Renger van der Zande, Earl Bamber enjoy the drive at Daytona International Speedway
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 29, 2022) – TV viewers got a peek of the 2023 Cadillac Escalade-V during coverage of the 60th Rolex 24 At Daytona.
They likely noticed the enthusiastic impressions of the Escalade-V during its introduction to the V-Series family at Daytona International Speedway from Cadillac Racing Daytona Prototype international (DPi) drivers Renger van der Zande and Earl Bamber.
“The Escalade is awesome; what a vehicle to come to the track in,” said Bamber, co-driver of the No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R. “As soon as you get on the throttle, the noise that it makes is insane. We both had a smile on our face the whole time and we had a heap of fun driving around Daytona International Speedway.”
Cadillac recently announced it is expanding its V-Series lineup to include the Escalade-V, which will be the first SUV to don the high-performance V-Series badge. With nearly two decades of racing-inspired prowess, the Cadillac V-Series is an elevation of Cadillac design, performance and technology, and the purest expression of the passion that exists at the core of the Cadillac brand. More information about the 2023 Cadillac Escalade-V, including full vehicle specs, will be revealed in spring 2022.
Both drivers had the opportunity to briefly drive the Cadillac CT5-V and CT4-V Blackwings, too, at the racetrack.
“The power of these cars is phenomenal,” Bamber said.
The V-Series Blackwings were developed to be track-capable straight from the factory. Featuring a hand-built 6.2-liter supercharged V8 delivering 668 horsepower paired with a 6-speed manual transmission, the CT5-V Blackwing is refinement rooted in racing performance.
“I’ve been driving (the CT5-V) around the Nurburgring, I’ve been driving it around some other tracks, and now in Daytona and it’s pretty impressive,” said van der Zande, who co-drives the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R. “And the nice thing is you can still cruise around in it if you want to, but once you need the go, go, go time, it’s alive.
“It’s an awesome car to go on the track with. I’ll order one if they don’t give me one.”
Added Bamber: “I’d like to have one but I’m afraid I’d get myself in big trouble with how fast they are. It’s a bunch of fun.”
Cadillac Racing high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.
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