to the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, on March 21st, round two of the series.

Road Atlanta Victory for Whelen Engineering Racing

Sun, 13 Oct 2019 13:09:25 GMT

Source: Sunday Group Management

BRASELTON, GA (12 October 2019) – Whelen Engineering Racing went out a big winner in the final race of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, scoring a dramatic victory in the Motul Petit Le Mans while giving Action Express Racing its sixth consecutive victory in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup.

Pipo Derani grabbed the lead with 20 minutes remaining and drove home to victory in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R co-driven by Felipe Nasr and Eric Curran in the 10-hour classic at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

“We finally got the win here, in my fourth try, it’s incredible,” said Derani, celebrating his 26th birthday. “I’m really happy and really proud to be part of this team, a big thank you to Whelen, to Action Express, to Cadillac, and for everyone who put this program together, and of course to the crew for making perfect pit stops. We are winners of Petit Le Mans!”

Nasr broke the track record in qualifying, and took that pace into the event – breaking the Road Atlanta race lap record early on and quickly pulling away from the field with qualifying-quality laps. Nasr paced the opening 58 laps before turning the car over to Derani, who then led the next 78 circuits.

“I’m happy with the final result, to get this victory,” said Nasr, who won the endurance classic at Sebring earlier in the year. “When I switched to prototype racing last year, we clinched the title and it was amazing. Before last year, I hadn’t done any of the American circuits other than Daytona, so when I came here, I thought Road Atlanta was the wildest place to drive and the hardest place to win. To have the car running well in the final stages is tricky. There isn’t a margin for error or mistakes, so I’m very pleased to add to my list with this victory.

"Looking back at how the weekend started, from the time we hit the track, the work we did in every session, I just felt that the Action Express guys did a great job to get the car together in every kind of condition out there,” Nasr added. “This place gets pretty wild during the race. I had a pretty good start and was able to manage my pace, opening up a good lead. It was important to control the race, and everybody did their job – from pit stops to driver changes to keeping the wheels on. Eric did a great job as well, it was really a perfect day. My first pole position in IMSA and to get the win is very special.”

Curran was in a new role this season as the team’s endurance specialist. While the No. 31 car came only five points shy of winning the IMSA season title for a second year, it repeated as champions of the Michelin Endurance Cup, giving Action Express Racing a perfect six consecutive triumphs in the four-race competition since sport car racing’s unification in 2014.

“The Endurance Cup is a big deal championship to win, and Action Express just keeps winning one after another,” Curran said. “Road Atlanta has been good to me for years, but never a win. I’ve been trying to win this race for many years, and I’ve come in second a number of times. I’ve also won a few championships here as well. But to come up with a win at Petit Le Mans is pretty impressive.

“The Whelan Cadillac was strong all weekend long, one of the best cars I’d ever driven,” added Curran. “I hadn’t been in the car for a while, not since Watkins Glen, so to come here and try to do a good job for these guys is a bit tricky. They’ve done an unbelievable job all season, second in points and winning the endurance championship. Felipe and Pipo have been strong all year long. They’re a great combo, great teammates. It’s been fun to come on board and support them, try to have some good stints, keep the car out of trouble and up front. That was my job for the day, and these guys make it easy.”

Late Race Heartbreak for Mustang Sampling Racing at Road Atlanta

Sun, 13 Oct 2019 11:30:34 GMT

Source: Sunday Group Management

BRASELTON, GA (12 October 2019) – Despite holding the lead of the ten hour Motul Petit Le Mans with less than 20 minutes to go, it was a third heartbreaking chapter for the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R at Road Atlanta on Saturday.

Filipe Albuquerque pulled away on the final restart with 25 minutes remaining in the 10-hour enduro and seemed headed to victory lane. Only five minutes later, though, a brake rotor failure resulted in a trip to the pits and a seventh-place finish for the car co-driven by Joao Barbosa and Mike Conway.

Last year, Albuquerque ran out of fuel on the final lap while leading within sight of the checkered flag, having been called for a late race infraction in the 2017 edition of the event while fighting for the lead.

Saturday evening spoiled a flawless run that saw the No. 5 Cadillac leading 150 laps while running in the top two for much of the event marked by extended green-flag stretches of racing. The race ran at a record-setting pace in front of a reported record-setting crowd as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship closed out the 50th Anniversary season of IMSA on a very high note.

Unfortunately the closing moments of the race rewrote what was looking to be a picture-perfect ending for the team that has been a competitive force year in and year out.

“It’s unbelievable really,” Conway said of the late race misfortune. “We drove a good race and everyone was doing a mega job. We got lucky there with the yellow but I could see smoke coming off the car in some of the braking zones, but couldn’t tell what it was. It must have been the brakes wearing away and then it just blew up. It’s a bummer given there was just 20 minutes left, but happy to have left the race with our sister car in the lead.”

The race was bittersweet for Barbosa, who has been a lead driver with the team since Mustang Sampling came on board Action Express Racing in 2015. Barbosa delivered another crisp performance under heavy pressure, managing tire wear, fuel consumption, and intense traffic to race the Mustang Sampling machine out front once again.

“The car ran fantastic, and it is the last time I will drive the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac,” Barbosa said. “A big thank you to everyone at Action Express Racing. Everything comes to an end, but hopefully today is not my end. We have had a fantastic run with championships and Rolex 24 Hour wins. This is racing, but today I had hoped to finish it off with a win. I am so proud of this team and being a part of this, it has been very special. I don’t know what is next but I hope for another great chapter in the future. ”

While it will no longer be the primary sponsor for the No. 5 Cadillac, Mustang Sampling hopes to return to the sport in some capacity in the future.

Nasr Captures Petit Le Mans Pole for Whelen Engineering Racing

Fri, 11 Oct 2019 13:34:20 GMT

SOURCE: Sunday Group Management

BRASELTON, GA (11 October 2019) – Whelen Engineering Racing driver Felipe Nasr captured his first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship pole position in qualifying for the season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Friday. The team has shown strong pace in the practice sessions leading up to the intense 15-minute session as Whelen Engineering Racing looks to make a winning close to the 2019 season.

Nasr turned a quick lap of 1:08.457-seconds on the 12-turn, 2.54-mile circuit in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R that he shares with Pipo Derani and Eric Curran.

"I am very pleased with the lap and finally putting the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac on pole position,” said Nasr. “I feel like the car is alive and we are able to fight for a victory. Starting from pole gives us a great chance for the race. I want to dedicate this pole position to my Action Express Racing team. They have done an amazing job all year long and we finally are able to get the starting position we have been working for. I want to enjoy the race and work on maximizing our opportunity.”

Nasr and Derani enter the finale trailing in the season championship by 12 points. The duo – joined by Curran – are second in the quest for their second-consecutive IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup (IMEC). They trail by only two points in a bid to make it a perfect six straight IMEC titles for Action Express Racing since 2014.

“We want to win the Endurance Cup – it’s big,” Nasr said. “Our chances for the overall championship are quite slim, so we want to maximize every stage of the race tomorrow, and then go for the victory.”

Nasr followed Derani as pole winner for the 10-hour classic. Derani led qualifying for a different team in 2018 – shortly after being announced as a new Whelen Engineering driver.

“Pipo’s not happy that I took away his track record,” Nasr smiled after qualifying. “This is my first IMSA pole. I’ve been close a couple of times, but never got the job done. It’s great to have one for the final race of the year.”

The No. 31 team has been strong all weekend, leading three of the four practices including Thursday evening’s 90-minute session.

“Straight out of the box, from the truck itself, I felt like we had a decent car,” Nasr said. “We were just working on the details, getting the tire pressures right. In qualifying, it’s all about nailing that lap. I felt pretty confident going into qualifying because I knew the car I had on my hands. I worked with my engineer on the final details and I think it paid off. Finally, the car feels alive again after all those races and we are able to be in contention for victory. Tomorrow is a day that we have to look at every opportunity out there to maximize the results.”

Saturday’s 22^nd Motul Petit Le Mans takes the green flag at 12:05 p.m ET on NBC.

Action Express Racing Set for IMSA Return in 2020

Tue, 08 Oct 2019 01:37:57 GMT

SOURCE: Sunday Group Management

Denver, NC (7 October 2019) - Ahead of the final race of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship this weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta (October 12th, NBC, 12:00 PM ET), Action Express Racing has announced that the team will most likely be returning in 2020 with only one car.

The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi.V.R will be co-driven by 2018 IMSA Prototype Champion Felipe Nasr and 2016 Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Pipo Derani for the full 2020 season schedule, with the team expecting to finalize the driver roster for the endurance events in the coming weeks.

Action Express Racing has been a competitive force in the IMSA Prototype ranks since making its winning debut in the 2010 Rolex 24 At Daytona. The team captured the 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2018 IMSA Team and Driver Championships, as well as the 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup titles.

“Action Express racing has fielded two cars in every event since 2011,” said team owner Bob Johnson. “Beginning in 2020, it is likely that Action Express will become a single car team. We have worked for many months to find ways to remain a two car team. To be fair to all involved, we must report that the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac will probably be the single entry as managed by Action Express Racing in 2020. We want to thank all of our fans and every one of our great drivers, partners and crew members that have supported our two car team along the way.”

On-track activity for Petit Le Mans begins on Thursday, with practice at 10:50 a.m., 2:50 p.m., and a 90-minute night session starting at 7:30 p.m. (all times ET). Friday includes final practice at 11:15 a.m., with a 15-minute DPi qualifying session at 4:45 p.m.

The 22^nd Motul Petit Le Mans takes the green flag at 12:05 p.m. on Saturday.

CADILLAC GOES TO WORK ON THE TRACK - IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE AT DETROIT GRAND PRIX

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 19:57:16 GMT

CADILLAC GOES TO WORK ON THE TRACK

The Cadillac Racing team continues to build upon their momentum with impressive performances on the track this summer. The Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi‑V.R, driven by Felipe Nasr and Pipo Derani, braved the walls of the Belle Isle circuit in Detroit for an impressive second‑place finish at the 2019 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix in May.

"It was a race full of action – like Detroit is," Nasr said. "The Cadillac was handling well and we were able to produce some nice overtakes...it was a good weekend for us and everyone at the Action Express!"

Closing out the month of June, the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi‑V.R rendered a fourth‑place finish at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen―the highest for the brand. Each race has been eventful, with many positives for the team to build momentum upon. Overall, it has been a good streak for Cadillac moving forward into the month of July, placing in the top five at the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. "Everything was on point today," said Derani. "I am so proud to be a part of this team and we fought our best which is what matters."

NEXT AROUND THE TRACK

You won't want to miss any of the action on the track. Check out the upcoming races to watch below.

Road America
(Elkhart Lake, WI — August 2–4)

WeatherTech^® Raceway Laguna Seca
(Monterey, CA — Sept. 13–15)

Motul Petit Le Mans
(Braselton, GA — October 9–12)

SEE FULL SCHEDULE

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"V‑Series is a philosophy as much as the unique components comprising each variant," said Brandon Vivian, Cadillac Executive Chief Engineer. Click the link to learn how the V‑Series introduced an entirely new breed of performance‑minded customers to Cadillac showrooms.

Detroit Podium Return For Whelen Engineering Racing

Sun, 02 Jun 2019 15:44:11 GMT

SOURCE: Sunday Group Management

DETROIT Mich. (1 June 2019) – Fighting near the front for the entire race, Whelen Engineering Racing ran out of time in Saturday’s 100-minute Chevrolet Sports Car Classic, finishing a close second at the Belle Isle Circuit.

Charging all the way to the finish in pursuit of a second Detroit victory in as many years, Felipe Nasr came up just 0.802-seconds short in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R.

Nasr passed Ricky Taylor’s Acura to take second place with 22 minutes remaining. He closed up to the rear wing of winner Dane Cameron three times in the final 10 minutes, but was unable to make a pass on the tight street circuit.

"It was a race full of action - like Detroit is!” Nasr said. “This street track produces very good racing. Pipo (Derani) did a fantastic job at the start to get us up to third. It came down to the yellow flag. It mixed up our driver change. When I was in the car, all I wanted to do was make up track position. The Cadillac was handling well and we were able to produce some nice overtakes. I thought I had a chance to get that final pass at the end but we were just short on time. It was a good weekend for us and everyone at Action Express.”

Derani started third and was able to take second on the third lap of green-flag racing. He was running second when the team pitted for the driver change, with Nasr returning to the race in fourth position.

"It was a fantastic day for our championship run,” Derani said. “We wanted to win here at Detroit but we came very close, so we are happy with the points it gained us. At the beginning of the race it was difficult because we wanted to save fuel but also wanted to work up to the front. Today wasn't in the cards for us to win, but we will come back with another victory soon."

The team’s third podium finish of the season enabled Nasr and starting driver Pipo Derani to retain a five-point lead in the provisional IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship DPi point standings.

Whelen Engineering Racing enters the second half of the DPi campaign with an endurance racing classic, the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International on June 30.

Whelen Engineering Fights to Fourth at Mid-Ohio

Mon, 06 May 2019 02:44:44 GMT

Reprint from Sunday Group Management

Whelen Engineering Fights to Fourth at Mid-Ohio

LEXINGTON, Ohio (5 May 2019) – Whelen Engineering Racing finished fourth in a hard-fought race in Sunday’s Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio. Denied in a late-race bid to take a podium finish, Felipe Nasr and Pipo Derani came away with a fourth-place finish for the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R.

Unofficially, the Whelen Engineering team expanded its lead in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship point standings, and now leads by four points after four of the 10 race.

“In the big picture, we are coming out of Mid-Ohio with good points and building on this strong package we have with this Whelen Cadillac,” Nasr said. “I’m pleased, and looking forward to returning to Detroit and hopefully getting back up on top there again.”

The Whelen Engineering Cadillac ran in the top five throughout the race.

“I felt overall it was a good day in the car,” Nasr said. “We started fourth and Pipo had a good start, getting up to third. But we didn’t have the pace of those guys up front. We did all we could-every stop from the team was perfect.”

Nasr managed to run down and pass the third-place Mazda with six minutes remaining in the two-hour, 40-minute event, but the move was disallowed due to a local caution flag.

“I had that Mazda in my sights to get on the podium, but I got held up for several laps by a lapped car and by the time I caught up to fight for a podium, we had the issue with the pass in yellow zone,” Nasr said. “I had given the position back already, but we still had to serve the penalty. So that cost us a bit.”

Derani started the race in fourth and managed to hold that position throughout his run, briefly running as high as second.

“Unfortunately we didn't have the car to fight for the top step, but it is one of those days where you think about the championship,” Derani said. “So it was positive in that regard. We finished the race with some good points and we will take it from here. It was clean weekend for us, always thinking about the championship and we will go on to Detroit. Hopefully we can be as strong as the team was there last year!”

The Whelen Engineering team returns to Detroit’s Belle Isle Circuit as defending winners of the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic, which will be held on Saturday, June 1.

Mustang Sampling Racing Eighth at Mid-Ohio

Mon, 06 May 2019 02:35:57 GMT

Reprint from Sunday Group Management

Mustang Sampling Racing Eighth at Mid-Ohio

LEXINGTON, Ohio (5 May 2019) – In a weekend highlighted by changing weather and track conditions, Mustang Sampling Racing emerged from nearly three hours of racing with an eighth-place finish in the Acura Sports Car Classic at Mid-Ohio.

Coming off a victory at Long Beach in the most recent IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event, Filipe Albuquerque and Joao Barbosa fought in the top five for most of the race. A chance to take advantage of a possible yellow flag later in the event didn’t yield the hoped-for outcome with the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R. While similar moves have resulted in victory for the team in the past, the hope-for caution failed to materialize.

“It was a crazy start, but overall that was the pace we had,” said Barbosa, who started the race in the fifth position. “I lost a little bit fighting with one of the Acuras initially. We were a fourth or fifth place car today.”

Looking to make up the disadvantage on pace, the team pitted under green with one hour remaining in the two-hour, 40-minute race, as another car was stranded on track and appeared to need assistance from the IMSA emergency response team. But the stopped car found the fire and got moving again, as the pit exchange dropped Albuquerque from fifth to ninth position. The race remained under green until a late caution in the final 30 minutes – after all of the competitors had completed their pit work.

“We had a tough call there (with the final pit stop timing),” Barbosa said. “It could have worked out really well for us, but as the situation played out, it cost us a lot of places and in the end, we were too far to make it up so we will just be thinking about the next one.”

While the strategic call didn’t pan out, the team fought all the way to the finish.

“We were quite good, fighting a little bit with the Penskes when we were in traffic,” Albuquerque said. “We were P5 and closing a little bit on our teammate for P4. But then we saw an opportunity when there was a car stopped in a very dangerous place and there could be a yellow. We went for a stop but it went from an opportunity for a win to something that cost us a lot.

Having demonstrated well-executed strategy changes mid-race in the past, the team was hoping that it would deliver another new trophy on Sunday, but it didn’t play to that advantage.

“I pitted very late and we didn't have a perfect stop and we lost a lap from the leaders,” Albuquerque said. “ I think that’s the thing about IMSA—even though we didn’t have the pace to win, we still had an opportunity to win this race. We had a shot with the strategy. If it had gone yellow, we could have won. So it is a frustrating result, but just shows how anything can happen here. We will go on to the next one!”

The “next one” will be Detroit’s Belle Isle Circuit, with the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic on Saturday, June 1.

Wayne Taylor Racing Finishes Sixth at Mid Ohio

Mon, 06 May 2019 01:56:00 GMT

Reprint from Wayne Taylor Racing

The aptly named Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington is situated midway between the sprawling metropolises of Columbus and Cleveland – about an hour’s drive in each direction. The duo of Jordan Taylor and Renger van der Zande hit the scenic 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course with their No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R for Sunday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race and brought home, coincidentally enough, a midpack finish of sixth.

It’s the kind of finish this championship-caliber team typically would not write home about, but the shining light on an otherwise frustrating weekend was a positive move from fourth to third in the driver and team standings on a racetrack that has been its Achilles heel since it began racing there in 2004.
Wet conditions during both practices Friday and leading up to qualifying Saturday didn’t do the team any favors, leaving it with precious few laps to try and finally solve the Mid-Ohio layout with a race-winning setup.

Van der Zande qualified seventh and promptly dropped a position on a wild opening race lap of today’s two-hour, 40-minute race, settling into eighth and keeping the car there before handing it over to Taylor on lap 30 at the 40-minute mark.

Taylor resumed in eighth and also maintained that relative position through the second fuel-and-tire stop at the one-hour, 28-minute mark. He picked up a pair of positions when the No. 5 Action Express Cadillac DPi-V.R of Felipe Albuquerque and Joao Barbosa and the No. 54 Nissan DPi of Colin Braun and Jonathan Bennett decided to go off strategy from the leaders.

Taylor pitted a final time from sixth at the two-hour, two-minute mark and resumed in the same position. He chased his older brother and former co-driver Ricky Taylor in the No. 7 Team Penske Acura DPi for fifth over the final 38 minutes. He crossed the finish line .961 of a second behind his brother, who was the first car one lap down to the leaders.

“I think, all things considered, we knew this was probably going to be our toughest race of the year, so leaving here with sixth place isn’t the end of the world,” Taylor said. “We made up points on the 5 car, we only lost a couple to the 31 (Action Express Cadillac DPi-V.R) and the 7, who we’re close to in the championship. Damage control was kind of the name of the game today, judging by our pace. But I think, leaving with sixth, we can be somewhat happy and go to Detroit, where we should be pretty strong.”

The sixth-place finish enabled to No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R to leapfrog the No. 5 Action Express Cadillac from fourth to third in the standings, seven points behind the leading No. 31 Action Express Cadillac, which finished fourth today and was the final car on the lead lap.

“It was a very tough weekend,” van der Zande said. “I don’t think we had the right speed to attack, so it was damage control, like we knew up front. I think we drained the tires in qualifying because of the high pressures and I suffered with that during my stint quite a lot. After that, we got grip out of the tires a little better and better every time, and that’s the end result. A bit of luck here and there, but altogether we have some work to do on this track and I think we should look ahead from now on as we go to Detroit, which is a track that, historically, has been good for this team.”

Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya scored the victory today in their No. 6 Team Penske Acura DPi, leading a pair of Mazda DPi entries across the finish line by 2.022 seconds.

“It was a disappointing race,” team owner Wayne Taylor said. “We didn’t seem to have a car that was fast enough. Clearly, the Mazdas and the Acuras were in a different category to the Cadillacs. Luckily, the championship hasn’t changed that dramatically. We were fourth coming in, we’re third going out. So, we’ve just got to figure out why we were so slow.”

Round five of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix at the Raceway on Belle Isle Park circuit Saturday, June 1. Live television coverage of the one-hour, 40-minute sprint race will be provided by NBCSN beginning at 12:30 p.m. EDT.

Deja Vu at Long Beach - Mustang Sampling Racing Takes Long Beach Victory

Sun, 14 Apr 2019 14:28:45 GMT

Source: Partial Reprint from Sunday Group Management,

LONG BEACH, Calif. (13 April 2019) – History repeated itself on Saturday for Mustang Sampling Racing on the streets of Long Beach, with Joao Barbosa and Filipe Albuquerque combining great pit strategy and strong race pace to score their second consecutive victory in the BUBBA Burger Sports Car Grand Prix co-driving the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R.

A year ago, Albuquerque took the lead on his final stop and led the final 31 laps for the lone victory of the season for the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing team. Saturday, the team’s final stop put Albuquerque in position to lead the final 29 laps on the challenging 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary circuit in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event.

A punctured right-front tire brought Albuquerque into the pits on lap 39 – pitting ahead of the other competitors. The team changed only that one Michelin tire as Albuquerque charged back on track on his out lap to seal his spot out in front on lap 45.

Albuquerque faced several challenges down the stretch, but magnificent driving through GTLM traffic preserved his lead on the way to a 0.740-second margin of victory.

“It was very, very hard, because I starting to feel the tires dropping down,” Albuquerque said. “I started backing off a little to save the tires, but I made a mistake here and there so I said, ‘Forget it; I’m just going to push.’ My rear was all over the place, but it was good enough. It was an amazing strategy. We had a hard start with Joao, but he gave me a clean car and we came back.

“The way that we started, I was just thinking that we needed to collect points,” Albuquerque added. “When I got in, the car was just great and the strategy was great as well. Over the last 15 laps the rear was gone and that's why the Penske cars started closing in. I knew that they wanted the win badly and they were pushing hard. Ricky Taylor was waiting for me to make a mistake, he had caught me very quickly from over 6 seconds back. I knew we didn’t have the speed the Acura’s or Mazda, but at a narrow track like Long Beach catching is one thing, overtaking is another."

Barbosa started fourth but got caught up in traffic at the Fountain Turn on the opening lap, dropping back to eighth while avoiding contact. He managed to work his way back to sixth before his stop on the second of two cautions in the 100-minute event.

“We had a real rough start to the race, and I was just trying to avoid chaos to give Filipe a good car for the end,” Barbosa said. “I started saving fuel from the beginning. We had great pit stops and great strategy. We stopped at the right time when the tire went down, and the team knew what to do. We knew it would take too long to take four tires, so we made up a ton of positions by only changing one. We knew we could do it. It’s all about the team—unbelievable job today. When we thought everything was totally lost, they turned it around. We brought the car back and they gave us track position at the right time, and we just finished the job for another win.

“The Mustang Sampling Cadillac was awesome today,” Barbosa added. “We had great pace all the way up to the end with our Michelin tires, and we kept the Penskes behind us.”

After struggling with an electrical problem in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona, the Mustang Sampling team took third in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Saturday’s victory boosted the two-time IMSA WeatherTech Champions to fourth in the unofficial points standings.

The Mustang Sampling Racing team next travels to Mid-Ohio for the Acura Sports Car Challenge on May 5.

Whelen Engineering Racing Wins 2019 Sebring Race

Sun, 17 Mar 2019 11:00:00 GMT

Reprint Sunday Group Management

SEBRING, FL (16 March 2019) – After coming very close several times, Whelen Engineering finally broke through in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday.

With a big exclamation point.

Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr and Eric Curran battled tooth and nail to dominate in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, leading 249 of the 348 laps in the 67^th running of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event.

They survived a number of challenges, including rain and poor visibility at the start; extended stretches of green-flag racing; and an eight-minute sprint to the finish following the fifth caution period.

“Unbelievable,” said Curran. “We finished second here a couple of times and never got to the top step of the podium. My teammates were phenomenal. It feels so amazing to win this race after 15 years of trying. The Whelen Cadillac is amazingly good here. It was really good here last year, and it was just as good or better this year, maybe a little better.

“The 12 Hours of Sebring is a huge deal for any sports car driver, and I’ve been trying to win this race for a long time. Especially coming off Daytona, where we almost got it, to win this one is a big deal. I’ve driven for Sonny Whelen for 10-plus years, winning two championships and a lot of big races. To get this one means a lot. It’s special to get Whelen Engineering that exposure, leading so many laps, so this is for him.”

Derani won the race in 2016 as a rookie and in 2018, and was pleased to once again claim the victory. He took Whelen Engineering with him to the top step Saturday night. The only other driver to win Sebring three times in four years was American Formula One champion Phil Hill, who did so in 1958, 1959 and 1961.

“Unbelievable job!” Derani said. “It was tricky at the beginning of the race, with the rain, but I managed to move my way from fifth into first and open a gap. But today was just one of those days, where everything clicked and nothing went wrong. Big thanks to my team. The Whelen Engineering Cadillac is an amazing car and I’m really happy to have won three times in four years. I wouldn’t be able to do that without the job the Whelen Engineering Racing guys have done behind the scenes, and Felipe at the end and Eric keeping the car in front. What a day!”

Whelen Engineering took second in 2016 and 2018, and also was third in 2017 prior to finally achieving the top step.

“Today was a super challenging day and I am so proud of the job by the entire Action Express team,” Nasr said. “They gave us an amazing car to drive today, in all the different conditions from wet to dry to drizzling, and Tim Keene was superb with the calls. Pipo had an amazing start in the rain, that was a really tricky part of the race and he nailed it. He was able to put the car into the lead and just walk away with it, and Eric stabilized the lead and kept the car going forward. In the end, the job for me was to get to the finish line. Those last 20 minutes were super intense, trying to hold off the 10 car, they were pretty fast. I’m so happy we got the victory and nailed every hour for the endurance championship as well. A perfect day of racing!”

After the race began under caution due to rain, Derani needed only six green-flag laps to take the lead. He led up until the two-hour mark, when he was the first driver to pit to switch from rain to slick tires on the damp track.

“To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure (about going to slicks),” Derani said. “The track was wet, but at the same time, I could feel the tires were starting to go away. It was a really great job by the team to put me on slicks. I couldn’t give them an answer, but they made the right call there. It was really difficult early with a lot of water and spray.”

The fourth caution of the event during the 10^th hour erased a 48-second lead for Derani, allowing Jordan Taylor in the Rolex 24 At Daytona-winning Cadillac to close in. Nasr took over and pulled away on the restart, only to see Taylor get another chance with a final caution. Nasr again prevailed in an eight-minute sprint, winning by 1.030 seconds in the closest non-managed finish in event history.

Another turning point came shortly before the eight-hour mark. Nasr passed the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac not only to lead the race, but to capture the five-point Michelin Endurance Cup bonus. The Whelen Engineering team won all three segments. Entering the race with a five-point deficit, the No. 31 team is now tied with the No. 10 in a bid to give Action Express Racing its sixth consecutive victory in the unique competition – and second straight for Whelen Engineering.

“The team did such a great job today,” said sponsor Sonny Whelen. “It was an amazing day – rain, then sun, then running into darkness. Amazing!”

“This was a great race, and Sebring is just such a big event that this feels great,” said team owner Bob Johnson. “And to have both team cars on the podium is even better.”

Next up for Whelen Engineering Racing will be the Bubba Burger Grand Prix of Long Beach, set for April 13.

Wayne Taylor Racing - 2019 Rolex 24-Hour IMSA Weathertech Champion

Mon, 28 Jan 2019 15:45:35 GMT

Reprint from WayneTaylorRacing.com Post Race Report

There have been plenty of wild finishes in the 57 editions of the iconic Rolex 24 At Daytona. But arguably none have been wetter than Sunday’s rain-shortened conclusion of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener, in which the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team, with its all-star driver lineup of Jordan Taylor, Renger van der Zande, Kamui Kobayashi and Fernando Alonso, weathered treacherous conditions to score its second victory in the last three events at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

One of those wild Rolex 24 finishes came just two years ago, when Taylor’s older brother and then co-driver Ricky Taylor won a furious battle in the closing minutes to earn the Taylor brothers their first career Rolex 24 victory alongside third and fourth drivers Max “The Ax” Angelelli and four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon.

This year, the younger Taylor brother was joined by 2018 full-time co-driver van der Zande alongside former Formula One and current World Endurance Championship regular Kobayashi, and two-time Formula One world champion Alonso. And the fearsome foursome turned a highly anticipated Rolex 24 victory into reality with their driving consistency and ability to stay out of trouble through all hours of the day and night, in conditions that ranged from fast and dry to chilly and extremely wet.

Together, they led a race-high 249 of 593 laps around the 12-turn, 3.56-mile superspeedway road circuit from the sixth qualifying position earned Thursday by Taylor, who equaled the two career Rolex 24 victories earned by his three-time sportscar-racing-champion father and team owner Wayne Taylor, and helped his teammates each earn his first career Rolex 24 win. Alonso, in fact, became just the third Formula One world champion to win a Rolex 24, joining Phil Hill and Mario Andretti. The Spaniard also scored a first career victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans last June.

“I’m disappointed because, now, Jordan’s won as many Rolex 24s as I have, and I never wanted that day to happen (joking),” Wayne Taylor said. “But I can’t even put into words how great this win is for us. I want to thank Rick Taylor, Michael Mathe, everyone at Konica Minolta, Mark Reuss at GM, Steve Carlisle at Cadillac, all our commercial partners for believing in us and making all of this possible. Everything has to come together to win one of these, on and off the track. And to do it with this particular group of guys, it’s going to be a racing memory I will never forget.”

After struggling to crack the top-five all through practice and qualifying in lead-up to Saturday and Sunday’s twice-around-the-clock endurance marathon, it took little time for the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R to find its way to the lead. Taylor’s ultra conservative opening stint yielded just one lap led during a round of green-flag pit stops. But once Alonso got behind the wheel for his first race stint just shy of the two-hour mark, the sleek, black racecar found itself in and out of the lead for the remainder of the event. Alonso promptly raced his way into the lead, and logged 44 laps led before turning the car over to Kobayashi just past the four-hour, 30-minute mark.

Like Alonso, his Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Kobayashi executed a strong and steady stint keeping the Konica Minolta Cadillac in the lead for 72 of his 87 laps on track before handing the car over to van der Zande at the seven-hour, 27-minute mark.

The 32-year-old Dutchman, who most recently brought home a thrilling win for the team on the last turn of the last lap of last year’s season-ending Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, played it relatively conservatively during his opening stint and led 18 laps before handing the car back to Taylor in the wee hours of Sunday morning. The racecar remained strong through Taylor’s second stint, in which he led 45 laps before turning things over to Alonso just short of the 15th hour of the race.

But, shortly after Alonso took over, expected rain showers finally arrived, and varying degrees of precipitation would remain through the rest of the day. He led 49 laps in all during the mostly wet stint, which included an almost two-hour red-flag period for extreme wet conditions through the track at the 16-hour, 43-minute mark.

Alonso continued for a short time after the race resumed at the 18-hour, 31-minute mark, leading several more laps before handing the car back to Taylor just short of the 19-hour mark. Taylor’s final stint of the weekend netted 17 of 43 laps led through very wet conditions. It featured a powerful pass of the No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R of Pipo Derani at the 19-hour, 20-minute mark, then a remarkable maneuver to avoid a spinning GT-class car ahead of him under heavy braking into turn one.

Then came the final stint for Alonso, who resumed in third place and carefully bided his time before positioning himself to take advantage when Derani’s teammate Felipe Nasr ventured off course in turn one and giving the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R the lead for good at the 21-hour, 54-minute mark.

The race was red-flagged three laps later as Alonso and most of the rest of the field reported near zero visibility under heavy rains just short of the 22-hour mark.

Officials waited for a chance to restart the race until the 23-hour, 49-minute mark before waving the checkered flag, and celebration ensued in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R camp.

“I think it was an interesting race with the conditions changing, very tough, but I think, like everyone else says, everyone did their job,” said Taylor, who scored his 21st career victory. “All four drivers led in their own right and drove to the lead, different parts of the race, and it was all about survival. You saw a lot of guys taking a lot of risk early in the race, but we waited with the game plan of running our own race and not getting caught up in anyone else’s battles. I think it was the right game plan. We stayed out of trouble, no car damage, no one went off the track. That’s the way you win these 24 hour races, and we kind of came into the grid thinking almost every single car can win the race, and you see guys making little mistakes here and there, and this team has now done six out of seven years finishing on the podium without issues. I think it’s a huge testament to Wayne Taylor Racing.”

“I’m super happy,” said van der Zande, who scored his 12th career victory. “Fantastic. I think I said before the weekend, I think to the team, Wayne and Max (Angelelli, team owner), fantastic that they put such little pieces together. It’s a big puzzle and it comes together in this victory here right now. Thanks a lot to my teammates, the whole team, and I’m very happy to bring home a (Rolex) watch and a lot of victory feelings. What more to say?”

“I’m so happy to be here, and obviously I think. like the 24 hour race, it’s never easy even when you have a good car or whatever because you have so many issues, problems,” Kobayashi said. “I think today we had really extremely difficult conditions. I think all the team guys, the drivers, did a great job. I think the team did a really, really good job, and obviously the car was really good.”

“I’m very, very proud of the job that we achieved today, but it was not a one day job, it was a one month job,” Alonso said. “For me, in December we started preparing for the race and receiving all the documents, how the Cadillac works and how Wayne Taylor Racing works, some procedures that maybe are different compared with other teams. We tried to have a quick integration, Kamui and myself, trying to learn as much as we could from the team in the Roar (Before the 24 test days) and then, on the race itself, it was very, very difficult. Conditions were changing all the time.”

Round two of the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the 67th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday, March 16, at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway, where newly announced third driver Matthieu Vaxiviere of France will join Taylor and van der Zande behind the wheel of the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R. Live television coverage begins on CNBC at 10:30 a.m. EST and concludes on NBCSN 3:30 to 11 p.m.

Podium Return for Whelen Engineering at Daytona

Mon, 28 Jan 2019 15:37:38 GMT

Partial reprint from Sunday Group Management,

Daytona Beach, Fla. (27 January 2019) – Whelen Engineering Racing took its second consecutive Rolex 24 At Daytona runner-up finish on Sunday, with Felipe Nasr, Pipo Derani and Eric Curran fighting at the front with the red and white No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R but was unable to clinch the win after the race was called early.

Treacherous conditions led to the race going to caution with just over two hours remaining, leading to a second red flag that eventually ended the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener after 23 hours, 50 minutes.

Unfortunately for the team, the caution came only four minutes after Nasr had slid through a pool of standing water and lost the lead in Turn 1, handing the lead - and victory - to the No. 10 Cadillac entry. Nasr quickly recovered and continued, but ran out of time in a bid to challenge the race-winning Cadillac as IMSA once again moved the race to a caution period before calling a red flag and then early checkers.

“This race was totally insane, one of the most challenging races I’ve done here,” Curran said. “The weather was key. Early on, it was dry, there was some really good racing, I had a lot of fun in the car both during the day and at night. There were a lot of good battles with some good people, good teams, and we ran in the top three most of the race.

“But I was in the car at 5 a.m. and it was pitch black out, raining like crazy and the windshield was fogging up,” Curran explained. “We couldn’t get the wiper working right and it was really miserable, really hard to drive. It was really challenging from that point on. But we kept charging forward from fourth place to where we ended up, with Felipe battling with Alonso. I felt we had a strong Whelen Cadillac, enough to win the race, but we’ll take second place – though it is a bit disappointing after finishing second last year! You can’t complain about second at Daytona, but you want to be on the top step of the podium. We were so close.”

All three drivers had turns in the lead, with the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac out front 10 times for 97 laps.

“I thought we had a good car in both dry and wet conditions, and it was looking good until the rain really poured down,” said Nasr, who battled two-time World Champion Alonso throughout the final hour of race. “There was nothing I could do: I was the first car coming through and I just aquaplaned all the way and lost the lead. But I wanted to go back racing. We had a good car, we did a good job all race, and everything we did went to plan. I think we had a winning car in our hands and I wanted to get the job done if I could. It was amazing, the hard work the team did in every single pit stop to handle all the tire changes, the work the mechanics did, and getting the fastest lap of the race – everything was perfect. Eric and Pipo did great, the team made great calls keeping us up front the whole time, it was great. But I wanted to finish a better place than second.”

Derani made his first start for the team, with the 2016 Rolex 24 winner leading twice for 26 circuits.

“It was a hell of a race,” Derani said. “We had such a difficult day, with so much rain. It was sad not to be fighting for the win at the end, but we’re happy as well to be able to finish in such a difficult race. Anything could have happened. Thank you to the team for an amazing job, it was a first race for me with Whelen Engineering and I’m really happy for what we did. We’re second in the championship and we’re going to keep fighting.”

Strong Start to Michelin Endurance Cup title Defense

The team made the call to keep Nasr out on track while the other contenders pitted prior to the six-hour mark. That gave the team five points towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, which Action Express Racing is seeking to win for the sixth consecutive year - including the 2018 cup title for Whelen Engineering. The four bonus points at the finish gave the team 13 points, a good start heading into the endurance classics at Sebring, Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta.

“The cards just didn’t fall our way today, but we’ll leave here with our heads held high because I think they knew we were here,” said Nelson after the race. “I am very proud of everybody at Action Express. It seemed like we were getting curve balls every time we turned around. The No. 31 car set the fastest lap of the race so that shows they had speed, and the drivers did a heck of a job, to be leading late in the race and many times in the middle of the race. The cards just didn’t fall our way today, but we’ll leave here with our heads held high because I think they knew we were here.”

Mustang Sampling Racing Finalizes Rolex 24 At Daytona Roster

Thu, 20 Dec 2018 12:53:32 GMT

Reprint from Sunday Group Management

Mustang Sampling Racing Finalizes Rolex 24 At Daytona Roster

Conway returns to Action Express Racing with Mustang Sampling as Fittipaldi prepares for final IMSA Prototype start

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (19 December 2018) –Mustang Sampling Racing has finalized its 2019 Rolex 24 At Daytona driver line up with a firm focus on a successful defense of its 2018 victory in the the prestigious event to open the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

The race is the 57th anniversary running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, and will mark the launch of the fifth season of partnership between Mustang Sampling and Action Express Racing.

Having announced that the full-season driver pairing of Joao Barbosa and Filipe Albuquerque will be joined by Christian Fittipaldi in his final Rolex 24 At Daytona IMSA Prototype outing, the team has now confirmed the signing of Mike Conway to the driver roster for the season-opening race on January 26-27.

The talented Briton has made several starts with Action Express Racing, and the Rolex 24 outing will mark the first time that Conway will carry the Mustang Sampling colors.

Conway raced with the No. 31 Cadillac DPi-V.R for Action Express in three races in both 2017 and 2018, netting a runner up result in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, third in the 2018 12 Hours of Sebring and second in the 2017 Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

In addition to his accomplishments in IMSA, Conway is a multiple winner in IndyCar competition and a two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans podium finisher. He currently holds second in the LMP1 standings of the 2018-19 FIA World Endurance Championship with three races remaining, having won the six-hour races at Fuji and Shanghai for Toyota this year.

“I’m happy to be returning to race for Action Express in the Rolex 24 again this year,” said Conway. “I am looking forward to joining Mustang Sampling Racing and driving with Joao, Christian, and Filipe. It is great to have already worked with them in the past, and as the results have shown, the team is very capable so I am eager to get to Daytona and help them hopefully bring another trophy home.”

“We have been working hard to prepare to win at Daytona once again and we are happy to have Mike (Conway) return to the team again this year,” said Team Manager Gary Nelson. “He is a a strong team player and has made great contributions to our results in the past so he will fit in well with our line up in the Mustang Sampling Cadillac for Daytona. We are all looking forward to getting back to Daytona for the Roar to continue those preparations for the 24 at the end of the month.”

Mustang Sampling Racing will continue preparations for the Rolex 24 At Daytona with three days of testing at the Roar Before the 24 on January 4-7.

Mustang Sampling

Mustang Sampling Website

(L-R) Christian Fittipaldi, Filipe Albuquerque, Joao Barbosa

João Barbosa

The three-time and co-defending IMSA TPNAEC Champion, João Barbosa returns to Action Express Racing to drive the familiar #5 gold, black and white Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R seeking his third IMSA WeatherTech Championship at the pinnacle of North American sports car competition. João resides in Charlotte, NC with his wife and two sons. He is an avid runner and cyclist.

Filipe Albuquerque

Filipe joins the defending Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup and two-time IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship winning No .5 MustangSampling Cadillac Dpi-V.R for the full 2018 IMSA campaign. Filipe resides in his hometown of Cambria, Portugal.

Christian Fittipaldi

Two-time IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Champion driver Christian Fittipaldi returns to Action Express Racing for his sixth full season of competition following a fourth consecutive Tequila Patron' North American Endurance Cup title with co-driver João Barbosa. Fittipaldi has been appointed Sporting Director for Action Express Racing, and will continue to race in the endurance events starting in 2018. Outside of sports car racing, the Brazilian satiates his need for competition by racing in mountain bike and karting events, both in the U.S. and his home country of Brazil.

About Mustang Sampling

Mustang Sampling, LLC is the innovator of Analytically Accurate® solutions within sample conditioning systems. We provide custom solutions of products and services globally to the Natural Gas, Natural Gas Liquids (NGL), and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) industries. Mustang Sampling continues to pioneer integrated control systems, allowing our customers to maintain phase stability from sample extraction at the pipeline through sample analysis. Our products are continuously improved and subjected to the highest quality standards which provides our customers with the best sample conditioning solutions.

Wayne Taylor Racing Takes Home Victory at 21st annual Petit Le Mans

Sun, 14 Oct 2018 13:22:09 GMT

REPRINT POST RACE REPORT FROM WTR WEBSITE

The No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R trio of Jordan Taylor, Renger van der Zande and Ryan Hunter-Reay ended one of their team’s most challenging seasons to date with a much-neeed exclamation point as van der Zande’s dramatic pass for the lead two corners from the finish line brought home the victory in the 21st annual Petit Le Mans IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship endurance marathon at Road Atlanta.

It was the team’s only victory of 2018 and kept alive a streak of 15 consecutive seasons with at least one win since team owner and three-time sportscar-racing champion Wayne Taylor and his long-time business partner and former co-driver Max “The Ax” Angelelli first fielded the No. 10 Prototype in Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series competition in 2004.

The victory, the team’s second at the iconic 10-hour race since 2014, also solidified a third-place finish in the final championship standings after having clinched the 2017 championship at this event a year ago.

“I feel like I have never been more happy than I am tonight,” said team owner Wayne Taylor. “These guys, this team, our partners Konica Minolta, Cadillac, ECR Engines, everybody associated with this program, this was for them. It was a really tough weekend because we didn’t have the fastest car. We were five-and-a-half miles an hour slower than most of those other cars in a straight line. But, as usual, this team, when it’s time to do something and pull stuff out – our engineers and our drivers – they find a way to make it happen. Thank goodness because for all 15 years we’ve been doing this, we’ve never had a year without winning a race. And for the Petit Le Mans, it’s now three wins because I won as a driver and now twice as a team owner with Max. I can’t say enough about our chassis maker Dallara – it’s not only the technical side of everything they do with us, it’s the relationship we have with them. They truly, truly feel the pain with us and they win and lose with us, so I can’t say enough about them. We’ve got just really good partners. This year was a difficult year, but this is one heck of a way to make us feel good during the offseason.”

After struggling to qualify 12th for today’s race, victory might have seemed improbable for the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team, even though it has mastered the art of contending for wins in time and again in the series’ iconic endurance events at Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta over the last decade and a half.

The 32-year-old van der Zande, who replaced Ricky Taylor as Jordan Taylor’s full-time co-driver at the outset of 2018, drove a patient opening stint in working his way into the top-10. He handed the car over to Taylor at the one-hour, 13-minute mark during the first caution period of the race, and lightning-quick work by the crew enabled Taylor to restart just outside the top-five.

Taylor and Hunter-Reay on their opening stints, and then van der Zande during his second stint, took charge over the next five and a half hours and, with the help of consistently quick pit stops and driver changes, kept the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R in and around the top-five. The Dutch driver first took the lead during a round of green-flag pit stops at the six-hour, 45-minute mark, and he and Taylor were able to lead 55 of the next 60 laps until just past the eight-hour mark.

Van der Zande took over with 92 minutes remaining in the race and would take the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R the rest of the way. He rejoined the race in fifth place and gradually worked his way toward the front during the initial fuel-and-tire run, leading the final five laps before making his final fuel-and-tire stop with 43 minutes remaining.

He resumed in third place behind the No. 5 Action Express Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R of Felipe Albuquerque and the No. 22 Tequila Patron ESM Nissan of Pipo Derani. Van der Zande passed Derani with seven minutes to go in the race, and he carefully bided his time in chasing down Albuquerque for the lead as the team suspected the No. 5 Cadillac would not have enough fuel to get to the checkered flag.

It was a nail-biting final few minutes as a determined Albuquerque was able to hold off van der Zande. But finally, just two turns from the finish, the No. 5 car sputtered and van der Zande got around him on the outside and took the win.

“It took 10 races to get my first win with the team and we finally got it done,” said the Dutchman. “I’m super happy and super proud of the team and I think this was a real team effort. We kept it on the black stuff, we gave it our all at the right time, but mainly on the fuel mileage and hitting the numbers they gave me was a big calculation at the end and the team got it done. We knew we were going to struggle during the day when it was hot. When I got in for Ryan on my second-to-last stint, it was starting to cool down and that’s when I started to feel like we do have a good car because it felt horrible before that. It was steering in, it was braking, it was doing everything I wanted. The closer we got to the end of the race, the better the car was getting, I could attack everywhere. At the end, it was a very calculation kind of game on track because you want to get position but you want to save fuel, as well. That’s the game that we played and we played it very nice. I’m very happy. We have a baby coming any time now so I have to head home now. I’ll be very anxious until it happens but this is a very nice thing to happen to end the season.”

“It was pretty crazy,” Taylor said. “It was a never-give-up strategy today. It was 10 hours and one of the toughest Petit Le Mans races there’s been in a long time, especially in the Prototype class. It was a tough year not having a win until now, and it would’ve been very disappointing to leave this season without a win. But our guys were unbelievable – the whole Konica Minolta crew. We were making up positions on every pit stops, which kept us up front for track position. And for the last two hours, Renger was saving fuel. If we wouldn’t have stuck to that strategy like we did, we would’ve ended up like the 5 car. We were pushing him every lap to save fuel and hit his numbers, and he was still able to keep the pressure on and it worked, passing for the win with two corners to go. To go through 10 hours of racing is unbelievable. Wayne Taylor Racing has won at least one race for all 15 years of its existence, so it’s a great way to end the way and a great way to lead into 2019.”

“This is a big one – Petit Le Mans is huge,” Hunter-Reay said. “It’s so great racing with this team. I have such a great time with them, it’s easy to come from my full-time job in IndyCar and jump in here and work with these drivers. Jordan and Renger did a fantastic job today. Renger, to finish the race like that, was outstanding. We’ve come close, we finished second at Sebring, we had a great car at Daytona before we had some issues, and this is just fantastic to finish the year like this. We went from qualifying on the pole to winning (the IndyCar season finale) at Sonoma and now to this, it’s just been a fantastic to the 2018 season. Petit Le Mans is a big one. Next up, we have our eyes on winning the Rolex 24 At Daytona. I’d love to win that race. I just love being back here in IMSA.”

Whelen Engineering Racing Secures Two Championships in Petit Le Mans Nail-biter

Sun, 14 Oct 2018 13:20:46 GMT

Reprint from Sunday Group Management

BRASELTON, Ga. (13 October 2018) – Whelen Engineering Racing captured its second IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship title in three years Saturday night, finishing seventh with the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R driven by Eric Curran, Felipe Nasr and Gabby Chaves in the 21st Motul Petit Le Mans.

The result secured the IMSA WeatherTech Driver Championships for Curran and Nasr, as well as the Team Championship for Whelen Engineering Racing. The IMSA title is the second in three seasons for Whelen Engineering and Curran, and also capped an impressive first season of IMSA competition for Nasr.

The Team and Driver Championships were not the only mission that was accomplished, as the team also secured the 2018 Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup at the four-hour mark of the race. Action Express Racing has won the 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 Endurance Cup titles as well as the 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2018 IMSA WeatherTech Championships.

Curran and Nasr combined to lead 77 laps at the 2.54-mile circuit, and later ran second for 24 consecutive laps during the eighth hour.

A record-setting race pace saw a range of strategies develop to set the stage for a dramatic final thirty minutes of racing as teams took different approaches to fuel strategy.

Nasr had to balance his pace with a fuel strategy as the pursuing championship squad used an alternate pit stop plan to gain track position late in the race. But with clear instructions from the Whelen Engineering Racing pit box, a disciplined drive from Nasr saw the team take exactly the result that was required to secure the title.

“It was amazing to pull it off at the end,” said Curran. “The last 20 minutes were just on the edge, and it really wasn’t looking good for us. We had Felipe (Nasr) back off on the fuel and save as much as he could, so we wouldn’t have to do one more stop.”

“Our Whelen Cadillac was strong the whole race long,” Curran continued. “It’s interesting to win a championship by going slow. It’s a funny way to do it. What an unbelievable teammate! Felipe and I won the Tequila Patron Endurance Cup as well, and Gabby (Chaves) did a great job in the car. It’s been an unbelievable year.”

“This is definitely the best yet,” said Action Express Racing Owner, Bob Johnson. “This was so exciting, I don’t know how you top this. Thank goodness we’ve got these young drivers like Felipe (Nasr) who can do the endurance events and spend three hours in the car there at the end! This was very big. It was a great job up on the top of the box, a phenomenal strategy. The entire team did a great job and this feels fantastic!”

“It was an exhausting last stint, to be honest, three-plus hours in the car,” Nasr said. “Somehow, we lost power halfway through the stint so the only chance we had to make it happen was to look at that fuel mileage, and hitting that target perfectly on every lap.

“I want to thank Eric, Gabby and Mike (Conway),” Nasr added. “Even though Mike wasn’t here this weekend, he’s been a great part of the team. And thanks to all the Action Express guys who made all the calls, all our sponsors, everyone who is behind this effort. The Whelen car has won two championships! I’m so excited. This is my first year in the series, and getting the championship, I couldn’t ask for a better way for the season to go. It seemed impossible, but somehow, we made it. I just need time for it all to sink in.”

Driving the Whelen Engineering Cadillac for the first time, Chaves ran as high as fourth during his turn at the wheel.

“The car was good,” Chaves said. “I was just trying to manage the tire wear and the traffic, which was rough. I tried to stay clean, and let the guys who have been doing this all year wrap it up. The hardest part for me was that the GTD guys seemed to be very aware during practice. But during the race, it was a totally different game. So I had to adjust my approach after that first stint. Congrats to Eric and Felipe on a great season.”

The Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup began with the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona and continued through the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. This marked the fifth consecutive year that Action Express Racing captured the unique championship.

“For sure, winning the Patron Endurance Cup is a big deal for the team,” Curran said. “It’s fun for us on the No. 31 side, but the No. 5 car has been amazing – they’ve won it year after year after year. Action Express as a whole really gets it done.”

Mustang Sampling Racing One Turn Short of Petit Le Mans Victory

Sun, 14 Oct 2018 13:15:56 GMT

Reprint from Sunday Group Management

BRASELTON, Ga. (13 October 2018) – After winning the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona, Mustang Sampling Racing came only one turn shy of bookending the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, running out of fuel virtually in sight of the checkered flag for Saturday's 21st Motul Petit Le Mans after 10 hours of intense racing at Road Atlanta.

Filipe Albuquerque dominated the final two hours in No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi V-R co-driven by Christian Fittipaldi and Tristan Vautier, pacing the field twice for 38 laps after a pair of on-track passes. He passed Jordan Taylor out of Turn 3 to take the lead with just under two hours to go, and led through his final pit stop. Albuquerque then passed the Nissan of Pipo Derani with 27 minutes left and led the field through the final lap.

“When Felipe came out of Turn 7 [on the last lap] I thought we had it,” said Fittipaldi, who joined Albuquerque and Joao Barbosa in winning the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. “I thought that was it, we only had the straightaways and it would be OK. But then he started having a misfire down the straight and unfortunately, not only the 10 (winner Jordan Taylor) but a few other cars went by and we missed out on even being on the podium.”

Albuquerque also won at Long Beach with Barbosa, who did not drive at Petit Le Mans after fracturing a rib in a lap one incident at the most recent event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

“We really have had bad luck in the second half of the season,” Albuquerque said. “It was very frustrating. We had problems early in the race, but we recovered and came back to the lead. The car was just brilliant from Lap 1, so I hated to have to race to the fuel at the end. We thought we had it, but apparently, we couldn’t catch it. One corner, that’s all it was, and to not even get a podium is very hard. Everybody did great, and Tristan (Vautier) did an amazing job, jumping in and helping us. I guess it was just not meant to be.”

While they did not lead the race during the opening eight hours, Albuquerque, Fittipaldi and Vautier kept the team in contention, with each driver running as high as second.

Vautier was available to fill in on short notice due to his regular team – Spirit of Daytona Racing – not participating in the finale.

“We were so close to winning Petit!” Vautier said. “It was very tense, those last moments. Filipe drove an amazing race, getting into the lead, and then driving to those fuel numbers. We were that close, one or two corners from winning Petit Le Mans. Just an amazing experience with the team. I’m very grateful they gave me the call to come and jump in. It’s a shame we couldn’t bring it back in a podium position, but thank you to the team for an amazing job. It’s an incredible organization. Thank you to Filipe, Christian and Joao for being so welcoming. I’m happy for the Action Express team as a whole, because the No. 31 won the championship and that was the main mission today. I’m disappointed, but very grateful.”

The finale was bittersweet for Fittipaldi, who stepped aside from regular driving duties to serve as Action Express Facing's sporting director. The 2019 season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona will be his final IMSA Prototype race.

"Congratulations to the Whelen guys for winning the championship, it was an awesome run," Fittipaldi said. “We were strong this year as well, but we just were unfortunate a few times, and today was one of those times. But this is a solid group of guys, we’ll turn the page to a new chapter and try and win Daytona again to start the new season.”

Road America Podium for Whelen Engineering Racing

Mon, 06 Aug 2018 13:29:20 GMT

Reprint from Sunday Group Management

Elkhart Lake, Wisc (5 August 2018) Whelen Engineering Racing drivers Felipe Nasr and Eric Curran finished third in Sunday’s Continental Tire Road Race Showcase with the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing DPi-V.R.

The result is the second consecutive podium finish for the duo after scoring third at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in July as the first-year pairing grew their advantage in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with two rounds of racing remaining in the season.

Curran started the race from seventh on the grid and moved up to run in sixth by the fourth lap, although he suffered damage to the Cadillac Prototype in the early laps with the typical hard fought racing that IMSA WeatherTech fans have come to expect. Despite the damage, Curran held the position until a quick call from Whelen Engineering Racing performance engineer Tim Keene saw Curran take to the pits on lap 15.

A fast stop for fuel, tires, and a driver change to Nasr came at an ideal time as the field was slowed for a full course caution. The exchange saw the Whelen Engineering Cadillac up front for the Lap 19 restart, with Nasr holding the point for 37 of the next 39 laps.

A lap 58 final stop for fuel saw Nasr return to the fray fifth in the order. Fully fueled, Nasr made a hard charge to the finish, clicking off fast laps as he looked to retake the lead. That charge back to the lead was only halted when the two leading Prototype machines were able to go all the way to the finish before both ran out of fuel on the cool-down lap.

While the strong run up front had promised another possible victory for Nasr and Curran, the podium result generated a welcome collection of points to go with the new trophies for the team.

"It was a lot of hard work done by all of the Action Express boys,” said Nasr. “Eric (Curran) had a fantastic start and made up positions quickly. Unfortunately, he got hit in the back which caused us to lose a piece of the car. The damage was pretty big so we lost the rear tires very quickly and it was all about changing the driving style, and it worked! We knew the problem and had to face it so we could make the best out of it. At some point we were looking good to win the race, but it was a good points day and another podium which makes two in a row. I am super proud of all my Whelen guys and Eric. It was a good day!”

"We will take it,” said Curran. “It looked like there could be a victory there today, but we will take a third place finish in the Whelen Cadillac. It was a crazy race with a crazy start. We got tangled up and lost a part of the rear wing which caused us to lose downforce in the back which we fought all race long. My teammate (Felipe Nasr) did a killer job again today and ended up third. It was great points day and this Whelen Cadillac keeps winning podiums. The Action Express guys also nailed the pit stops so it was good team work all day. It would have been nice to win but we will take third.”

The next race for the Action Express Racing squad will be the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix featuring America’s Tire 250 on September 7^th – 9^th.

Whelen Engineering Racing Wins Chevrolet Grand Prix in Detroit

Mon, 04 Jun 2018 13:50:05 GMT

Source: Sunday Group Management - Partial Reprint

Second victory in three years at Belle Isle comes on Sonny Whelen’s Birthday

Detroit, Mich. (2 June 2018) Whelen Engineering Racing used teamwork, strategy, and great race pace to score its first victory of the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season on Saturday in the Chevrolet Dealers Grand Prix in Detroit.

Drivers Eric Curran and Felipe Nasr shared the driving duties in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing DPi-V.R to capture their third podium finish of the 2018 season. The post-race celebrations, which included a jump into the Victory Circle fountain for both drivers, were further boosted by the fact that the race victory came on the birthday of long-time motorsport and Team Fox supporter Sonny Whelen.

A crash in Friday’s practice session could have set the team effort back, but instead the group rallied to make repairs in time for qualifying. Curran started the race from sixth in the order and was able to move to run in fifth before taking to the pit lane for a stop for fuel and a driver change. Nasr returned to the field 18th in the order but worked his way forward to the top five by lap 38.

A final fuel-only pit stop on lap 39 set the stage for Nasr’s run to the front as he claimed the lead on lap 44 and refused to relinquish the point to score a big win for the team.

"It is a combination of everything,” said Gary Nelson about the teams run to victory. “The drivers did one heck of a job and we are really thrilled with what they did today. The pit stops were great. I think we have the best pit crew out there and we nailed the timing of those stops with the 31 today.”

"A big shout out to the Action Express, Cadillac, and GM guys who helped us get this win,” said Curran. “This is the place to be, and the place to win in our Whelen Cadillac. Hats off to the engineering team who took a not so perfect weekend and turned it around. The team did an awesome job with the car. This is my second win in the last number of years and if you are going to win a race, this is the best place to win one. It feels so satisfying to have our first win of the year. It is also a special win as it is Sonny Whelen’s birthday from Whelen. Felipe Nasr did a killer job and put it together perfectly. Again, hats off to all the guys.”

"It was a tough race but I will take it! Eric (Curran) and the entire Action Express Racing team did a great job,” said Nasr. “After our first practice, we ended up hurting the back of the car. The guys put the car back together and we had an amazing qualifying. The race itself was all about getting the right calls and we took the Continental tires to the very end, which they hang on amazingly so I was able to drive the car fast until the end. We didn’t have a great start to the weekend but here we are, and I couldn't have asked for a better day to be honest. I am super happy!”

The next race on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be the Sahlen’s Six Hour at Watkins Glen International on July 1.

Action Express Racing on Second and Third Row at Detroit Grand Prix

Sat, 02 Jun 2018 01:45:43 GMT

Source: Sunday Group Management

FS2 providing live race coverage starting at 12:30 PM ET

Detroit, Mich. (1 June 2018) Action Express Racing delivered another great team effort on Friday. The team will start Saturday’s Chevrolet Grand Prix presented by Lear on the second row with the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing DPi-V.R of Filipe Albuquerque and Joao Barbosa, and the third row with the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing DPi-V.R of Felipe Nasr and Eric Curran following Friday’s 12-minute qualifying session.

The team has a strong record at the 2.35-mile circuit set just outside of the shadows created by the General Motors Renaissance center in Detroit, and will look to return to the Motor City podium on Saturday for round five of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The day featured two practice sessions for the team to develop the set-up for the quickly-changing temporary street circuit, which is also playing host to a range of other racing series on the fan-focused weekend. The second session of the day included a setback after Nasr suffered a quick spin that caused damage to the Whelen Engineering Racing entry. But the team quickly clicked into motion to make repairs, with the car ready to go well ahead of the qualifying session.

The qualifying session was curtailed as IMSA shortened the session to 12 minutes following a delay for weather, and then it was stopped for a mid-session red flag following a crash by another Prototype. With Curran (No. 31 Whelen Engineering) and Barbosa (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing) taking the controls for qualifying, both racers had to deal with traffic as well as the abbreviated schedule as they claimed their spots on the grid.

"Hats off to the Action Express Racing guys, especially on the No. 31 Whelen car,” said Curran. “It was all them today. Felipe (Nasr) had a little issue in practice earlier and we had damage to the back of the car. But these guys are on it. A couple hours later, the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac looks like brand new! We went out there and pushed hard, but it was a strange qualifying session with a wreck, debris on track, and then the red flag in the middle. We are sixth, but we really didn't get a fair run at it. I missed the last practice session because of the morning incident. I feel strong here and think this is a good place. I feel good so let's just see what tomorrow brings even though we aren't starting where we wanted to be. We will just keep going."

"The qualifying session was a weird one and unfortunate it happened that way,” said Barbosa of the truncated track time. “We had a good car and it got better every lap but we just didn’t get many laps! It's going to be very tough to beat the guys in the front who have been showing a lot of pace during practice. If I had two good laps at the end, I could have done a little bit better. I was able to do a decent job, the car was getting better so I was looking forward to another lap. That didn't happen, but we have a good race car. Cadillac is running very well. We will have good pace in the race.”

An 8:00 AM warm-up will open the activities on Saturday, with the race set to go green at 12:40 PM ET (FS2 coverage and IMSA Radio).

Keep updated via twitter.com/axracing

Wayne Taylor Racing in Fourth Row at Detroit Grand Prix

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 13:58:22 GMT

Source: Wayne Taylor Racing

The No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R will start Saturday’s Chevrolet Sports Car Classic from the inside of the fourth row after IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship qualifying Friday evening on the Streets of Belle Isle in downtown Detroit.

The No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R will start Saturday’s Chevrolet Sports Car Classic from the inside of the fourth row after IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship qualifying Friday evening on the Streets of Belle Isle in downtown Detroit.

Renger van der Zande, who with co-driver Jordan Taylor is looking to score the team’s fifth Detroit victory in the last six years this weekend, clocked a fast lap of 1 minute, 22.273 seconds at 102.828 mph during a slightly shortened qualifying session around the 2.36-mile, 13-turn temporary street circuit due to a red-flag stoppage. It was good for seventh among the 26 car-and-driver combinations that will take the green flag for Saturday’s one-hour, 40 minute sprint race.

“It’s been a rough day – we’ve been chasing the setup a little bit over the bumps here but, for qualifying we made a very good step forward,” said van der Zande, the Dutch driving veteran who scored back-to-back LMPC-class wins here with the Starworks Motorsport team in 2015 and 2016. “The only issue was the red flag, which made it all come down to a two-lap shootout at the end, which was really cool in one way but, at the same time, it would have been good to get the whole session in. I gave it my all and got a pretty good lap. It was nowhere near the pole but at least we’re a little bit ahead of where we were in practice. Then, into turn 11, I was fully sideways and almost spun off on an even quicker lap, but those are the risks you have to take, sometimes. I went over a bump, got a little wide, kept the throttle down to see if we could make it, but I had to lift, anyway, and lost a few tenths there. Altogether, it wasn’t the greatest, but in the race, anything can happen, for sure. We should be able to make another few steps forward because we’ve at least found the right direction.”

Mustang Sampling Racing Finishes Fourth at Mid-Ohio

Mon, 07 May 2018 14:59:29 GMT

Source: Sunday Group Management Press Release

Forward

Leads Cadillac runners with another top-five finish

Mansfield, Ohio (6 May 2018) Looking to make a successful defense of the team’s 2013 Mid-Ohio race victory, the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R finished fourth with drivers Filipe Albuquerque (PRT) and João Barbosa (PRT) coming home just one spot shy of the podium despite excellent teamwork all weekend long.

The race was round four of the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, with the team looking to score a third victory of the year with the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R. From the pit stops to the strategy to the performance of the drivers, the team executed fully on the race plan, but just came up short of a return to the Mid-Ohio podium.

Barbosa started the race from sixth on the grid and was able to hold station in the opening segments of the race before turning the car over to his fellow Rolex 24 At Daytona champion Albuquerque. The Mustang Sampling squad delivered when it came time for the pit stops, helping the team move forward with excellent execution. The visit to Mid-Ohio was the first for Albuquerque, who ran a strong race pace through the extended green flag run to come home fourth at the finish as the leading Cadillac DPi-V.R.

"It was an interesting race with no yellows, I wasn't expecting that certainly not at Mid-Ohio since it's a very narrow track with a lot of traffic,” said Barbosa. “Everyone behaved, which is really good! Our race was the best it could be. The team did a great job and we were able to make up a few positions. We didn't have the outright pace, but we had a consistent car, great pit stops, and great strategy. That's all we had today, so we move on to Detroit and hopefully we can be stronger there."

"The track it's self is pretty interesting, but we did’t have the pace that I wish we did,” said Albuquerque. “Overall the winning car was in a different category than everyone else. But it was a clean race with no adventures with the safety car, which could have played a little better for us. We did win our race being the best Cadillac. It was a smart race because we gained points towards the championship. In my opinion, Action Express won the race, our race-we did a brilliant job with strategy, with our stops and made the most of whatever we had."

The next race on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be the Chevrolet Grand Prix in Detroit on June 2.

Mustang Sampling

Mustang Sampling Website

(L-R) Christian Fittipaldi, Filipe Albuquerque, Joao Barbosa

João Barbosa

Filipe Albuquerque

Christian Fittipaldi

Wayne Taylor Racing Finishes 5th at Mid Ohio

Mon, 07 May 2018 14:15:29 GMT

Source: Wayne Taylor Racing

2018 Mid Ohio Post Race Report

Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R Finishes Right Where it Started In Caution-Free WeatherTech Series IMSA Sports Car Challenge

The No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R duo of Jordan Taylor and Renger van der Zande finished right where it started in Sunday’s IMSA Sports Car Challenge, bringing home a solid fifth-place finish in the WeatherTech Championship series’ return to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington.

It was the first time since 2013 series competitors have raced on the scenic, 2.238-mile, 13-turn road course, where passing is notoriously difficult and races are instead won or lost by strategy and execution on pit road.

Thus, the caution-free 125 laps run in today’s two-hour, 40-minute race did not afford the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R much of an opportunity to make major moves to the front of the pack from its fifth spot on the starting grid.

Through each of the three rounds of green-flag pit stops the team executed today, Taylor and van der Zande resumed in fifth place. Taylor crossed the finish line 57 seconds behind his older brother and former co-driver Ricky Taylor, who left after last year’s championship-winning season to join the new, two-car Team Penske Prototype-class effort and scored the victory today with teammate Helio Castroneves.

Van der Zande, the Dutch driving veteran who stepped in as Jordan Taylor’s full-time co-driver this season, qualified fifth Saturday behind a pair of Acuras and a pair of Mazdas. He drove a solid opening two stints but could not make any headway. He momentarily picked up a position when the No. 55 Mazda DPi of Jonathan Bomarito and Spencer Pigot retired on lap 74, but the No. 5 Action Express Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R of Joao Barbosa and Felipe Albuquerque came out just ahead during the second round of green-flag stops, having pitted five laps before the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R during that cycle.

“We were racing the 5 car today,” van der Zande said. “Every other car in front us was at a different level of speed. I drove very hard. I drove very fast. I thought my stint was flawless, basically. Somehow, the 5 beat us, which we have to find out why. At the same time, Jordan did a great job, the team did a great job. I love this track. Apart from the fact you can’t overtake cars in your own class, I really enjoyed the track itself. It’s an intense track. To get the lap time you want, you really have to nail it, which makes it quite special. I was really happy to be racing here this weekend.”

Taylor kept pace but also could not make any progress toward the leaders during his flawless driving stints to the finish.

“I think we were kind of in our own race today,” he said. “We couldn’t really race with the lead pack, which was the top four cars. So basically we were racing for fifth and sixth for most of the race and, once someone else fell out, we were battling for fourth and fifth. We thought we had the right strategy. I’m not sure what went wrong, how we got jumped, but I still think it was the right strategy. But considering what we have, I think we can be happy with a fifth-place finish. Looking at the championship, it’s good to be consistent, especially when you have so many good cars in the field, now. You can’t risk a bad finish. So, considering how we didn’t have the fastest car, I think coming away with good points is pretty good.”

The fifth-place finish enabled the team to pick up one spot from fourth to third in the Prototype-class standings, five points behind the second-place No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R of Eric Curran and Felipe Nasr, and 15 points behind the front-running No. 5 Action Express Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R.

Ricky Taylor’s victory today was the 20th of his career and first with a team other than his father’s. It was also the first for the new Team Penske camp, which includes Juan Pablo Montoya and Dane Cameron in the car that finished second here today.

“As I said at the beginning of the year, I have two chances of winning, now,” said team owner Wayne Taylor. “Obviously, I want my team to win for Konica Minolta and Cadillac with Jordan and Renger. But this weekend, we really didn’t have a chance against the Acuras. I’m just really proud of Ricky and Helio on their win. I really wanted Ricky to be the first one to win for them. That makes Ricky the 50th driver to win a race for Roger Penske. I’ve always loved Mid-Ohio. The fans really love sportscar racing here, and it’s still similar to what it was like when I was driving here in 1990 and 1991. And I really like coming here. I love this place.”

Round five on the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship calendar is the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on the Streets of Belle Isle temporary circuit Saturday, June 2, with live FS2 television beginning at 12:30 p.m. EDT. Taylor and van der Zande will be vying for the team’s fifth victory in its last six visits to the annual IndyCar Series-headlined event.

Whelen Engineering Racing Finishes Eighth at Mid-Ohio

Mon, 07 May 2018 14:07:18 GMT

Source: Sunday Management Group

Forward

Mansfield, Ohio (6 May 2018)- The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing DPi-V.R finished the Mid-Ohio Grand Prix eighth on Sunday as Eric Curran and Felipe Nasr teamed for the fourth round of the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The race marked the return of IMSA to the technical track set in rural Ohio with a long history of sports car racing through the decades.

With 34 cars sharing the 2.238-mile circuit for the two-hour, forty minute race, there were high expectations for drama between the three classes in competition. Instead, the race ran at a relentless pace for the entirety of the the event from green to checkered flag. Pit stops are always critical, and the 125 lap event saw the team produce three well-executed stops as track position was as vital as ever with the extended green flag run.

Curran started the race from twelfth on the grid, but was able to make a pair of moves to slot in to tenth on the opening lap. The American racer continued to move forward, taking seventh position before turning for pit lane as Nasr took the controls. Returning to the action in 11th on lap 35, the former Formula 1 pilot made the most of the green flag run to advance to eighth before taking the checkered flag.

"It's fun to come back to Mid-Ohio and run our Whelen Cadillac around here,” said Curran. “We got a little off on the initial set up of the car with the car being really loose. We made some adjustments to make up for it later in our run. But the leaders had a ton of speed today so we’ll just move on to the next one. We got a few points and came away with an 8th place finish but we just have to keep charging forward and get back up to the front. I look forward to racing in Detroit."

"I worked very hard today,” said Nasr. “It was a difficult weekend for us in general. I felt like I did everything I could today. This track is a lot more difficult to overtake even compared to Long Beach because of the loss of downforce. Looking at the positive, we still scored a few points and I am ready for the next race already to make up some ground."

The next race on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be the Chevrolet Grand Prix in Detroit on June 2.

Whelen Timeline: http://www.whelen.com/pb/Automotive/ProductSheets/Misc/Whelen_History.pdf

Follow twitter.com/ax_racing for updates and visit the all-new http://axracing.com for team information, photos, and additional updates.

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Felipe Nasr

Felipe Nasr has joined Action Express Racing for the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech Prototype Championship SportsCar Season with co-driver Eric Curran in the No, 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R. The former Formula 1 racer has one start with Action Express Racing (Rolex 24 At Daytona, 2013) as he moves full time into endurance sports car racing in 2018.

Eric Curran

2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Champion Eric Curran returns to Whelen Engineering Racing as a full-time pilot alongside Felipe Nasr. Eric has been racing under the Whelen Engineering banner since the 2007 season, and is President of West Coast Exotic Cars located in California. Eric and his fiancé, Chelsey reside in Sarasota, FL and Murrieta CA

About Whelen Engineering

Whelen Engineering designs and manufactures reliable and powerful warning lights, white illumination lighting, sirens, controllers, and high-powered warning systems for Automotive, Aviation, and Mass Notification industries worldwide. With two state-of-the-art facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire, Whelen has the largest design staff in the industry and over 1,500 dedicated employees.

Visit www.whelen.com for more information.

Team Fox

Team Fox is the sports and event fundraising arm of the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Disease Research. They are considered a major associate sponsor of the Whelen Racing Team. The Team Fox logo appears on the rear fenders of the Whelen Racing Team car. Visit michaeljfox.org for additional information.

Mustang Sampling Racing Wins BUBBA Burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach

Mon, 16 Apr 2018 13:35:40 GMT

Source: Sunday Group Management

Partial Reprint

Forward

Long Beach, Calif. (14 April 2018) After the racing gods handed the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R a setback at Sebring, the team came roaring back to score a convincing victory on the streets of Long Beach on Saturday with drivers Filipe Albuquerque (PRT) and João Barbosa (PRT).

The 100 minute race is the shortest of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and marks round three of the 2018 schedule.

Barbosa opened the race on the tight twisty 1.9-mile circuit from fifth on the grid, and was able to balance the pace he needed to hold on to his fifth place starting position with the fuel economy that the team was asking for the fuel strategy to work out.

A full course caution on lap 22 saw the No. 5 Cadillac take to the pits on lap 24 with Barbosa turning the car over to Albuquerque on a rapid swap that included a full load of fuel and four new Continental tires.

Making his debut on the street circuit and first-ever IMSA sprint race start, Albuquerque soaked up the challenge of every lap as he began to reel in the leader and make forward progress.

Passes for position on laps 32 and 38, and then a quick final run through pit lane for a final stop saw the Mustang Sampling Racing colors out front once again on lap 40. After building an advantage for nearly ten laps, the lead was erased with a lap 49 caution. But the pace continued to be strong on the restart as Albuquerque held the point all the way to the checkered flag.

The victory is the second of the season for the Mustang Sampling squad (Rolex 24 At Daytona) and the 20th for the Action Express Racing organization. The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R has now moved to the top of the provisional points standings.

“It was an interesting race,” Barbosa said. “Qualifying didn’t go so well, but the team made some changes to the Cadillac for the race and it was really good. I was able to save quite a bit of fuel compared to the guys in the front during my stint. That was our strategy. The engineers just nailed it. Everyone from ECR and Cadillac have done an awesome job and the Cadillac DPi-V.R was really strong. We had great support from Mustang Sampling and the Continental tires were great all race. It was one of those weekends where you really didn’t know what to expect and it fell our way for the win! It was a great points day and nice to get some back after a tough Sebring. The two pit stops were great and it was a good run for us.”

“Brilliant! Daytona was great and at Sebring we had a bit of a struggle,” Albuquerque said. “Joao (Barbosa) did a great job to start the race. This is my first time at Long Beach. At the beginning of my stint I could pass people. The strategy for us by the team was perfect. We got in the lead and I was able to manage the race from the lead. We were unstoppable. We had a good Cadillac all weekend. This was my first time on a street course in a prototype and it was fun. When the yellow came out I was in the lead and feeling good. I had to concentrate on the restart, not getting too comfortable with these walls lining the track. The Nissan and Acura were battling behind me, so I just managed my race and brought the Mustang Sampling Cadillac home for the win.”

The team will look forward to the next outing as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship returns to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on May 6th. The team won the last time it competed at the track in 2013.

Mustang Sampling

Mustang Sampling Website

(L-R) Joao Barbosa, Filipe Albuquerque, Christian Fittipaldi

João Barbosa

Filipe Albuquerque

Christian Fittipaldi

Two-time IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Champion driver Christian Fittipaldi returns to Action Express Racing for his sixth full season of competition following a fourth consecutive Tequila Patron' North American Endurance Cup title with co-driver João Barbosa. Fittipaldi has been appointed Sporting Director for Action Express Racing, and will continue to race in the endurnace events starting in 2018. Outside of sports car racing, the Brazilian satiates his need for competition by racing in mountain bike and karting events, both in the U.S. and his home country of Brazil.

Wayne Taylor Racing Finishes 3rd at Long Beach

Mon, 16 Apr 2018 13:00:53 GMT

Source: Wayne Taylor Racing

A fourth consecutive victory on the Grand Prix of Long Beach (Calif.) street circuit was not to be for the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team Saturday. But a solid third-place run from the sixth starting position in the first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship sprint race of the season by the new full-time driving tandem of Jordan Taylor and Renger van der Zande is certainly a welcome result.

Since finishing second here in 2014, Taylor and his older brother Ricky Taylor had been the dominant and undisputed kings of the beach, taking home the first-place trophy from the Bubba Burger Sports Car Grand Prix each of the last three seasons.

But this year’s renewal of the annual one-hour, 40-minute street fight was expected to be much more competitive with a host of new teams and world-class drivers beefing up the Prototype class for 2018, and this weekend’s event lived up to those expectations. One of those new powerhouse teams is the two-car Team Penske effort, to where Ricky Taylor departed following his 2017 championship season with his younger brother on the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team.

Coincidentally, the Taylor brothers found themselves nose-to-tail during a key restart with 23 minutes remaining in today’s race with Ricky Taylor holding down third place in his No. 7 Team Penske Acura DPi. Less than two laps after the race went back to green, fourth-place Jordan Taylor made a stellar save avoiding his older brother while negotiating the tight, right-hand hairpin known as turn 11 that empties onto the long front straight along Shoreline Drive. The younger Taylor continued to apply pressure to his older brother from behind, briefly getting by coming out of turn 11 with 10 minutes remaining. Ricky Taylor retook third place by the time they arrived at turn one.

But, one lap later, with less than nine minutes remaining, Jordan Taylor completed a pass of his older brother in turn one and never looked back from there, taking the checkered flag behind race winner Felipe Albuquerque in the No. 5 Action Express Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R and runner-up Ryan Dalziel in the No. 2 ESM Nissan DPi.

“From where we started to finish third, we’re very happy with that.” Taylor said. “It is a tough track to pass on, so finishing third is a good points day. You never know what you are going to get on a street course. Anything can happen when you go around a corner, you can end up in the wall. To come away with third place after second place at Sebring, those are the kinds of days that can go a long way toward our championship chances. I think Ricky was a little nice to us. He was struggling big-time with his car. I could see him fighting it everywhere, just kind of hanging on. I put some pressure on him and I was going to go for it, but I saw him defend and he went a little wide, so I was able to capitalize on it. It was a good battle. Thankfully we didn’t touch each other or my dad would have been pretty upset. I think we are going to have some fun racing each other this year. I had a moment going into turn 11 after the restart. I think Ricky had some pick-up on his tires and he was a little cautious and hit the brakes a little early, so it caught me off guard. I hit the brakes and it went completely sideways and I was sure I was in the runoff. But, when I opened my eyes, I realized on was on the track, so I turned left and we didn’t even lose a position. That was a big moment. But, overall, to leave here with third, we can feel really good about that.”

Van der Zande, the 32-year-old Dutch driving veteran who opened the season with a dramatic pole qualifying effort at the Rolex 24 At Daytona endurance marathon, qualified fourth here late Friday afternoon but had his best lap nullified because of a track limit line infraction and had to settle for sixth on the starting grid.

He started today’s race cleanly and worked hard to keep the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R in touch with the leaders during what turned out to be a 39-minute opening stint that ended during the second full-course caution of the day, when he pitted for tires and fuel and to turn the car over to Taylor.

“This is a fantastic result, all things considered,” van der Zande said. “Halfway through the race, I didn’t think we would get good points today, but there we went. Jordan made a great move on Ricky and, apart from that, a big save while he was chasing Ricky before that. I had a bit of a hard stint. There wasn’t too much going on. I was just staying in position and saving fuel. I think altogether we can be happy with this. It’s great to score points like we did and be on the podium at the end of the day.”

With the team’s second consecutive podium finish and fifth in a row at Long Beach, it moves up one position in the standings to fourth, 13 points behind the race-winning No. 5 Action Express Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R and just one point out of third, occupied by the No. 54 Oreca LMP2, which finished 10th today.

“As usual, everybody did a great job,” team owner Wayne Taylor said. “We didn’t seem to have the car to win this weekend. Hats off to the 5 team on their win and to ESM for getting second, but it was very nice to get a podium considering where we started. We qualified fourth and had an infringement during qualifying, so we had to start sixth, so it was a bit tough because it’s so competitive and you just can’t pass anyone, anywhere. Watching Ricky and Jordan battling at the end, there, was probably the toughest 20 minutes of my life. But, to get a podium is a good result today. We’ve now had two in a row and that’s how you win championships.”

Round four on the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship calendar is the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Showdown at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington three weeks hence. Race day is Sunday, May 6 with live television provided by FS2 beginning at 1 p.m. EDT.

Sebring Podium for Whelen Engineering Racing

Sun, 18 Mar 2018 10:06:41 GMT

Reprint: Sunday Group Management
Contact: Matt Cleary, media@sundaymanagement.com (317) 908-2975 (m)

Forward

Sebring, Fla. (17 March 2018) With race-leading pace, well-executed pit stops, and a focus on the finish, Whelen Engineering Racing showed strength in Saturday’s 12 Hours of Sebring. The team brought home another IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship podium result on Saturday with the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, notching the second podium finish of the 2018 season and the third consecutive podium result for the team at Sebring International Raceway.

Drivers Felipe Nasr (BRA), Eric Curran (USA), and Mike Conway (UK) opened the season with a run to second place in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and were looking to improve on that result on Saturday after leading the race for multiple segments of the 12 hour event.

The race ran at a wide-open pace with extensive green flag running for the opening four hours, but the nature of the race changed as a series of full course cautions kept the strategies evolving with every lap. The drivers kept their focus on the front, with all three racers posting strong performances. The team held up its end of the bargain with swift pit stops and well-executed pit strategy.

Nearly two hours of green flag running made for a sprint to the finish line as darkness covered the track. Nasr was on board for the final segments, and had to strike the best balance between outright pace and making sure the Whelen Engineering entry had the fuel to make the finish.

That balance kept the first-year IMSA pilot from making forward progress late in the race, but he held on to score third at the finish as the team continues to keep the big picture in mind.

Whelen Engineering Racing will return to IMSA WeatherTech competition in the Bubba Burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach on April 14^th.

Felipe Nasr, No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R:

“It was tough out there,” Nasr said. “At night everyone was set for those last two hours. We had to save fuel - it was the only choice we had - and give up track position. I want to win, the team wants to win, but we have to take it as it comes. Today we had a great race. The Whelen Cadillac was unbelievably good. We led a lot of laps for many hours and stayed in the top three. The last two hours are what count and of course I'm a little disappointed because everybody wants to win but on the other hand, we are leading both of the championships and we have to take it. It is a really great achievement for the team. We will take it.”

Eric Curran, No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R:

“Overall a really good day,” Curran said. “Crazy race, but still good fun here at Sebring. We led a lot of the race and we thought we had a car that was capable of winning. The Whelen Cadillac was good and reliable. The Action Express guys killed it with the pit stops. Overall it was a great points day. We just need to win one of these Sebring 12 hours. It all started for me here at Sebring with Sonny (Whelen) and my first race with Sonny was a win, I would love to get another one. We’ve had three podiums in a row in three years, but not a win in the prototype. We've come so close, we're strong enough, so next year!"

Mike Conway, No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R:

“It was the same as last year, we were third last year too,” Conway said. “It's a shame. We were really fighting it out toward the end of the race. We could just keep ahead of the Nissan in clean air. In traffic they seemed to have an easier time with their straight-line speed. We fought as hard as we could and gave it everything, we just came up a little shy at the end. It is a good result for the 31 Whelen Cadillac and good points for the championship. I wish the team luck the rest of the season and I hope they can win the championship.”

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MIke Conway

Mike Conway returns to Action Express Racing in 2018 as a Whelen Engineering Racing endurance driver for the Rolex 24, Sebring 12 Hour, and Petit Le Mans events. Conway has years of experience across several different racing platforms that include winning outings in IndyCar and World Endurance Championship competition as well as big performances in FIA Formula E.

Stuart Middleton

The newest, and youngest racer to join Whelen Engineering Racing, Stuart Middleton already has earned some significant accolades. Middleton became a Ginetta Junior Scholarship winner in 2014, secured the Ginetta Junior Winter Series Championship title in 2015, and netted the Ginetta Junior Series vice-championship in 2016. Middleton is making his IMSA debut after winning the Whelen Sunoco Challenge.

Mustang Sampling Racing Wins Rolex 24 At Daytona

Mon, 29 Jan 2018 14:45:30 GMT

Partial Reprint from Sunday Management Group

Launches 2018 North American Endurance Cup Championship Campaign with victory

Media notes:

3rd Rolex 24 victory for Barbosa (2010, 2014, 2018) and Fittipaldi (2004, 2014, 2018)
2nd Rolex 24 victory for Albuquerque (2013 GT class win, 2018)
19th IMSA race victory for Action Express Racing
Mustang Sampling Racing won the 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup title
808 Laps is new record distance for Rolex 24 in 56 years
First time crew chief Scott Darnell wins on debut
1-2 result for Action Express Racing as sister No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing entry finishes second

For PDF of release and full team statistics click here

Daytona Beach, Fla. (28 January 2018) Battling one of the most competitive fields in the history of the event, Mustang Sampling Racing emerged from a record-breaking race to take victory in the 2018 Rolex 24 At Daytona on Sunday with drivers Filipe Albuquerque (PRT), Christian Fittipaldi (BRA) João Barbosa (PRT).

The trio started the race from third on the 50-car grid, and were a competitive force from the drop of the green, leading over 500 laps of the race on their way to victory.

Beyond the stout 20-entry field of Prototypes, the team also had to contend with a heavy rainstorm early in the race and then address an overheating engine late in the event. But after nearly 30 picture-perfect pit stops from the squad, the team battled through the night and into the day to claim the checkered flag.

The 56th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona ran at a record breaking pace, with just 4 cautions slowing the field as the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R covered some 808 laps to set a new record for the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

The team, which also took wins at the 2010 and 2014 Rolex 24 events, won the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 and is looking to add another title in 2018.

The next round of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar competition will be at Sebring International Speedway for the fabled 12 Hour.

Filipe Albuquerque, No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R:

“We had the alarms going with the temperature and I was looking all the time to the water temperature and oil temperature and it is flashing on and off at the same time. I am seeing the 31 and the 54 gaining laps and laps and I had to overtake the GT cars at the same time. It was really hard to manage. I started hearing every little thing with the car. In the end, the Cadillac was the strongest and was able to handle the high temperatures for the win. Last year was devastating but we stuck together and had a hell of a race today!”

Joao Barbosa, No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R:

“This race is so much about the guys on the pit wall. They do such an amazing job and are so focused. It was not just the last hour (that was stressful), but the last six hours that we had to manage a lot of things inside the car. It was an unbelievable race. We had a great strategy and we had been working a lot on the car set up and we were able to double stint the tires since the beginning of the race – especially during the night – and we were making up a lot of ground. It is easier to really push than to drive slow and manage your pace. The Cadillac ran well and we made it to the finish. The team did a flawless job. With last year’s disappointment, we finally got one!”

Christian Fittipaldi, No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R:

“At this stage of my racing career this win is very sweet. I am not sure how many more of these Daytona races I have left, not like Filipe (Albuquerque) who probably has 15 more years and tries. It is unbelievably sweet after what happened last year. We have been racing together for the last three seasons. I want to thank Action Express, Cadillac and Mustang Sampling. The team prepared a great a car and we delivered on the track.”

Ken Thompson, Mustang Sampling

“This is our fourth year with this team and this family. Starting with the Corvettes (Daytona Prototypes) and into the start of the Cadillac DPi-V.R, it has been a phenomenal experience for me, my family, my wife, my company, our customers and everyone. I can’t say enough about this team, and about IMSA. The series has provided us with a place to come race and to give back to the fans, which is so well deserved. I’m at a loss for words – I’m sure it will sink in later!

Bob Johnson, Mustang Sampling Racing Team Principal

“It just doesn’t get any better than this one – this was phenomenal. I couldn’t believe it, all the way through. This team has worked so hard and it shows. That’s what it takes, a lot of hard work. It’s great to be back in Victory Lane, especially after last year. I feel terrible for the other Cadillac teams (that did not finish) and obviously it was a big concern for us as well. We monitored it very closely, and we prevailed. Winning this race for a third time, it gets better every year and I couldn’t be prouder of this team.”

Whelen Engineering Racing Races to Second Place in Rolex 24 At Daytona

Mon, 29 Jan 2018 14:30:05 GMT

Partial reprint from Sunday Management Group

Action Express Racing claims 1-2 overall finish

Media Notes:

-Record race distance with 808 laps complete
-Stuart Middleton sets record as youngest Rolex 24 podium finisher, breaking previous record set by his Whelen Engineering teammate Felipe Nasr.
-Whelen Engineering claims lead in TPNAEC with Daytona round

Click here for PDF

Daytona Beach, Fla. (28 January 2018) Whelen Engineering Racing delivered a strong performance in a record-breaking race as the team took a second place finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Sunday.

The race result marked a strong start to the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship-winning squad as full-season Whelen Engineering pilots Felipe Nasr and Eric Curran were joined by Mike Conway and Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner Stuart Middleton in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R entry.

The foursome was a front-running threat all day and night of the record-setting race, which saw the race winning No. 5 Action Express entry take the victory by just over one minute after covering 808 laps, or some 2,876 miles.

After dueling for the lead with the No. 5 late in the race, the No. 31 Whelen Engineering entry encountered high running temperatures as the drivers adjusted their pace to ensure that the Prototype would go the distance.

Standout drives by all four on the roster saw the fabled white and red Whelen machine a regular fixture out front as the team delivered faultless pit stops through the unrelenting race, which was only slowed four times for caution periods. Middleton drove the car across the finish line to close out the day, setting a new record as the youngest to take the Rolex 24 podium at just 18 years old, besting the mark set by Nasr in 2012.

Whelen Engineering Racing will return to IMSA WeatherTech competition in just over a month’s time for the Sebring 12 Hours on March 17th.

Felipe Nasr, No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R:
“The Whelen Cadillac was strong from the beginning. We had the pace to be upfront most of the race. We led a lot during the 24 hours. We had to deal with some overheating. Every time just trying to minimize the effects and keep it out of the garage. There were not many yellow flags to recover laps, which made our life very difficult. A one-two finish is a great result. I am pleased with my first race with the team.”

Eric Curran, No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R:
“Overall the Whelen Cadillac was strong all race long. The team performed great in the pits. We were there, at the top. Every one of us had a chance to lead. We just had some small issues. I was leading and we lost a brake light. We had to come in and fix it. Then we had some overheating issues, had to come in again. For the team, a great one-two finish. It would have been nice to leave with a (Rolex) watch, but it is a great start to the season.”

Mike Conway, No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R:
“The team gave us a car that had the chance to win, which is all you can ask for as a driver. Compared to last year the competition was big. It was non-stop action. Even a car 10 laps down is tough to get by as they are close in lap times. With Felipe (Nasr), Eric (Curran) and Stuart (Middleton) they all did a great job. A great day to be a part of a one-two finish to start the season.”

Stuart Middleton, No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R:
“My first time in a prototype race was fantastic. I did long stints, I was still learning the Cadillac over my time in the car. I am very happy with the result. My first time driving a prototype in a 24-hour race to come second is great. I am very thankful to the team and Sunoco for making possible.”

The 65th annual Sebring 12 Hour will take place on March 17^th.

Third and Seventh on Rolex 24 At Daytona Grid for Action Express Racing

Fri, 26 Jan 2018 00:10:45 GMT

Third and Seventh on Rolex 24 At Daytona Grid for Action Express Racing

2010, 2014 race winning squad prepared for another run to the podium at Daytona

Click here for PDF

Daytona Beach, Fl. (25 January 2018) - The 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship campaigns of Mustang Sampling Racing and Whelen Engineering Racing got off to a quick start on Thursday as Daytona International Speedway played host for the opening day of on-track action for the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

A pair of practice sessions preceded the 15-minute qualifying session that set the grid for the start of Saturday’s (Live on FOX at 2:00 PM ET) race start.

The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing DPi-V.R will lead the Action Express Racing effort on Saturday after Filipe Albuquerque (PRT) emerged from a fiercely competitive qualifying session to lock in third on the grid with a fast lap time of 1:36.194-seconds on his final flying lap of the 3.56-mile oval-based road circuit.

Albuquerque, who scored a GT class victory in his first-ever Rolex 24 At Daytona start, will share the driving duties in the Mustang Sampling machine with Christian Fittipaldi (BRA) and Joao Barbosa (PRT). The trio will look to score another Rolex 24 at Daytona victory and get a strong start in the 2018 Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup.

“It was pretty good,” Albuquerque said of the session. “I needed just one more tenth. I am happy with P3, the Mustang Sampling Cadillac feels good. I think we have a good car for the race. One tenth (of a difference to pole) for the 24 hours is really nothing. We will now fine-tune the car for the night time.”

The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R will start from the fourth row after Felipe Nasr (BRA) posted a quick lap time of 1:36.508-seconds to secure seventh on the grid. Nasr, who captured a third place result on his Rolex 24 At Daytona debut in 2012, will share the cockpit time with 2016 IMSA Champion Eric Curran (USA), Mike Conway (UK), and Stuart Middleton (UK).

“The balance in general of the car is very good,” Nasr said. “Since the Roar I thought we have had a good car. Everything was coming better until the end of this session-the track was getting cooler. It is too bad-- I was going faster, then we had an electrical issue that stopped the car on the track. I think I could have gone a little faster and battled for the pole. But the guys will get it all set and we will be all good for night practice. It is a long race and we have a good Whelen Cadillac so I’m ready to go for this race.”

Thursday’s traditional night practice session will close the running on Thursday, with a final Friday AM practice ahead of Saturday’s 2:40 PM ET green flag.

Keep updated via twitter.com/axracing

-sundaygroup-

Whelen Engineering Racing drivers Mike Conway, Eric Curran, Stuart Middleton, and Felipe Nasr

(l-r) Musang Sampling Racing drivers Christian Fittipaldi, Filipe Albuquerque, and Joao Ba

Strong Start for Action Express Racing at Daytona

Mon, 08 Jan 2018 15:31:46 GMT

Hundreds of laps and atop qualifying charts to start 2018

Daytona Beach, Fla (7 January 2018 ) - Action Express Racing opened the 2018 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season with three days of testing at Daytona International Speedway with the Roar Before the 24.

Joao Barbosa (PRT), Filipe Albuquerque (PRT), and Christian Fittipaldi (BRA) shared the driving duties in the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R, while the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R was shared by Eric Curran (USA), Felipe Nasr (BRA), Mike Conway (UK), and IMSA debut driver Stu Middleton (UK).

The 2018 IMSA WeatherTech season marks the second season with the Cadillac DPi-V.R for the team. 2017 saw both team entries race to victory, while the Mustang Sampling Racing squad secured the Tequila Patron North American Cup for the fourth consecutive year.

The two machines combined for a class-high 437 laps during the three days of running, providing a lot of data for the team engineers to review to prepare for the 24 hour race in two weeks time.

The event also featured a first-ever qualifying session during the Roar event. Filipe Nasr posted the fast time of the weekend in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R in the 15-minute qualifying session with a run of 1:35.806-seconds to earn the team the first choice of pit and garage locations for the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

“I wanted to be back here in IMSA and finally I am here,” Nasr said. “The team is really focused on the race. We all feel very confident in the car. Today in the qualifying session, we gave everything we had and finished first. The cars at the front are very close in time. I am pretty happy with the way the Cadillac is performing. When I ran here in 2012 it was one of the best experiences of my career. The IMSA championship is growing. There is such a strong field here, it is great for a racing driver to be competing at Daytona. I got a third place here, and now I want to go for the win.”

The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R entry, which scored the Rolex 24 pole in 2017, set the third fastest time of the session as the team effort produced impressive results.

“It was fantastic,” Albuquerque said. “I just missed the peak of the Continental tire. We get the first pits with our two cars, so let’s see how it goes with the race. All of the drivers put in a lot of laps and we will go into the 24-hour race with a lot of confidence in our Mustang Sampling Cadillac.”

The Mustang Sampling and Whelen Engineering Racing campaigns will return to Daytona International Speedway for the Rolex 24 At Daytona on January 27-28.

Mustang Sampling Extends Partnership with Action Express Racing

Fri, 05 Jan 2018 15:47:33 GMT

Video: Mustang Sampling CEO discusses advantages of IMSA program:

http://mustangsampling.com/mustang-sampling-benefits-imsa/

Denver, NC (5 January 2018 ) - Action Express Racing is pleased to confirm that Mustang Sampling will continue as the primary partner for the team’s No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R.

Mustang Sampling, LLC is the innovator of Analytically Accurate® solutions within sample conditioning systems, and strives to provide the best measurement and control provider of analytically accurate solutions to the Natural Gas, Natural Gas Liquids (NGL), and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) industries.

Mustang Sampling joined Action Express ahead of the 2015 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, helping to fuel the success that saw the group secure the IMSA Team and Driver Championships for the second season running. The collaboration has now produced four consecutive (2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017) Tequila Patron Endurance Cup titles as the team prepares to launch its 2018 IMSA campaign looking to extend that record of success.

The 2018 driver roster for the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R will once again feature Joao Barbosa (PRT), Filipe Albuquerque (PRT), and Christian Fittipaldi (BRA), who has moved to the endurance event line up as he takes on a new role with the team as Sporting Director.

“We are very pleased to continue our support of Christian (Fittipaldi), Joao (Barbosa), Felipe (Albuquerque), and this entire team of talented individuals that back them up,” said Ken Thompson, Mustang Sampling President and CEO. “We feel as though this race team is an extension of our Mustang Sampling family and we are very proud of the team and their perseverance no matter what the circumstances are. The relationship has been beneficial to us commercially, and deepening and extending this relationship is a great way to support our partners and customers.”

The company has utilized the race program as a centerpiece for the annual Mustang Sampling Product and Customer Appreciation event, as well as interacting with customers and clients on-site during the IMSA event weekends.

“Partners—and long lasting relationships— are key to any successful organization, so we are very pleased to have earned the support of Mustang Sampling once again,” said team principal Bob Johnson. “We’ve been able to build on this program every year. Ken (Thompson, Mustang Sampling President and CEO) and his group continue to develop new ways to leverage their program with us into new opportunities for Mustang Sampling so it is great to be able to continue this program together.”

“I’ve been fortunate to work with a number of different team sponsors through the years, and Mustang Sampling has been a lot more like being a part of a family than just having a name on the side of the car,” said Fittipaldi. “Ken and Brenda (Thompson) are such amazing supporters for everybody on the team, and they bring what we to do to their business as well. So I’m very happy that it has been successful for them and looking forward to continuing to represent Mustang Sampling on the track and off.”

Mustang Sampling Racing will be on track this weekend at Daytona International Speedway for the ROAR Before the 24 January 5-7.

Mustang Sampling: Mustang Sampling, LLC is the innovator of Analytically Accurate® solutions within sample conditioning systems. We provide custom solutions of products and services globally to the Natural Gas, Natural Gas Liquids (NGL), and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) industries. Mustang Sampling continues to pioneer integrated control systems, allowing our customers to maintain phase stability from sample extraction at the source through sample analysis. Our products are continuously improved and subjected to the highest quality standards which provides our customers with the best sample conditioning solutions.

-sundaygroup-

(L-R) Joao Barbosa, Filipe Albuquerque, Christian Fittipaldi

João Barbosa

The three-time and co-defending IMSA TPNAEC Champion, João Barbosa returns to Action Express Racing to drive the familiar #5 gold, black and white Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R seeking his third IMSA WeatherTech Championship at the pinnacle of North American sports car competition. João resides in Ormond Beach, FL with his wife and two sons. He is an avid runner and cyclist.

Filipe Albuquerque

Filipe joins the defending Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup and two-time IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship winning No .5 MustangSampling Cadillac Dpi-V.R for the 2017 endurance races: Rolex 24 at Daytona, Twelve Hours of Sebring and the season finale, Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. Filipe resides in his hometown of Cambria, Portugal.

Christian Fittipaldi

Two-time IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Champion driver Christian Fittipaldi returns to Action Express Racing for his fifth full season of competition following a third consecutive Tequila Patron' North American Endurance Cup Championship with co-driver João Barbosa. Outside of sports car racing, the Brazilian satiates his need for competition by racing in mountain bike and karting events, both in the U.S. and his home country of Brazil.

Stuart Middleton and Stuart Moseley in Sunoco Whelen Shoot Out for Rolex 24 Opportunity

Wed, 25 Oct 2017 13:10:54 GMT

Stuart Middleton and Stuart Moseley in Sunoco Whelen Shoot Out for Rolex 24 Opportunity

Denver, N.C. (25 October 2017) - While Felipe Nasr, Eric Curran, and Mike Conway already know what their plans are for January, there is still one name yet to be added to the driver line up in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R for the 2018 Rolex 24 At Daytona.

That name will be decided this weekend in the final event of the 2018 Sunoco Whelen Challenge, which provides the champion with the opportunity to race the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Stuart Moseley (right) has one final chance to deny Stuart Middleton (below) the title and Rolex 24 At Daytona prize drive this weekend when he contests the Radical European Masters season finale at Barcelona. Moseley is the only driver with a mathematical chance of beating Middleton, whose British GT4 title-winning campaign came to a close at Donington Park in late September. Moseley can score points for fastest laps, pole, and overall result in each of the three Radical races on the weekend. If he can win all three, he could just emerge with a shot at the Rolex 24.

The Sunoco Whelen shoot out is now in its ninth season, with the champion driving the No. 31 Whelen entry every year since 2014. Whomever emerges to get the nod to drive the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R will be added to the list of previous Sunoco Whelen Challenge winners Seb Morris (2017), Jonny Adam (2016), Phil Keen (2015), and Bradley Smith (2014) who have raced the Whelen entry in the Daytona classic.

One racer who earned the Sunoco Whelen championship was Nasr, who scored a Rolex 24 podium in his 2012 debut appearance in the event. Nasr has joined the team as a full-season co-driver with Curran in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R in 2018.

“We’ve seen some great talent come through the Sunoco Whelen championship, and with the title on the line this weekend we will be paying close attention to the results to see who will be joining us in Daytona next year,” said Action Express Racing team manager Gary Nelson. “It is a great opportunity for these drivers to compete in the Rolex 24 and I think that’s why we’ve seen these championships come down to the wire for the last few years!”

Results and updates from the championship are available via @sunoco_uk as well as http://www.sunocochallenge.com.

The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R will be in action next at Daytona International Speedway on December 5-6 as part of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship open test.

-Sunday Group Management

Media contact: Matt Cleary, Sunday Group Management
media@sundaymanagement.com
(317) 908-2975

After 11 years and 332 races in the Pirelli World Challenge, Cadillac Racing Withdraws

Sat, 30 Sep 2017 15:23:55 GMT

Since the team’s 2004 arrival with the first-gen CTS-V sedan it has amassed 33 wins, 88 other podium, 25 pole positions and taken home five Drivers’ championships and five Manufacturers’ crowns. The program has featured nearly a dozen drivers, including Johnny O’Connell, Michael Cooper, Ricky and Jordan Taylor, Andy Pilgrim, Max Angelelli, Ron Fellows, John Heinricy, Olivier Beretta and Lawson Aschenbach, with Cooper and Jordan Taylor claiming this year’s SprintX title.

Mark Kent, GM’s director of motorsports competition, said: "Throughout 11 years of competition with Cadillac Racing in the Pirelli World Challenge Series, we have taken tremendous pride in our successes… We also have taken tremendous pride in the level of technology transfer that has occurred between the Cadillacs competing on track and their showroom counterparts. This technology transfer has helped make the Cadillac ATS-V and CTS-V production models very track-capable and athletic."

Added Rich Brekus, global director of product strategy for Cadillac: "In 2018, we will take a pause in Pirelli World Challenge as we focus completely on our effort in prototype sportscar racing. However, we maintain a regular and open communication with Greg Gill, the World Challenge CEO, and hope to one day return to the Series in some form."

A reason for the program’s end was not given, although the manufacturer has left the door open for a possible future return. Any possible future return would unlikely come with the current-generation ATS-V.Rs, which were built to FIA GT3 specification but never raced in the hands of customer teams, or outside of PWC.

Cadillac Completes Successful Third Chapter in World Challenge GT Racing with Multi-Championship-Winning Team

Thu, 28 Sep 2017 21:40:08 GMT

New York, N.Y., September 28, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Looking back on 332 races, five Manufacturer championships, and seven Driver championships since 2004.

New York, N.Y., Cadillac will place its championship-winning Pirelli World Challenge V-Performance Racing GT team into hibernation, following a September sweep of the GT class at the season-finale double header at Sonoma Raceway.

Since the team first assembled in 2004 to take the first-ever Cadillac CTS-V Sedan sprint racing against the toughest GT competition around, it has amassed 33 wins, 121 podium finishes (including the wins), and 25 pole positions. As a team, Cadillac competed in 332 races across eleven years of competition.

Drivers having contributed to the program include Johnny O'Connell, Michael Cooper, Ricky Taylor, Jordan Taylor, Andy Pilgrim, Max "the Axe" Angelelli, Ron Fellows, John Heinricy, Olivier Berretta, and Lawson Aschenbach. The team won World Challenge Manufacturer Championships in 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Cadillac Racing drivers earned the World Challenge Driver's Championship in 2005 with Andy Pilgrim, and with Johnny O'Connell in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. This year, Michael Cooper and copilot Jordan Taylor earned the first-ever SprintX Driver Championship honors.

"Throughout 11 years of competition with Cadillac Racing in the Pirelli World Challenge Series, we have taken tremendous pride in our successes, including 33 wins, 121 podium finishes and multiple manufacturer and driver's championships," said Mark Kent, Director of Motorsports Competition for Cadillac Racing. "We also have taken tremendous pride in the level of technology transfer that has occurred between the Cadillacs competing on track and their showroom counterparts. This technology transfer has helped make the Cadillac ATS-V and CTS-V production models very track-capable and athletic."

"Cadillac road cars are better than ever thanks to racing with World Challenge," said Rich Brekus, Global Director of Product Strategy for Cadillac. "Equally importantly, the Cadillac Racing GT Team has earned the enthusiasm of thousands of fans around the world. You will see Cadillac Racing t-shirts in the crowd at LeMans each year, thanks to the GT program. The team has provided excellent representation on and off the track, and perfectly reflects the core of passion in our brand. The drivers and crew have been true ambassadors as we introduced Cadillac V-Performance to the marketplace. In 2018, we will take a pause in Pirelli World Challenge as we focus completely on our effort in prototype sports car racing. However, we maintain a regular and open communication with Greg Gill, the World Challenge CEO, and hope to one day return to the Series in some form."

Finishing in style befitting Cadillac, Michael Cooper punctuated the success of the Cadillac Racing GT program by winning both of the season-ending races at Sonoma Raceway in the Vector Blue No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe on September 16th and 17th.

In the program's second and third chapters, rebuilding after the 2008-10 stand down for the Great Recession, the team's most competitive streak occurred from 2012-15 when Johnny O'Connell earned four consecutive driver championships. Three of those were secured in the mighty Cadillac CTS-V.R Coupe and one in today's GT3-homologated Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe. In the same period, O'Connell posted 13 wins in the CTS-V.R and five in the ATS-V.R.

Fast Facts: Measuring the Achievement

Raw numbers from the Cadillac Racing GT program show the increasing intensity of competition and pace as both the Pirelli World Challenge series and the Cadillac Racing effort have matured in recent years:

Miles on Track	Hours Raced	Tires Consumed	Sets of Brake Pads	Serious Injuries
25,705	260.7	316	162	0
35,577	349.3	349	152	0

In His Words: Johnny O'Connell, No. 3 Cadillac CTS-V.R and ATS-V.R

"Having won four championships in seven years, I naturally have lots of amazing memories that Cadillac Racing achieved as a team," O'Connell said. "No championship was easy, and all but one came down to the last race. I remember the race in Houston, when Audi brought in Rene Rast to try to help win the championship. Needing a win for our Cadillac CTS-V.R, on a drying track we took the lead with two laps to go and wound up champions. That was special.

"With the Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe, in 2015, we burned a car to the ground at Barber then two weeks later won both races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in the spare car that the team worked 24 hour days getting ready. We were successful because of everyone on the team and within Cadillac. The Cadillac leadership of Mark Reuss, Johan DeNysschen, Jim Campbell, and Mark Kent provided the team with the tools needed to excel against the world's top brands. The Cadillac Marketing team utilized our success on the track to promote and educate the world about the athleticism that is Cadillac and its V-Series.

"Our program managers Dave Leone, David Spitzer, David Caldwell, and Laura Klauser took what we learned on the track and built it into the production cars, in addition to serving as our representatives with World Challenge management.

"Finally, the day to day leadership of team manager Steve Cole; one of the best I've ever had the pleasure to work with. The entire team at Cadillac Racing and Pratt and Miller. Each trophy, win and championship was the result of a collective effort. Sad to see the program take a break, grateful for all we achieved."

Michael Cooper closed this chapter on Cadillac in the World Challenge Series by winning the final two races at Sonoma Raceway. He and Jordan Taylor combined to win the 2017 SprintX GT championship. Cooper posted five wins in his two-year tenure with the team.

In His Words: Michael Cooper, No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R

"My best memory with Cadillac Racing has to be the double win at Sonoma to close out the 2017 season," Cooper said. "In the final race of the season, starting from the outside of the front row, I was able to make a move into the lead. For the rest of the race I would have to hold off a charging Patrick Long to bring home the victory, which I was able to do. I was extremely proud to give all of the people in the team one final win. It was an incredible run to end the era of Cadillac Racing's ATS-V.R in Pirelli World Challenge."

Recollections from the Cadillac Driver Hall of Fame: Names You Recognize

One of the most memorable races was Cadillac's first event, at Sebring in 2004. Andy Pilgrim lined-up for the start in second, next to teammate and pole sitter Max "the Axe" Angelelli. Pilgrim's Cadillac CTS-V.R stalled. By the time he got it re-fired the field was into Turn 2. He was able to drive back through the competition and finish second behind Angelelli, giving the brand its first 1-2 finish in its first outing.

"One of my fondest memories of racing with Cadillac was the first race at Sebring in 2004," Pilgrim said. "I realized my car had a dragging clutch before the standing start, so I chose to switch it off before the green flag and wait. After the green flag waved, I was thankfully not hit by any of the 50 cars behind me as they flew by. Realizing I had the dragging clutch meant I would have to somehow get the car rolling on the starter motor to have any chance of getting into the race. The start line at Sebring is on a totally flat piece of concrete, so I put the car in gear, then rolled it on the starter motor. As it was rolling, I quickly knocked it into neutral and fired up the engine. I then tried to bang it in second gear without the clutch, while still rolling. On the third try it worked and off I went. The rest of the race ended up in the history books as Max Angelelli won and I ended up in second place. A close second was winning the first championship for Cadillac in 2005. It was very special, especially doing it against such a strong, deep field."

Max "the Axe" Angelelli holds the distinction of debuting two Cadillac race cars and winning in their first outings. In 2004 Max won at Sebring in the Cadillac CTS-V.R Sedan and this year he was a part of the Konica Minolta team that won the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the first-ever competition outing for the all-new Cadillac DPi-V.R prototype.

"It is difficult to isolate one specific memory as I've had so many," said Angelelli. "But as you can imagine, the Sebring race win was special and if you think that I repeated that this year, debut a car and win the race, both times in a Cadillac and both times at an iconic venue, that was special. The team always made me feel at home. We had a great time and one of the best was at Road Atlanta in 2004 where I had to race with only one gear. I managed to finish third, a good day for manufacturer points. At the podium ceremony, I'd made a bet with my car engineer, Lynn Bishop, that he couldn't drink the entire bottle of champagne in one go, and he did it!"

Canadian racing legend Ron Fellows drove the Cadillac CTS-V.R to two race wins posting one of the most significant early wins for the team at Long Beach in 2006.

"Getting the opportunity to race at my home track, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, in the early days of the Cadillac racing program is a special memory," Fellows said. "I was able to get one of the first wins for the program at my home track so that stands out. Another one was at Long Beach. Racing through the streets of Long Beach is always fun. I was in a battle up until the end of the race. The Cadillac didn't have the highest straight-line speed, but we handled and cornered really well. With two turns to go on the last lap I got a nice run on the Viper and passed him on the outside for the win at the end of the long back straight. Getting any kind of win at Long Beach is a big deal; that one in the Cadillac was fun."

Lawson Aschenbach drove the CTS-V.R in 2007 and posted an important win at Road Atlanta to go along with six podium finishes.

"My fondest memory with Cadillac Racing was my first win in the rain at Road Atlanta," Aschenbach said. "Tough conditions and intense battles with my teammate, Ron Fellows, made for a great race. We had a year full of podiums, but lacked that all-important win. It was a proud moment and one of the biggest accomplishments in my career. The first time I drove the CTS-V.R I was blown away by the handling and drivability. Not only did the racecar look good, it sounded awesome with that throaty V-8. It was also my first time working with Pratt & Miller, and I was impressed by the professionalism and dedication to win. Everything about the program showcased excellence, a word that embodies the brand."

For 2018, Cadillac will continues the on-track success in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship with its three Cadillac DPi-V.R race cars campaigned by Wayne Taylor Racing and Action Express Racing. Ricky and Jordan Taylor, in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R, lead the championship going into the final event Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta next week. The brothers must take the start and one driver must complete 45-minutes of driving to win the Driver and Manufacturer championships for Cadillac.

Additional information can be viewed at Cadillac.com, GM.com, media.gm.com, world-challenge.com, johnnyoconnell.com; Twitter @MSCooper1, @JohnnyOConnell, @Jordan10Tyalor, @RickyTaylor_10, @Cadillac; Facebook, GM, Michael Cooper, Johnny O'Connell, Ricky Taylor, Jordan Taylor, Cadillac.

A leading luxury auto brand since 1902, Cadillac has been growing globally, driven by an expanding product portfolio featuring dramatic design and technology. More information on Cadillac appears at cadillac.com. Cadillac's media website with information, images and video can be found at media.cadillac.com.

The Cadillac Racing media guide can be viewed at media.cadillac.com. For additional information please contact Kyle Chura, kyle@kcapr.com or (248) 821-0468.

Michael Cooper/Jordan Taylor Capture 2017 PWC GT SprintX Pro/Pro Division Title

Thu, 07 Sep 2017 21:49:25 GMT

Reprint from Pirelli World Championship News

AUSTIN, Texas – The Cadillac duo of Michael Cooper and Jordan Taylor officially captured the 2017 10-race Pirelli World Challenge GT SprintX Pro/Pro class drivers’ championship in driving their No. 8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac ATS-V.R. during the three-race SprintX race weekend at Circuit of the Americas (COTA).

Cooper, the 27-year-old racer from Syosset, N.Y., and Taylor, the 27-year-old from Orlando, Fla., used consistent performances to take the highly-competitive GT Sprint Pro/Pro division over a stellar field of world-class drivers and machines. Cooper and Taylor recorded one victory (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park), one second-place (Lime Rock Park), two third-place (VIR, Utah) and three fourth-place finishes to score a three-point (175-172) winning margin after COTA’s tripleheader SprintX weekend. The only DNF for Cooper and Taylor came last Sunday at COTA.

The PWC SprintX championship featured 60-minute, two-driver teams at five venues (VIR, CTMP, Lime Rock, Utah and COTA) with ten events. The GT overall championship will include the ten SprintX races and nine GT Sprint events for a total of 19 in 2017.

Second in the GT SprintX Pro/Pro category was the two-time SprintX race-winning pair of Ryan Dalziel of Scotland and Daniel Morad of Canada who parlayed wins at VIR and COTA to take the runner-up position in the No. 2 CRP Racing/DeVilbiss Mercedes-AMG GT3 followed by current overall GT point leader Patrick Long of Manhattan Beach, Calif., in the No. 58 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, who won two SprintX races (Lime Rock with Mark Lieb and COTA with Jorg Bergmeister).

Rounding out the top-five in the GT SprintX Pro/Pro class was Italy’s Daniel Mancinell in the No. 31 TR3 Racing/The Collection Ferrari 488 GT3 followed by the other Cadillac duo of Johnny O’Connell of Flowery Branch, Ga., and Ricky Taylor of Apopka, Fla., in the No. 3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac ATS-V.R. PWC rookie Mancinelli won a SprintX Pro/Pro season-high three races with co-drivers Andrea Montermini (VIR) and Niccolo Schiro (Utah and COTA).
“This is my third Pirelli World Challenge championship,” said Cooper, who also captured the PWC Touring Car and GTS division in his early driving career. “This is from tons of hard work by the Cadillac Racing team. This year kicked off in Virginia with a battery failure. The team was able to get it changed and we went back out on the lead lap. Then we came back to finish on the podium that day. It was amazing. It was good consistent driving by Jordan and myself all year that made all of the difference. We never had the overall fastest car, just great team work and keeping the Cadillac on track.”
“This is my first GT championship to go along with my Grand-Am Prototype type championship,” Jordan Taylor said. “It was under tough circumstances today, thankfully we built up enough points where it didn’t matter. Michael and I drove very well together all year. We liked a similar set-up in the car and in this type of racing synergy that wins championships. We may have not had the fastest car, but the team’s great preparation and the consistent results accomplished by no mistakes and failures makes it a great season. We are happy to win it for everyone at Cadillac.”

In addition, Cadillac Racing won the SprintX Team Point Championship with 204 points over Wright Motorsports (181), CPR Racing (172), K-PAX Racing (169) and TR3 Racing (161).

In the GT SprintXPro/Am category, veteran racer James Sofronas of Villa Park, Calif., has enjoyed a sensational Pirelli World Challenge season by claiming five victories (CTMP (2), Utah and COTA (2)) plus two second-place and two third-place finishes. Sofronas teamed with Laurens Vanthoor of Belgium for one win and young Porsche star Mathieu Jaminet of France for three other triumphs in the No. 14 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R. Sofronas also has scored five GTA Sprint wins in 2017.

Sofronas totaled 227 points in the SprintX Pro/Am division to win the class title over the Porsche team of Michael Schein of Glen Cove, N.Y., and Jan Heylen of Tampa, Fla. in the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R with 214 and the Mercedes contingent of Tim Pappas of Boston, Mass., and Jeroen Bleekemolen of Monaco in the No. 54 Black Swan Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 with 196.

“This is the team effort as I said before,” said Sofronas. “I have had teammates like Mathieu, Laurens Vanthoor and Matthew Halliday who give me all the confidence I need. They are great drivers. These guys don’t miss a beat. So, it’s very gratifying to win the championship on a high note with three wins at COTA. I’m really proud of Joe, Chris, Robin, Keith, Frank, Mike Neville – all the guys at GMG. It has been a tremendous season for us in Pirelli World Challenge.”

Another veteran driver, Henrique Cisneros of Miami, Fla., drove his No. 30 MOMO/NGT Motorsports Ferrari 458 GT3 to nine wins in the GT Am/Am category with three different drivers – Tyler McQuarrie, Jonathon Ziegelman and Peter Ludwig – in taking the SprintX championship.

Other SprintX class champions were Alessandro Bressan and Yuki Harata in the No. 55 Dream Racing Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo in the GT Cup Pro/Am; Joe Toussaint and Cory Friedman in the No. 90 Autometrics Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in the GT Cup Am/Am; Adam Merzon and Trent Hindman in the No. 017 Case-It Racing Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR in the GTS Pro/Am; and Greg Liefooghe and Aristotle Balogh in the No. 019 Stephan Cameron Racing BMW M3 E46 in the GTS Am/Am.

The final rounds for the GT/GTA/GT Cup and GTS/GTSA classes are scheduled for the PWC Grand Prix of Sonoma Sept. 15-17 at Sonoma Raceway. In addition to the final GT and GTS Sprint titles being determined, the final GT overall championship will be decided with Long (320 points) currently leading defending GT champion Alvaro Parente of Portugal (292), Cooper (288), Mancinelli (267) and O’Connell (257).

Cadillac Racing Heads to COTA for Pivotal Triple Labor Day Week-end Race

Fri, 01 Sep 2017 13:09:32 GMT

Partial Reprint from Cadillac Pressroom - Kyle Chura

Cooper and Jordan Taylor lead SprintX points; three races this weekend

NEW YORK - Cadillac V-Performance drivers Michael Cooper (Syosset, N.Y), Jordan Taylor (Apopka, Fla.), Johnny O'Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) and Ricky Taylor (Lake Mary, Fla.) are heading to the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas for the final three races of the Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) SprintX Championship, September 1-3.

The Cadillac Racing team heads south by southwest leading the PWC SprintX Championship. The series will run three SprintX, two-driver 60-minute races, this weekend as one is a make-up from the rain cancelled event at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (CTMP) in May.

On the strength of five podium finishes, including a win at CTMP, Cooper and Jordan Taylor have their No. 8 Vector Blue Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe leading the championship points with 141, but the duo is focused on the big picture - the overall PWC GT championship.

"At this point in the championship we have no choice but to be aggressive, to try to beat the championship rivals in the No. 9 McLaren and the No. 58 Porsche in every remaining race," Cooper said. "With that in mind I don't think having three races will impact the way we approach the weekend. Even though we are leading the SprintX standings and I'd love to win that for Cadillac, we can't go into cost and collect mode to make sure we tick that box. I am focused on the big picture. Our goal is to leave COTA in contention for the overall PWC GT title. If we are able to accomplish that, there is a 99.9% chance we will have won the Sprint-X title.

"Qualifying is of the utmost importance in SprintX just like it is in the PWC Sprint format. The minimum pit stop time (30 seconds in SprintX) makes it difficult to lose or gain multiple positions during those stops. However, the timing of the stops as well as in/out laps provide a little more excitement to the races."

"I don't think I've ever had so many races in one weekend," Jordan Taylor said. "There are a lot of points on the table and a lot of things that can go right or wrong, but we'll approach it the same way as any other weekend. COTA is a great track and I'm sure it will suit the SprintX format well. We have a comfortable lead coming into the weekend, but there are still a lot of points to be won or lost. We have to just keep doing what we've been doing all year - focusing on our own race, running our own pace, and staying out of trouble, that includes qualifying well.

"Qualifying is probably the most important part of the weekend. It's very tough to make passes in these cars, so the farther up you start, the easier your life is going to be. The starts can often get pretty hectic because people know that is their best time to make up positions."

O'Connell and Ricky Taylor in the No. 3 Velocity Red Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe are eighth with 94 and by no means out of the hunt. A strong weekend could catapult them to the front. All four Cadillac Racing drivers have posted wins at the 3.4-mile, 20-turn COTA circuit in their careers and count the track as one of their favorites.

"I was very happy with how things went at Utah in the last SprintX round," O'Connell said. "Clearly the Ferrari and Acura were in a good place versus everyone else, but I felt Ricky and I executed well. At COTA, I think we have to attack. Do all we can to win. The SprintX format has played out really well for Michael and Jordan, and I have no worries that the team will ask us to do anything other than go for the win.

"Last year at this point we had won several poles and several races. This year the team's only win was due to a great strategy call at CTMP. And no poles. My energy is best spent getting all I can out of our Cadillac and that's what I plan to do. Early in my career I was told that at the beginning of a race I'm given 100-percent of a car, just bring back one percent and win, which is the game plan."

"I think our main focus will be to start the weekend strong," Ricky Taylor said. "These weekends are built on momentum from qualifying through all of the races. We will try to put together a strong weekend and work together as always to get the car as fast as possible. Also in the back of our minds we will be supporting our teammates and doing what we can to back up Michael and Jordan.

"COTA is a big compromise track, but the lap time always comes through the high-speed sector one, but also on top speed down the back straight. We will have to focus on having a Cadillac that is easy on tires to ensure we have a good car underneath us at the end of the races."

The PWC SprintX races from the Circuit of the Americas, September 1-3, can be followed live at MotorTrendOnDemand.com. Race one will take the green on Friday, Sept. 1 at 7:30 p.m. CT; race two, Sept. 2 at 4 p.m.; race three, Sept. 3 at 12:30 p.m. The races will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network Sunday, Sept. 10 at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Cadillac Racing, since the team's inception in 2004, has amassed 32 wins, 119 podium finishes (including wins) and 24 pole positions. The team won the World Challenge Manufacturer Championship in 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Team Cadillac drivers have won the World Challenge Driver's Championship in 2005 with Andy Pilgrim and in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 with Johnny O'Connell.

Cadillac Racing: On Track for a Winning Season

Fri, 25 Aug 2017 20:03:13 GMT

CADILLAC RACES AHEAD

Our racing team is well into the IMSA racing season with a number of exciting victories under our belt. Knowing our drivers, there will be more to come.

VIEW RACING SCHEDULE

MESSY RACE CONDITIONS LEAD TO CLEAN CADILLAC VICTORY

The Cadillac team took home a victory at the SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Eric Curran and Dane Cameron had their first win of the season for the Whelen Engineering Cadillac team. A tricky race due to heavy rain on the track, Cameron credits their win partially to luck. But, Cadillac engineering and performance certainly played an important role.

SEE RACE COVERAGE

CADILLAC BATTLES FOR FIRST

Representing Cadillac in the 2017 Pirelli World Challenge is current V-Performance Racing duo Johnny O'Connell and Michael Cooper, and Cadillac team newcomers Jordan and Ricky Taylor. The series has been close, and we will be holding our breath for the remainder of the races – although we highly recommend that's something our drivers not do.

MEET OUR DRIVERS

V-PERFORMANCE ACADEMY

Cadillac Racing at Pirelli World Challenge SprintX in Utah Results

Mon, 14 Aug 2017 04:04:49 GMT

Partial Reprint from Cadillac Racing Press Room

Saturday, August 12 Tooele, Utah - Cadillac V-Performance drivers Johnny O'Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) and Ricky Taylor (Lake Mary, Fla.) finished the first of two Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) SprintX races in fourth on Saturday August 12 at Utah Motorsports Campus (UMC). Teammates Michael Cooper (Syosset, N.Y) and Jordan Taylor (Apopka, Fla.) came home in eighth.

In the morning qualifying session, Ricky Taylor had the wheel of the No. 3 Velocity Red Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe and turned a time of 1:48.386 that had him and O'Connell starting fifth on the GT Pro/Pro grid. In the No. 8 Vector Blue Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe Cooper put in a lap of 1:48.497 that had him and Jordan Taylor starting seventh. The duo lead the PWC SprintX points coming into the weekend.

At the drop of the green for the 50-minute, two driver race, the field of 23 cars were spread across the wide UMC front stretch into Turn 1. Cooper was pushed wide in the No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe and got shuffled around losing a couple of positions. Ricky Taylor was able to hold onto the front runners as the first laps cycled through. Cooper was the first to pit for the driver change handing off to Jordan Taylor 30-minutes into the race. Ricky Taylor pitted about a minute later and gave the controls of the No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe to O'Connell. The race went caution free. O'Connell and Ricky Taylor just missed the podium in fourth and Cooper and Jordan Taylor finished eighth.

"All things considered we have a lot to be proud of," O'Connell said. "We didn't expect to be too close to the front with our weight and lack of straight line speed. In my stint you saw what the difference is when you are weighted down, it really eats the tires. I just couldn't catch the Porsche. Ricky did a great job in qualifying and the start. Once I got in we went slippery pretty early. I thought the Acura might have been coming on me, but we worked traffic a little bit better."

"The team performed well," Ricky Taylor said. "The car handled well in qualifying and the race. I don't think we have the pace of the Acura or the Ferrari here. It is a nice clean weekend for me and Johnny so far. We are working well together and we were able to get a solid result of fourth today."

"It was a decent race," Jordan Taylor said. "Judging by the speeds we have seen all weekend we knew it would be a tough race. At the start Michael got pushed wide and was shuffled around a little and that cost a couple of spots and then he got one back. We were able to get another position on pit strategy. We finished in front of the No. 2 car [Mercedes] which is a close competitor in the championship and the 58 [Porsche]. We have a good idea of what the car is like in race conditions and we can work on it for tomorrow."

"The start was pretty hectic," Cooper said. "Every time I made a move to gain a position it seems like I lost two. By the time I got to Turn 6 I was ninth. I got stuck there. We had a good battle with Dalziel in the Mercedes. I couldn't get by him on the track, but we did in the pits. That was good as they are our closest rival in the SprintX Championship. We will take the positives and move on to the race on Sunday."

Saturday, August 12 Tooele, Utah - Cadillac V-Performance drivers Michael Cooper (Syosset, N.Y) and Jordan Taylor (Apopka, Fla.) finished third today in race two at the Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) SprintX Championship at Utah Motorsports Campus (UMC). Teammates Johnny O'Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) and Ricky Taylor (Lake Mary, Fla.) came to the checker in fifth.

PWC SprintX rules have the drivers who finished race one start race two. O'Connell lined up the No. 3 Velocity Red Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe on the second row in fourth and Jordan Taylor started the No. 8 Vector Blue Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe from the fourth row in eighth.

At the drop of the green O'Connell raced hard into Turn 1 and moved up to fifth with Jordan Taylor settling into ninth. On lap two O'Connell moved into third in class and the younger Taylor also moved up a position into eighth. The two Cadillac ATS-V.R cars pitted 31-minutes into the 60-minute race. Soon after, 36-minutes in, the races first caution flew with Ricky Taylor in fourth and Michael Cooper in fifth. On the restart, with debris on his tires, Ricky Taylor was forced to give-up a position into Turn 1 and also had contact with the No. 9 McLaren. Then at the 46-minute mark a second full course caution flew. With just three-minutes remaining the race went green. Michael Cooper was able to drive his No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R by his nemesis in the championship, Patrick Long (No. 58 Porsche), for third. Ricky Taylor was able to help the championship hopes of Cooper by putting the Porsche behind him as well at the finish and taking fifth place with the 58 coming sixth.

"It was exciting at the end," Cooper said. "I was way up on the wheel and in attack mode. We just can't keep losing points to these guys. I think we extended our SprintX points lead today. Jordan did a good job all weekend. The restarts really helped us to make-up track position and allowed me to put the 58 Porsche behind me in the last two laps."

"My stint wasn't the most exciting," Jordan Taylor said. "I got out dragged at the start. We were starting behind some of the Pro/Am cars with the Pro drivers in them. They were taking some risks, so it didn't make sense to battle them. Once we got through the first lap I kind of settled in. Michael did a great job on the restarts to get us on the podium. It was a great weekend for SprintX points for Michael and myself and for Cadillac."

"Another good weekend for Cadillac," Ricky Taylor said. "I messed up that first restart, otherwise I thought we would have had a good shot at the podium. It was a good run for Michael and Jordan. I was able to help the cause a little putting the 58 Porsche behind me. It was a good points day for them for sure. Very exciting racing in those last two restarts. Looking forward to supporting Cadillac for the championship at COTA in a few weeks."

"I was very pleased with my stint," O'Connell said. "The first couple of laps were fun. I thought I was going to be able to get into second as a couple guys went high into Turn 1 and then the Acura came back on me real hard. I had the Mercedes amateur car of Jeroen Bleekemolen behind me and I let him go. He went by the Acura and that allowed me to get by them as well. I got some pressure from the Porsche at the start of my run, but him behind. When the pits were open I had two back-markers battling each other and I got held up a little. It was a risk reward deal. Ricky drove well there at the end so a positive day for us."

Cadillac Racing Racks Up Points at Mid Ohio PWC Event

Mon, 31 Jul 2017 03:53:17 GMT

Partial Reprint Cadillac Racing Pressroom

Saturday, July 29, 2017 Lexington, Ohio Cadillac V-Performance drivers Michael Cooper (Syosset, N.Y.) and Johnny O'Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) raced to second and third place finishes respectively in today's running of the Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio.

At the drop of the green on the long Mid-Ohio back straight Cooper in the Vector Blue No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe slotted in behind the pole sitting and eventual winning McLaren of Alvaro Parente. Closely behind Cooper was his teammate O'Connell in the Velocity Red No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe. The race was uneventful until a caution flew with just 18-minutes remaining. On the restart a lapped car was between Cooper and leader Parente,

"I don't know if we ran too many qualifying laps and hurt the rear tires, but the car was a handful," Cooper said. "I was hanging on out there, the car was loose on the rear tires. Johnny may have been a little faster, but I appreciate him running me clean and not making a move. We are going to stay up late tonight and make some adjustments for tomorrow. The Cadillac Racing guys will figure it out. I am happy with second today."which allowed the McLaren driver to seal the win and the Cadillac racing duo had to settle for second and third on the day.

The Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio race two will take the green flag at 12 p.m. ET tomorrow and will be televised on CBS Sports the same day at 2 p.m. ET. "We had a really good Cadillac today," O'Connell said. "I might have been able to play with the McLaren a little, but it wasn't worth taking a risk on getting by Michael and risking both cars. I am pleased with third and Michael taking second. I will be ready and if the car is as good tomorrow as it was today I can move up."

Sunday, July 30, 2017 Lexington, Ohio Cadillac V-Performance drivers Michael Cooper (Syosset, N.Y.) and Johnny O'Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) raced to seventh and eleventh place finishes respectively in today's running of the Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio.

Based upon their fast laps from yesterday's race, O'Connell started race two sixth with Cooper lining-up on the next row in seventh. The Cadillac racing drivers' fate was pretty much sealed on the opening lap. At the drop of the green Cooper in his Vector Blue No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe was balked at the start and that allowed two competitors to get by him before the first turn. He got back on the throttle and came around the first lap in ninth positon. O'Connell was headed into the Key Hole running in fourth in his Velocity Red No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe on the first lap when a Porsche got loose on the outside of him and then he got out of sorts and had a lazy spin onto the grass. He recovered in 22nd position and proceeded to make his way through the field posting the fast lap of the race. At the checker it was Cooper seventh and O'Connell 11th with Alvaro Parente in his McLaren taking his second win on the weekend.

"At the start it was like Long Beach all over again," Cooper said. "The Acura drove into a hole that wasn't there and I if I didn't lift he wrecks me and his teammate. They just went through that at Road America and we also saw some of that driving yesterday in the GTS race. If I don't lift there and save my championship hopes there is a huge crash. After that I struggled for some speed. We were able to put in a good lap in qualifying on Friday, but we had trouble translating that pace to the race. The Cadillac Racing guys will pour over the data and we will be ready for Utah."

"Unfortunately on the first lap the Porsche of Alec Udell got way out of shape on the outside than I got too far out of shape and then it was Road America all over again for me and I had to fight my way back through the field. I hope the fans enjoyed it. It is disappointing. This is all about points, it doesn't take much to lose it and make it up. Hats off to my engineer John Lankes and the crew they gave me a heck of a Cadillac today."

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship NEWS Back to News Share Still Perfect: Cadillac, Taylor Brothers Make it Five Straight with Detroit Win

Sat, 03 Jun 2017 22:11:40 GMT

Partial Reprint from DetroitGP.com - 6/3/2017

Event: Chevrolet Sports Car Classic (Round 5 of 10)
Series: Prototype division of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
Location: The Streets of Belle Isle in Detroit (2.36-mile, 13-turn road course)
Start/Finish: 10th / 1st (Running, completed 65 of 65 laps)
Winner: Ricky Taylor and Jordan Taylor of Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R (Cadillac DPi-V.R)
Point Standing: 1st (177 points, 30 ahead of second)

It wasn't exactly how the team drew it up, but the points-leading No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R of brothers Jordan and Ricky Taylor kept its perfect season alive Saturday with a fifth consecutive IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship win in the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic at Belle Isle.
Starting the race in the 12th position after a Friday qualifying incident, Ricky Taylor methodically moved his way through the field before pitting from the fifth position during the race's lone caution period, which came 26 minutes into the 100-minute sprint race. His younger brother Jordan Taylor took over from there, and with the help of pit strategy from the No. 10 team, eventually took the lead from the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac DPi-V.R of Dane Cameron with 21 minutes remaining when Cameron made his final pit stop.

"I almost ruined it yesterday with my mistake in qualifying," said Ricky Taylor. "The car was in a million pieces and we were starting from the back. I thought today was just going to be a points day and just finish in the top three or four. This one was earned by the team, staying up past midnight and giving us an unbelievable car today."

While the Taylors have been nearly flawless this season, the Detroit win largely can be attributed to the crew of the No. 10 Cadillac. In addition to making repairs late into the night, it was the work on pit road during the race that ultimately won the team the race.

The first pit stop saw the team move from fifth to third under the yellow flag. When it came down to final green flag pit stops, Jordan Taylor pitted from the third position with 43 minutes remaining, and came out in the second position. With Taylor clicking off a series off fast laps, including the fastest lap of the race, by the time the race-leading Cadillac of Cameron hit pit road, Taylor easily claimed the lead.

Cameron and co-driver Eric Curran matched their season-best finish of second, 4.948 seconds behind the Taylors. Rounding out the podium was the No. 55 Mazda Motorsports Mazda DPi of Tristan Nunez and Jonathan Bomarito, the team's first podium with the Mazda DPi.

For many IMSA competitors the conclusion of the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic marks the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the race's Test Day on Sunday. Among those making the trek immediately from Detroit to France are the Taylors, who would like to translate their IMSA success into a 24 Hours of Le Mans victory.

"It's always good to have confidence in yourself, especially at a place like Le Mans," said Jordan Taylor. "It's a stressful event, but coming out of here with a win will help me sleep a little better on the plane tonight."

The next WeatherTech Championship race is the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen from Watkins Glen International on Sunday, July 2. The race - which also represents the third round of the four-race Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup - will feature all four WeatherTech Championship classes.

Wayne Taylor Racing Takes Fourth Straight Win In Cadillac DPi-V.R

Mon, 08 May 2017 16:16:10 GMT

Reprint from GM Authority Sam McEachern

Wayne Taylor Racing’s Jordan and Ricky Taylor drove their No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R to a fourth consecutive overall win in Saturday’s IMSA Advance Auto Parts Sportscar Showdown from Circuit of the Americas.

The Wayne Taylor Racing squad qualified on pole for the race, with Ricky turning in a lap that was nearly a second and a half faster than the next fastest car, the No. 22 Tequila Patrón ESM Nissan DPi. The team was never really challenged for the lead, with Ricky driving a dominant opening stint before turning driving duties over to Jordan. The younger Taylor brother put in an equally as strong performance, setting the fastest lap of the race and beating the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R of Action Express to the finish line by nearly 20 seconds.

“It was really nice today,” said Ricky Taylor post-race. “It was one of the best race cars I’ve ever had. The team has just done an amazing preparation for this car. We’re just getting to know it more and more. Every race weekend we’re learning. This weekend, it shows how much we’ve developed through the year. We unloaded off the truck really strong, then qualified really well. It was fantastic.”

The podium was occupied solely by Cadillac drivers, with the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R rounding out the podium. The result marked the second sweep of the podium for Cadillac in four races so far this year, with the first coming at the 12 Hours of Sebring. The Cadillac DPi-V.Rs dominant performance is here to stay, it would seem, with the DPi-V.R proving to be faster than the competition Saturday despite heavy Balance of Performance changes. It’s also more reliable than the next-fastest prototype, the Nissan DPi, with the No. 2 Nissan car having caught fire in spectacular fashion towards the end of Saturday’s race.

“I think we surprised ourselves,” Jordan Taylor said. “We knew why the car was fast yesterday because we made a qualifying setup for the car. And then we went back to race settings and we thought it’d come back to us. It came back a little bit.

“We didn’t have the same gap, but I think it shows how well our team is operating with this Cadillac.”

The IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship heads to Detroit next for the Chevrolet Sportscar Classic from Belle Isle Park. Click here for full results from COTA and click here for a full schedule for Belle Isle.

Cadillac Racing Second Podium at VIR Pirelli World Challenge Race

Mon, 01 May 2017 15:12:23 GMT

Partial Reprint Cadillac Pressroom 2017-04-30
Kyle Chura, Cadillac Racing Communications

Cadillac V-Performance Racing drivers Michael Cooper (Syosset, N.Y) and Jordan Taylor (Apopka, Fla.) finished third today in the GT Pro/Pro category in this weekend's second Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) SprintX race at Virginia International Raceway (VIR). Teammates Johnny O'Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.), and Ricky Taylor (Lake Mary, Fla.) finished 12th in the Pro/Pro class.

Based upon their fast race lap from yesterday, Jordan Taylor started the No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe from the second row in fourth. Brother Ricky Taylor had the wheel of the No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe on row six in 12th. At the drop of the green Jordan Taylor was able to make up one position into Turn 1 and slotted into the third. A little further back Ricky Taylor was battling a swarm of cars in the No. 3 Cadillac. As the race progressed to the mandatory pit stop window a caution flew 19-minutes into the event. The race went green again at the 30-minute mark, the two Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupes came to the pits for the driver change at 34-minutes. Cooper took over the No. 8 Vector Blue Cadillac and returned to the race in third place, O'Connell jumped behind the wheel of the No. 3 Velocity Red Cadillac and rejoined the race in seventh. Fifty-four minutes into the race the second full course slowed the field. O'Connell reported that he ran over some debris on the track and had a tire going flat. The team had to pit O'Connell to change the tire. He went out in 13th (12th in class) position and the race soon ended under yellow.

"We had a really smooth driver change," Cooper said. "I had a big battle on the out lap and was able to get a position. There was a lot going on with the traffic. Jordan did a good job moving us up from fourth to third. We came in as soon as the pit window opened, we were able to gain that last podium position. It is nice to get a second podium finish on the weekend for everyone at Cadillac Racing."

"I think it was a good race," Jordan Taylor said. "When we started the weekend in practice we were seventh or eighth. This was my first time starting a race in three years. I was able to get by the No. 4 Audi in Turn 1 and get behind the Mercedes. They were fast all weekend and I knew if I could hang them it would be good. We made the most of the race, no mistakes. Michael and I had a clean run. The team gave us a good car. To leave here with two podium finishes is a good weekend."

"It was an eventful start," Ricky Taylor said. "It was my first start with the Cadillac ATS-V.R. I learned a lot and I know what to do different the next time. I settled into the stint and was able to make up a couple of positions. We suffered from the track position that we lost from yesterday. You really have to put in a full weekend here in PWC. We were having a pretty good run, Johnny was pushing his way into the top five and then the flat took that away. The encouraging thing is that the team really executed well with no mistakes in this first SprintX weekend."

"Congratulations to the guys in the No. 8 Cadillac, they had a great weekend," O'Connell said. "We had a great race car both days. We moved up in our run today like we did yesterday. The Mercedes checked out, the rest of us were in a nice pack. Unfortunately during that last wreck I picked up a puncture and had to pit for a tire. We were running seventh and I was ready to make a move toward the end, then that crash happened. We have had three tough race weekends. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is next and I have won there more than anyone else and we will be looking to add to that in a couple of weeks."

The Pirelli World Challenge Series will travel to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, May 19-21 for the second round of SprintX races. The race from VIR will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network, May 7 at 6 p.m.

Cadillac Confirms Daytona Prototype international to Debut in 2017 Rolex 24 At Daytona

Wed, 30 Nov 2016 19:25:09 GMT

Reprint From imsa.com Wednesday, November 30, 2016

“Cadillac is proud to return to the pinnacle of prototype racing in North America after a 14-year absence.”

Those were the words used by Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen to confirm that three Cadillac Daytona Prototype international (DPi) race cars will compete in the full 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Prototype (P) class, beginning with the 55th Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 28-29, 2017. The new car will be known as the Cadillac DPi-V.R and is the first prototype race car from the New York-headquartered manufacturer since 2002.

“It is not possible to overstate how thrilled all of us at IMSA are to officially welcome Cadillac, one of the world’s most respected premium automotive brands, back to Prototype racing in the WeatherTech Championship,” said IMSA President Scott Atherton. “This is exactly the type of program we had in mind when we announced the Daytona Prototype international concept last year.

“As we open a new era of Prototype competition in 2017, we now have three benchmark examples of manufacturers using this platform to showcase their impressive and unique technology at the highest level. We cannot wait to get the new era underway in just a few short weeks at Daytona.”

The manufacturer confirmed that Action Express Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing each will field Cadillac DPi-V.R machines next season. Action Express, which has won the last three WeatherTech Championship Prototype titles, will have a pair of Cadillacs, while the Wayne Taylor Racing team continues its longstanding relationship with General Motors through a one-car effort.

“Cadillac’s V-Performance production models — the ATS-V and CTS-V — are transforming our brand’s product substance, earning a place among the world’s elite high performance marques,” de Nysschen said. “The Cadillac DPi-V.R further strengthens our V-Performance portfolio, placing Cadillac into the highest series of sports car racing in North America.”

The Cadillac DPi-V.R will be powered by a normally aspirated, 6.2-liter Cadillac V-8 engine, which shares inherent architecture with engines that power the third-generation Cadillac CTS-V and fifth-generation Cadillac Escalade production vehicles. The chassis for the Cadillac DPi-V.R was designed in cooperation with Dallara with styling cues inspired by Cadillac’s current line of V-Performance high-performance production models, specifically the Cadillac CTS-V.

“The DPi-V.R race car was an exciting new canvas for the Cadillac design and sculpting team,” said Andrew Smith, Global Cadillac Design executive director. “The studio embraced the opportunity to interpret the Cadillac form language, line work and graphic signature for this premier prototype racing application. Every detail of the final design was selected to support the car’s on-track performance and unmistakable Cadillac presence.”

The new Cadillac DPi-V.R will make its public on-track debut during a two-day IMSA-sanctioned test at Daytona International Speedway on Dec. 13-14.

Cadillac joins Mazda and Nissan as confirmed DPi manufacturers for IMSA’s top Prototype class, which also will include international LM P2 prototype chassis from Riley/Multimatic, Ligier, ORECA and Dallara, powered by single-specification Gibson V8 engines.

Cadillac Racing Posts Succesful PWC Series Season

Thu, 13 Oct 2016 14:20:14 GMT

Source: www.Cadillac.com - Kyle Chura, kyle@kcapr.com

NEW YORK (October, 13, 2016) - Cadillac Racing drivers Johnny O'Connell and Michael Cooper had a successful 2016 Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) GT season posting five wins and 13 podium finishes.

O'Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) posted three race wins (Circuit of the Americas, two at Sonoma Raceway) a pole position (Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca) to go along with six podium finishes. Teammate Cooper (Syosset, N.Y.) completed his freshman season in the PWC series by finishing third in the GT driver standings on the strength of two race wins (Barber Motorsports Park and Mid-Ohio), a pole (Barber Motorsports Park) and seven podium finishes. The results had the New Yorker in contention for the championship at year's end.

"The season was incredible, like any year it had its ups and downs," Cooper said. "When we look at the points, it wasn't quite as successful of a year as we had hoped, Finishing third. However, getting to drive the Cadillac ATS.V.R Coupe is such a thrill for me, that I still have a big grin across my face. I learned an incredible amount in my first year with Cadillac Racing and I can't wait to apply that knowledge on track in the future. The biggest surprise in my first year of GT racing has to be how much risk people are willing to take on the first lap to gain a couple of positions. I enjoyed working with the Cadillac Racing team and Johnny all year, both seasoned pros. Looking back I am most proud of being on the pace straight away at COTA (Circuit of the Americas) and getting two GT wins in my rookie year."

O'Connell had to preserver through a tough weekend at Road America where an electrical issue on his No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe resulted in finishes of 19th and 20th. In addition, the four time PWC driver champion, had two wins negated at Long Beach and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Through the difficult moments of the season, together with the Cadillac Racing team, he was able to put in solid races that had him still in contention for the championship going into the final race at Laguna Seca.

"We have a lot to be proud of at Cadillac Racing in 2016," O'Connell said. "But for one difficult weekend, I'm confident we would have pulled off a fifth championship. In a way not winning again is maybe a good thing. It motivates me to go into the off season and train harder. It's odd in that I find myself now enjoying my racing every bit as much as when I first started, and I feel I'm driving as well as at any point in my career. I'm also really enjoying having Michael be part of the team. As the season progressed we worked better and better together, driving the other to push harder. Finally representing Cadillac at this point in time is awesome. The excitement of everyone there, from the president Johan de Nysschen and everyone that helps make the Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe go. There is some great energy at the brand. To play a principle role in getting out the message that speaks to the performance characteristics that are Cadillac is a pretty cool thing.

O'Connell drew from the experienced Cadillac Racing team to come back from the adversity of Long Beach, Road America and Laguna Seca. "Needless to say all three of those weekends were really tough," he continued. "I'm not sure I'll ever really accept it, but I am proud of the way Cadillac Racing rallied after each event. No one quit. I appreciate that after what happened with the Long Beach situation, Alvaro Parente refused to accept the trophy when I offered it to him, acknowledging that, in his mind, we won that race. That took a lot of the sting away. Our team never got down, we just looked ahead to take on the next challenge."

Cadillac Racing, since the team’s inception in 2004, it has amassed 31 wins, 109 podium finishes (including wins) and 24 pole positions. The team won the World Challenge Manufacturer Championship in 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013, and 2014. Team Cadillac drivers have won the World Challenge Driver's Championship in 2005 with Andy Pilgrim and in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 with Johnny O'Connell.

Cadillac has been a leading luxury auto brand since 1902. Today, Cadillac is growing globally, driven by an expanding product portfolio featuring dramatic design and technology. More information on Cadillac appears at www.cadillac.com. Cadillac's media website with information, images and video can be found at media.cadillac.com.

Johnny O’Connell Sweeps PWC Sonoma Weekend for Cadillac Racing Team

Mon, 19 Sep 2016 12:55:11 GMT

Reprinted from Pirelli World Challenge News

JOHNNY O’CONNELL DOUBLES UP AT SONOMA RACEWAY WITH A DOMINANT WIN SUNDAY IN THE NO. 3 CADILLAC ATS-V.R.; SCHEIN, UDELL ALSO DOUBLE IN GTA, GT CUP

SONOMA, Calif.– Defending four-time GT driving champion Johnny O’Connell of Flowery Branch, Ga., dominated Sunday’s 50-minute GT sprint race in the Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix of Sonoma presented by Cadillac with an impressive first turn move and never looked back for his second win of the weekend. In addition, Michael Schein of Glen Cove, N.Y., and Alec Udell of The Woodlands, Tex., scored double victories in the GTA and GT Cup divisions, respectively.

O’Connell, the sports car legend driving the No. 3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac ATS-V.R., started third behind K-PAX Racing McLaren 650S teammates Austin Cindric and Alvaro Parente at the drop of the green flag. But Johnny slid his Cadillac inside Cindric into turn one and took the lead up the hill into turn two.

O’Connell then jumped out to a 4.6-second advantage by lap three and ultimately extended his gap to 11.386 seconds at the checkered flag in the 31-lap GT main event at the 2.38-mile, 12-turn permanent road circuit north of San Francisco. Few drivers have as much experience at Sonoma Raceway as O’Connell, who served as a driving instructor at the Sonoma facility decades ago in the Bob Bondurant Driving School.

Since then O’Connell has established one of the U.S.’ greatest sports car resumes including recording his 61st win in a General Motors race car. Sunday’s victory was the 20th in Pirelli World Challenge competition in 98 starts. O’Connell won the GT drivers’ championship in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

“My eyes were like a laser on the starter and the second his hand started to move, I went,” said O’Connell. “I timed that just about perfect. The speed for the start is supposed to be around 45 miles per hour and we have been running it a little lower. And that allowed me that quick shot out for the start. Then, once I got inside of Austin (Cindric) in turn one, I have been around this place enough to know what I had to do. I then saw there was little bit of monkey business on the first lap behind me and opened the gap as quickly as I could. I then wanted to take care of my tires. I knew that I had a good gap right after the first or second lap, and that was a huge luxury.”

The GT action behind O’Connell was wild early in the race with veteran sports car racer Jon Fogarty of Bend, Ore., having his No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance hit in the carousel and spun around on the first lap. Several GT drivers were involved in the mishap including two-time 2016 winner Michael Cooper of Syosset, N.Y., in the No. 8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac ATS-V.R. and Adderly Fong of Hong Kong in the No. 88 Team Absolute Bentley Continental GT3.

With O’Connell well on his way to victory, Parente, the five-time GT race winner from Porto, Portugal, held the second spot in the No. 9 K-PAX Racing McLaren 650S with pole winner Cindric third in the No. 6 K-PAX Racing McLaren 650S. Late in the contest, Cindric applied the pressure to his teammate but had to settle for third at the checkered flag.

The drive of the day in the GT event was by 2011 GT champion Patrick Long of Manhattan Beach, Calif., who started 14th in the No. 58 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R. Long, a three-time 2016 winner, gained ten positions to finish fourth Sunday.

Entering the Pirelli World Challenge season finale set for Oct. 7-9 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Parente unofficially leads Long by nine points, 1554 to 1545. O’Connell and Cooper are now tied for third place in GT points at 1451.

Schein, Long’s teammate in the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, posted his eighth 2016 win in the GTA (Amateur) class with an impressive win over Andrew Kim of Seoul, South Korea, in the No. 78 Team Absolute Bentley Continental GT3 and college student Cooper MacNeil of Hinsdale, Ill., in the No. 79 WeatherTech/Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R.

“I got a good start today but I saw cars and dust in the carousel and Fogarty was parked in the middle of the track,” said Schein. “I had to check up and slow through that area, but I was able to make a move on the outside in turn seven and passed some cars. Once I was in the GTA lead, I noticed that the car was much better today than Saturday. Then I was able to hit my marks and open up a gap. It is great having Pat onboard with the Wright team. Having a guy with his knowledge and experience is a great advantage and great stuff can come from it. We are good buddies and we have gelled together this year.”

In the GT Cup division, Udell drove his No. 17 GMG Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car to a 12th 2016 victory in another sensational performance for the Clemson University mechanical engineering student. Udell battled with his season-long rival Sloan Urry of Salt Lake City, Utah, in the No. 20 TruSpeed Autosport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup before winning by five seconds. Third place went to Mike Hedlund of Redwood City, Calif., in the No. 35 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

Unofficially, Udell clinched the GT Cup driver’s point championship.

“I got a two second gap on Sloan early in the race,” said Udell. “I was able to hold that advantage for about 40 minutes. Then, at the end of the race, a bunch of the GT cars were coming through our race and I was a little bit better at conserving my tires. So the gap got bigger and I was able to run harder in the last five minutes of the race. It was a great season for GMG and myself and I’m hoping to move into the GT division next year. I have tested a few times in the Porsche 911 GT3 R and I’m excited to run that car in the future.”

Other race awards and recognitions were determined as follows:

The Optima Batteries Best Start award was given to GT No. 13 Colin Thompson in the K-PAX Racing McLaren 650S GT3 for a seven position gain at the start of the race.

The Cadillac Move of the Race was determined to be GT No. 58 Patrick Long’s passing move on Michael Lewis (GT No.98) in Turn 8.

The KIA Turning Point was determined to be the first lap incident between GT No. 8 Michael Cooper and GT No. 88 Adderly Fong for its implication on the GT points championship.

The VP Racing Fuels Hard Charger award was given to GT No. 58 Patrick Long for his ten position gain throughout the race.

MotorTrendOnDemand.com Clean Pass Award was given to GT No. 58 Patrick Long for his pass of GT No. 33 JD Davison in turn 11.

GT rounds from Sonoma Raceway premiere on CBS Sports Network on Sunday, September 25th, 2016 at 4:00 pm EDT; check your local listings for channel and alternate broadcasts. The 2016 championships close out with the season finale rounds at MAZDA Raceway Laguna Seca on October 7-9, 2016.

Michael Cooper - The accidental racer

Wed, 01 Jun 2016 20:53:45 GMT

Reprint from Racer Media & Marketing Erin Cechal / Images by Richard Prince

Newest factory Cadillac driver Michael Cooper did not expect to see the SCCA Pro Racing-sanctioned Pirelli World Challenge podium in his first race with Cadillac Racing. But after the first two rounds of the 2016 World Challenge season, Cooper found himself leading the GT Drivers' Championship on the strength of three podium finishes. He has a funny habit of underestimating himself. He might be the only one.

Cooper doesn't come from a dynasty of racers, he didn't start racing karts when he was 5, and he's working on his second degree just in case this whole racing thing doesn't work out, but it's pretty clear Cooper was born to be behind the wheel. His natural ability in a car combined with a knack for quick learning has gotten him noticed by all the right people.

Cooper didn't delve into racing until a friend convinced him to take a Skip Barber school at Lime Rock Park. In his late teens at the time, Cooper didn't sign up with a plan to become a professional driver. In fact, after doing two Skippy schools, he tried the race series and didn't really like it.

He didn't pursue racing any further until a phone call from Cadillac in 2010. Apparently, he'd signed up for the Bob Lutz Cadillac CTS-V Challenge, where former GM Vice Chairman challenged drivers to beat him at a racetrack in their car versus his CTS-V. "I hadn't heard about the Cadillac Challenge at all," Cooper laughs. "My brother saw it on a car site, and he signed me up for it in my dad's four-door M3 unbeknownst to me! I still lived at home and I just walked over to my brother's room and asked if he knew what it was about and he filled me in while they were talking."

Cooper was the quickest amateur on a damp Monticello Motor Club, and although he wasn't able to beat ace-in-the-hole drivers John Heinricy or Johnny O'Connell, he did beat Lutz and a slew of automotive journalists who each got their chance in the CTS-V.

The challenge was filmed for Speedvision. Cooper got to be on camera with O'Connell, who praised the young kid from Long Island.

"I didn't read too much into it," Cooper says. "I thought he was just being a good TV personality and being nice for the camera. Afterward, when they shut the cameras off, he continued telling me that he was serious and I should pursue racing."

"He blew me away with how quick he was going," O'Connell recalls about Cooper's performance. "He was very smooth. It's rare to see a young guy do that well, and when I heard how little experience he had, I remember going up to his dad and saying, 'Your kid has really great natural ability.'"

2016 - Cadillac V-Series Racing News

Wed, 20 Apr 2016 16:56:22 GMT

CADILLAC RACING DRIVER O'CONNELL RELEGATED TO SECOND AT LONG BEACH

LONG BEACH, CA. – (Apr. 18, 2016) Cadillac Racing driver Johnny O'Connell was relegated to second place in post-race inspection after crossing the finish line first in today's running of the Pirelli World Challenge Long Beach Grand Prix presented by Cadillac. Teammate Cooper had an amazing run through the field that was thwarted by fluid on the track. READ MORE

CADILLAC RACING'S COOPER AND O'CONNELL THIRD AND FIFTH AT ST. PETE PART TWO IN PWC

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – (Mar. 13, 2016) Cadillac Racing drivers Michael Cooper and Johnny O'Connell finished race two in third and fifth at the Pirelli World Challenge St. Petersburg Grand Prix presented by Cadillac. READ MORE

CADILLAC RACING'S O'CONNELL AND COOPER THIRD AND FOURTH AT ST. PETE IN PWC

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – (Mar. 12, 2016) Cadillac Racing drivers Johnny O'Connell and Michael Cooper finished race one of two in third and fourth at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix presented by Cadillac in St. Pete. READ MORE

CADILLAC RACING ONE - TWO AT COTA, O'CONNELL WINS

AUSTIN, TEXAS - Cadillac Racing driver Johnny O'Connell won round two of the Pirelli World Challenge GT Series Championship race today at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA).Teammate Michael Cooper drove to his second podium finish of the weekend finishing in the runner-up position. READ MORE

The Cadillac Racing Season Starts Now!

Thu, 25 Feb 2016 13:19:03 GMT

Experience Cadillac Racing

LOOKING FORWARD: THE 2016 RACING SEASON ARRIVES SHORTLY

Securing its fourth consecutive Drivers' Championship in last year's Pirelli World Challenge, Cadillac Racing anticipates the podium as the 2016 racing season approaches at Circuit of Americas this March.

Stay tuned for behind-the-scenes updates from the upcoming racing season.

LEARN MORE>

READ THE 2015 RECAP>

RACECAR DRIVER MICHAEL COOPER PILOTS CADILLAC RACING

Cadillac is proud to welcome Michael Cooper as its newest Team Cadillac driver, joining four-time series champion Johnny O'Connell for the 2016 Pirelli World Challenge Series. Cooper is the 2015 World Challenge GTS driver champion and anticipates the podium for Team Cadillac in the No. 8 ATS-V.R racer.

Witness pure exhilaration in March during the Circuit of the Americas season opener.

READ MORE>

2016 TEAM CADILLAC RACING SCHEDULE

O'CONNELL WINS FOURTH PWC CHAMPIONSHIP

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 16:08:23 GMT

Reprinted from Cadillac.com Racing News

MONTEREY, Cal. – (Sept. 13, 2015) Cadillac Racing driver Johnny O'Connell survived the Pirelli World Challenge Series Monterey Grand Prix presented by Cadillac season finale to win his fourth consecutive GT drivers' championship.

O'Connell took the standing start from his fifth place qualifying position. Coming across the line to complete the first lap of the 50-minute timed race he was in second position, with his championship protagonist, Olivier Beretta, No. 61 Ferrari in seventh. As the race progressed Beretta began to pick off competitors coming from seventh to behind the No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R of O'Connell on lap 16, 27-minutes into the race. Over the next eight laps Beretta was charging after O'Connell. On lap 24, as the pair of championship challengers were coming through the famous Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Corkscrew turns, Beretta hit O'Connell spinning them both. Beretta was able to get his Ferrari restarted quicker as he rejoined the race. O'Connell restarted his ATS-V.R and rejoined the race in 14th. A few laps later Beretta was called in by the SCCA officials to perform a drive-thru penalty. However, he rejoined still in a strong points paying position ahead of O'Connell. On lap 32 as Beretta was feverishly trying to make-up positions he had contact with the Acura of P.D. Cunningham in the final turn forcing the Italian to pull his Ferrari off track, handing O'Connell his fourth championship in as many years.

"What a crazy race," O'Connell said. "I was able to get a great start. I didn't think I was going to be able to get Dalziel (Ryan, No. 31 Porsche). When we went into Turn 2 I was behind the silver Ferrari and the red one got into me a little. I was surprised how fast Olivier was coming through the field. I knew he would get to me. But getting there and getting by is two different things. I was minding my tires as best as I could while digging as hard as I could. I wasn't sure what he was thinking behind the wheel there in the Corkscrew. He took us both out. He wasn't really close to me. When we crested the hill he was four or five cars back. It was a Hail Mary move. I didn't get brushed I got drilled. There was so much time left, he just had to bide his time. The Cadillac Racing guys build a strong car. When I got back going the car was good and still quick. I was thinking he was going to get a penalty and he did.

"I am proud of everyone at Cadillac Racing. This whole team is made up of Joe Montana's, we are a fourth quarter team.

"We had some adversity this year, the crash at Long Beach while running upfront. I had a car that could have won that race. When I got taken out, I got a huge fine and hit in the points. Then at Barber we were running fast and burned a car down. The spirit of the team came to the front at that point. What people don't see is the hundreds of thousands of hours that the Cadillac Racing crew put into those race cars. I am just the guy who gets to put it on display for 100-minutes on the race weekend."

Jim Campbell, GM vice president, Performance Vehicles and Motorsport, said "Johnny and the No. 3 ATS-V.R team's focus, determination and never-give-up approach made the difference, right down to the last lap of the season. We are so proud of O'Connell's fourth consecutive championship. His win in the all-new ATS-V.R makes the championship extra special."

Campbell added, "the ATS-V.R's LF4.R 3.6 liter direct injected, twin turbo V6 delivered the right combination of power, reliability and efficiency to help Johnny race to the championship."

Cadillac Racing program manager David Caldwell said, "what a season! We introduced the all-new Cadillac ATS-V.R GT3 into competition at St. Pete. We had some adversity throughout the season when Johnny was forced into the spare car for three races. Through hard racing and a great team of professionals from Cadillac Racing, GM Powertrain and everyone involved on the marketing side Johnny was able to win his fourth drivers' championship."

Teammate Andy Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) posted his best finish of the year with a fourth place run in the No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R.

"It was a good way to end the season with a fourth place," Pilgrim said. "I really wanted a podium for my Cadillac Racing guys after such a difficult year. Dalziel was very good in the places where I needed more speed and where I was better I couldn't get to him. He is very good and didn't make any mistakes. We had a good run today. The last two races of the year I had two top five finishes. I am really happy for Johnny. Winning four championships in a row is outstanding."

Since the team's inception in 2004, Team Cadillac has amassed 30 wins, 96 podium finishes (including wins) and 27 pole positions. The team won the World Challenge Manufacturer Championship in 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Team Cadillac drivers have won the World Challenge Driver's Championship in 2005 with Andy Pilgrim and in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 with Johnny O'Connell.

The Pirelli World Challenge finale will be televised on CBS Sports Network Sunday, September 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Cadillac Racing, since their inception in 2004, has amassed 30 wins, 96 podium finishes (including wins) and 27 pole positions. The team won the World Challenge Manufacturer Championship in 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Team Cadillac drivers have won the World Challenge Driver's Championship in 2005 with Andy Pilgrim and in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 with Johnny O’Connell.

Cadillac has been a leading luxury auto brand since 1902. Today, Cadillac is growing globally, driven by an expanding product portfolio featuring dramatic design and technology. More information on Cadillac appears at cadillac.com. Cadillac's media website with information, images and video can be found at media.cadillac.com.

Additional information can be viewed at Cadillac.com, GM.com, media.gm.com, world-challenge.com, andypilgrim.com, johnnyoconnell.com; Facebook GM, Andy Pilgrim, Johnny O'Connell, Cadillac.

The Cadillac Racing media guide can be viewed at media.cadillac.com. For additional information please contact Kyle Chura, kyle@kcapr.com or (248) 821-0468.

O'Connell Captures Back to Back Wins at Miller Event

Wed, 26 Aug 2015 12:29:34 GMT

Source: http://sportscar365.com/features/commentary/oconnell-miller-debrief-2/
Author: Johnny O'Connell

Photo: John Machaqueiro/Cadillac

Whenever I see Arie Luyendyk, one of the things he always tells me is that to him, I’m one of the smartest guys he knows, for getting out of single seaters and getting into sports cars.

As I write this, I know the entire motorsport community has their thoughts and prayers with the family of Justin Wilson. I know that everyone at Cadillac Racing and Pirelli World Challenge have him in our minds, our hearts, and prayers.

Going into Miller I was hopeful that the circuit would suit our new ATS-V.R. It’s smooth, and has some faster corners that I felt we would be good through. This proved to be the case.

We rolled off the trailer decent, but this weekend the engineers made all of the right moves. The car for qualifying was very difficult to drive, razors edge, but good enough to throw down one very good lap to get the pole.

At the start of the first race, I knew that I was going to have my hands full. JD Davidson has been on a roll lately, the Nissans are really showing how strong they are, and I knew he would be pushing me hard the entire race. Which he did. A new PWC rule is that we do rolling starts for the first race on double race weekends and our traditional standing starts on Sunday.

At the start I was lucky to get a small gap to him in the first few laps, and then it was drive every lap as if it was qualifying. I could look in my mirror and see that he was sliding and pushing every bit as hard as I was.

When we finally got to traffic and I was a bit luckier than he was on Saturday. Our fast laps were so close, I think I managed to beat him to pole by only a hundredth or so to secure pole for race two.

For race two, we got a good standing start and I was able to lead into Turn One. My car was exceptional the first few laps, but then became more and more difficult to drive.

Again, I spent the race with JD pushing me the entire time, knowing one slight mistake would be all that he needed to close a very small gap. If the race had gone another ten minutes I’m not certain I would have been able to hold him off as I feel his car was probably working better than ours the last ten minutes of the race.

Again, it was run every lap as if it was qualifying, make no mistakes and like Mosport, we were able to pull off the double race wins on the weekend.

In closing, it needs to be pointed out what a great event Pirelli World Challenge put on at Miller. The number of serious racing fans that showed up, spoke of how much they enjoy watching our races, the length of lines for the autograph session, says all you need to know about the direction things are moving.

The fans of our sport are special, and I’m confident that like me, their thoughts will be first with Justin.

Sonoma is next weekend. I am just about 10 points out of the GT championship lead with three races left. I know that everyone at Cadillac Racing is hungry.

Cadillac V-Series Racing Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Results

Thu, 21 May 2015 20:34:23 GMT

SOURCE:

http://sportscar365.com/features/commentary/oconnell-ctmp-debrief/

O’CONNELL: CTMP Debrief

By Johnny O'Connell

Photo: Richard Prince/GM

Strong, it’s the best word to describe Cadillac Racing. When presented with a challenge, the team always finds a way to overcome.

We’ve had moments where we’ve shown ourselves to be very strong, Long Beach certainly comes to mind, as well as Barber Motorsports Park.

Then the racing gods step in and take potentially good results away from us. After the fire, we needed a good result, and we needed to be strong at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (a.k.a. Mosport), one of my favorite tracks.

Qualifying is always going to be critical this year. I felt I had a good car going into qualifying, but never thought we would go as quick as we did getting the pole.

I’ve done thousands of laps at Mosport and I have to say that it is probably the best lap I’ve ever done there – so far. We earned that pole, the entire team.

It’s funny, in that just before going to Canada I got really sick. Big time head and chest cold. I shared my concern with my buddy Rick Swarts. He reminded me that I always seem to do great when I’m sick.

For race one I got a good start and was able to hold onto the lead. For the entire race I had Kevin Estre in his McLaren all over me.

I was able to drive a mistake-free race and hold him off despite a lot of pressure. He is a nice guy and great addition to the series, so it was nice having a clean race with him.

In race two, we were able to get another good start, this time standing, and again lead flag-to-flag.

This time I had my good friend Butch Leitzinger on me the entire time.

His Bentley was probably a bit quicker, but getting there and getting by are two different things, and I’m sure his aero balance wasn’t what he needed to get by once he got close to me.

He is a pro and when racing someone like him there is a lot of mutual respect for each other’s race craft. That is the type of racing I enjoy the most.

As always thanks to everyone for supporting us. Getting that first win in the new Cadillac ATS-V.R was special. It’s an amazing car. I also want to thank everyone at GM. The wins this past weekend were my 55th and 56th wins driving for GM.

Surround yourself with good people and good things happen. I am one lucky redhead for sure. On now to Detroit, a place where we are always strong.

ATS-V.R Introduction by Andy Pilgrim

Wed, 08 Apr 2015 13:58:41 GMT

Pirelli World Challenge champion Andy Pilgrim takes The RACER Channel for a tour of his new twin-turbo V6 Cadillac ATS-V.R and discusses some of the coupe's unique technical aspects.

Team Cadillac & the 2015 ATS-V.R

Wed, 15 Oct 2014 04:01:06 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (Nov. 14, 2014) – Cadillac unveiled its all new 2015 Cadillac ATS-V.R race car in front of a crowd of international journalists this morning at the Circuit of The America's.

Cadillac Racing drivers Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim pulled the cover off the all new Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe powered by a GM LF4.R 3.6L V6 TT (Twin Turbo) engine.

The ATS-V.R is a racing extension of the soon-to-be-revealed Cadillac ATS-V luxury performance coupe. Sharing much of the same athletic traits that make the road-going coupe very track capable will make the race car a formidable competitor on the world’s racing circuits.

The ATS-V.R is being homologated to international FIA GT3 specifications. An FIA GT3 "birth certificate" allows the ATS-V.R to potentially run in nearly 30 different GT series around the world. Manufacturers in this ultra-competitive class of racing include Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes and Porsche.

Driving the ATS-V.R Coupe is the all new GM LF4 3.6L V6 TT engine with a little more muscle. The racing version, named LF4.R, includes racing upgrades – like larger twin BorgWarner turbochargers, increased capacity intercoolers, competition engine management and direct side-exiting exhaust – that push the unrestricted horsepower rating up to 600. The lightweight production aluminum block and heads of the LF4.R, counterbalanced by a rear transaxle, give the ATS-V.R a weight distribution of 49% front to 51% rear.

Noticeable when side by side with its road-going sibling, the ATS-V.R has a wider gate. The fenders are contracted to contain FIA-mandated tire sizes. The aero kit also gives the ATS-V.R a strong pose. A carbon fiber front splitter complemented by corner-mounted dive planes provides frontal aero. And a full under tray directs air beneath the car to the rear diffuser. All these elements work in concert to create a vacuum effect that plants the 18-inch racing slicks to the track.

Cadillac has been a leading luxury auto brand since 1902. Today, Cadillac is growing globally, driven by an expanding product portfolio featuring dramatic design and technology. More information on Cadillac appears at www.cadillac.com. Cadillac's media website with information, images and video can be found at media.cadillac.com.

O'Connell & Pilgrim Kick Sand in Faces at Long Beach

Wed, 28 May 2014 14:52:17 GMT

TEAM CADILLAC TAKES FIRST AND SECOND IN PIRELLI WORLD CHALLENGE RACE SERIES.

Team Cadillac drivers Johnny O'Connell and Andy Pilgrim finished first and second in the running of the Pirelli World Challenge at Long Beach. O'Connell posted his 11th career Cadillac victory.

O'Connell and Pilgrim one - two LONG BEACH, Calif., (April 13, 2014) - Team Cadillac drivers Johnny O'Connell and Andy Pilgrim finished first and second in today's running of the Pirelli World Challenge Series, Long Beach Grand Prix presented by KIA. O'Connell posted his 11th career Cadillac victory.

O'Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) was able to race to some Long Beach redemption this afternoon in southern Calif. Last year he was winning the event while nursing his CTS.V.R around the 1.9 mile, 11 turn closed street course with a three inch piece of a competitors brake rotor lodged in the radiator. Just five turns from the checkered flag he coasted to a stop. Today O'Connell was able to get a great start and head the field the entire race. He had to soldier through one restart, following a first lap caution, but was pressed only by teammate Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) who finished second.

"I got a pretty good start," O'Connell said. "Andy may have gotten a little better launch than I did, but there was no way I wasn't going into Turn One deep. The first couple laps were very challenging. The car was really sliding around after the restart, then the Pirelli tires came in and the car really came to me. I got some really good breaks with traffic and was never really held up. I know Anthony Lazzaro was chewing on Andy, so I had to keep pushing. I think Andy I were really close I just had the track position. Getting so close last year I was super motivated to get the win today. It was nice to get the victory for the team and all of the Cadillac fans that came out this weekend."

Despite a strong start Pilgrim was being pressed by Lazzaro, but held on to make it a Cadillac one - two finish.

"I got a really good start," Pilgrim said. "Johnny was on the inside, so I was happy to slot in behind him into Turn One. Our plan was to work hard at the beginning of the race as we thought it would get slippery towards the end with our heavy car. We both were sliding at the end. Traffic worked in our favor. Anthony got hurt twice toward the end of the race with slower cars, so that helped. I had a good car, it was going away at the end, but that is to be expected. A good day for Cadillac."

The win will have Pilgrim as GT points leader heading into the next round at Barber Motorsports Park. The race from Long Beach will be televised on NBC Sports, Sunday, April 20 at 5:30 p.m. with a re-air Friday, April 25 at 1 a.m.

The Pirelli World Challenge Series will travel to Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. for the first time in the series for a double race weekend April 25 - April 27.

Additional information on Cadillac can be found at media.cadillac.com. Multi-media and team information can be viewed at cadillac.com, GM.com, media.gm.com, world-challenge.com, andypilgrim.com and johnnyoconnell.com; Facebook: GM, Andy Pilgrim, Johnny O'Connell, Team Cadillac and Cadillac.

Source: Cadillac.com media website

Cadillac Racing Johnny O'Connell St. Petersburg Post Race Column

Mon, 07 Apr 2014 13:56:15 GMT

Two-time GT Drivers' Champion Johnny O'Connell is writing a post-race column for sportscar365.com following each event this season.

Here is O'Connell's first column following the St. Petersburg weekend:

http://sportscar365.com/gt/world-challenge/oconnell-st-pete-debrief/

V-Series and Racing News - March 2014

Tue, 25 Mar 2014 15:33:54 GMT

Winning the Pirelli World Challenge Manufacturers' and GT Drivers' Championships is no small feat. Team Cadillac triumphed in both competitions, two years running. Buckle up and relive every turn in the Team's high-octane history with a recap of last season's victories.

Team Cadillac is geared up and ready to launch. On March 28, the streets of St. Petersburg will be lined with competitors like BMW, McLaren, Audi, Lamborghini and Ferrari undefined all seeking to unseat Team Cadillac's reign. Follow from the streets or on Twitter. #TeamCadillac.

It takes calculated form and function, with a pit crew of quantum mechanics. CTS-V amends the laws of physics by upping high-speed stability with an aerodynamically tuned front splitter and rear spoiler. And oncoming oxygen ceases to resist when channeled through the precisely rendered performance fascia and brake ducts. All working together to keep the 556-hp V8 and race-inspired Brembo^® brakes as cool as can be. Just a few of the reasons victory begins with a V.

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Cadillac Racing - A Championship Season 2013

Sun, 23 Feb 2014 14:21:54 GMT

Congratulations to Johnny O'Connell and Andy Pilgrim for another manufacturer's championship win. "Back to back" season wins is an awesome accomplishment against some very tough competition.

V-Series and Racing News - August 2013

Wed, 21 Aug 2013 14:09:09 GMT

Brembo^® Brakes, Cadillac Racing Recap, The Cadillac Challenge, V-Series Driving Academy, and More.
View in your Web browser.

Why did Cadillac engineers team with Brembo^®, a world-renowned race brake system manufacturer? Because even with all the power in the world at your command, you eventually have to stop. And how well a car stops is just as important as how fast it accelerates. See what's behind the braking system that sheds the tremendous speed generated by the CTS-V.

Charging ahead after finishing second and third in the first race at Lime Rock, Team Cadillac drivers Johnny O'Connell and Andy Pilgrim brought home a one-two finish. The momentum continued just one week later in Toronto, where O'Connell and Pilgrim dominated for another one-two sweep. The next round at Mid-Ohio would prove to be more of a challenge. But despite a difficult weekend that included a third Team Cadillac CTS-V driven by Jordan Taylor, Cadillac continues to lead the GT-class Manufacturer's Championship, with O'Connell in control of the GT Driver's Championship.

The Sonoma Grand Prix in the beautiful valley north of San Francisco is the next stop for Team Cadillac and the Pirelli World Challenge on August 23–25. Be sure to stream the races live at
www.world-challengetv.com.

The Cadillac Challenge is a race designed and sponsored by D3, a licensed partner of Cadillac. Designed to showcase the competitiveness and performance capabilities of Cadillac Automobiles. The Challenge will pit drivers and their Cadillacs against the clock in "Time Attack" format. Competition is to take place on real race tracks with multiple cars on grid at once – all competing for the fastest lap time.

Take advantage of this exclusive opportunity to put the V-Series through its paces on the demanding road course at Spring Mountain.

Show your Team Cadillac support and pride by wearing fashionable apparel and merchandise, available in the Cadillac Racing Collection.

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V-Series and Racing News - July 2013

Wed, 17 Jul 2013 13:20:38 GMT

Cadillac Racing Recap, V-Series Driving Academy, and More.
View in your Web browser.

Similar to the heavily bolstered seat in the Cadillac CTS-V race cars, the V-Series offers available RECARO^® front performance seating. Adjusting 14 ways to keep you firmly planted, see how these confidence-inspiring seats are handcrafted.

In Austin, TX, at the new COTA, Cadillac Racing got off to a strong start as driver Johnny O'Connell took victory from pole and Andy Pilgrim charged for a third-place podium. During round two, O'Connell retired due to a mechanical failure, but Pilgrim finished with a strong second place. In Detroit, the team added three more podiums over the weekend, including one O'Connell victory from pole position.

Carved through the rolling hills of Connecticut, the historic Lime Rock Park is the next stop for Team Cadillac and the Pirelli World Challenge on July 4–6. Be sure to stream the races live at
www.world-challengetv.com.

At each World Challenge Event, V Owners are invited to the V-Series Car Corral. Attendees will enjoy an incredible on-site race experience, as well as the opportunity to showcase their V-Series vehicles and interact with other owners during the weekend.

Take advantage of this exclusive opportunity to put the V-Series through its paces on the demanding road course at Spring Mountain.

Show your Team Cadillac support and pride by wearing fashionable apparel and merchandise, available in the Cadillac Racing Collection.