No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R races to victory in 70th annual event
SEBRING, Fla. (March 19, 2022) – The No. 01 V-Performance Cadillac DPi-V.R was quick as lightning in qualifications for the in the 70th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V stole the thunder in the endurance race.
Led by the winning Cadillac Racing entry fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing, Cadillac swept the podium for the second time and won for the fourth time in the six 12-hour races on the 3.741-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway in the DPi era.
The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R – the 2021 race winner – co-driven by Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook and Loic Duval, finished second. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, co-driven by Pipo Derani, Tristan Nunez and Mike Conway, placed third.
“We have tremendous teams that work with us and today was an awesome performance by Cadillac,” said Rory Harvey, Vice President (Global) Cadillac. “It is exciting times for us overall, and to be able to get a clean sweep is awesome. We went into today with strong ambitions and the teams delivered.”
Alex Lynn, Earl Bamber and Neel Jani overcame drive-thru penalties, contact and the draining Central Florida humidity to earn the victory after starting fourth. Bamber overtook Westbrook in the No. 5 Cadillac with 45 minutes left, and after the top three Cadillacs pitted for the final time, Bamber held off the challenges on the 3.741-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway course to win by 6.471 seconds.
“It comes down to the drivers. Those guys have to push the buttons and make it happen. They’re the ultimate quarterbacks for the team and we try to give them the tools they need to win races and today they did that,” said team principal Chip Ganassi of the first-year IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship entry.
The JDC-Miller MotorSports No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R earned its second podium finish in as many races this season. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R was also in contention throughout the race that covered 351 laps. Mike Conway, whose father passed away early Friday, laid down the quickest race lap at 1 minute, 47.018 seconds on Lap 126.
“It would have been nice to win this one,” Conway said. “It was hard. the first few stints, thinking of him out there. I was just trying to do him proud.”
The No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R, which started from the pole after Sebastien Bourdais recorded a qualifying lap-record time of 1 minute, 45.116 seconds, experienced a gearbox issue early on and finished several laps down.
“We took the No. 01 to the garage and changed the gearbox after having downshifting problems. We tried a number of counter measures in the pits to correct, but later realized we needed to change the whole gearbox to eliminate the issue,” Chip Ganassi Racing team manager Steve Eriksen said.
The No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R, which pitted from the lead on Lap 253, developed a left-front brake rotor issue and had to pit early on Lap 280 (2 hours, 9 minutes left in the race) and fell out of contention.
Next up for Cadillac Racing teams is the IMSA Sportscar Grand Prix of Long Beach on the 1.968-mile street course. Practice and qualifying are on April 8, with the 100-minute race April 9. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R was the 2021 race winner.
Cadillac Racing results:
No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)
Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Neel Jani
Finish: First. Start: Fourth
Earl Bamber: “Chip Ganassi Racing and Cadillac was amazing this weekend. We had such a good lead and I managed to throw it away twice. I’m just exhausted. To everyone from the team and Cadillac, thank you. I’m just so happy to get the first win for the 02. Thank you to Alex and Neel, who came in and did a great job.”
Alex Lynn: “It was a great race to be honest. First, thanks to everyone on the 02 team. The car was flying all week and yeah, we got the strategy right there at the end. It was a fantastic result to win and thank you to the whole team. We were driving an amazing car today. It made our job behind the wheel that much easier, if it could ever be called easy. It’s a big result for us in the championship and it’s an iconic race, the 12 Hours. With Ganassi winning it once before, it’s a huge result for us as a team.”
Neel Jani: “I had 30 laps before the race, but it couldn’t have been better. Two weeks ago I didn’t know I would be here. I’m hugely thankful to Cadillac and Chip Ganassi Racing to call me up and ask me to drive. We made it happen. We had a fantastic car and that made it easier for me. To drive that car is fantastic. My teammates did a fantastic job and the whole team welcomed me. That’s why it works. I know now why I miss prototypes. It’s where I belong and what I like. I loved every minute this weekend.”
No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R (JDC-Miller MotorSports)
Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook, Loic Duval
Finish: Second. Start: 10th overall, seventh in class
Tristan Vautier: “We gave it a good go. Man, I drove my heart out in the last stint. I thought I had him (Bamber) for a while, but a couple of bad breaks catching GT cars in Turns 3, 4 and 5. We had the pace. I think we can be proud of what we achieved. We’re the smallest team here. Two amazing solid races at Daytona and Sebring. The team did an amazing job again, and just thankful to Cadillac and JDC-Miller MotorSports. I feels good to know I left it all on the racetrack.”
Loic Duval: “It’s always difficult when you’re leading like an hour before the end and all the traffic. I think we drove the best we could and Ganassi deserved the win. I think we can be proud when you know the budget of our operation compared to the big boys and fight against them. Two podiums. We can be proud of that.”
Richard Westbrook: “All you can ask is for us to be in the hunt. We were in the hunt for the whole 12 hours. We had some issues with the cooling in the car, so we could only single stint at the end. I found myself in the lead with an hour to go and I got (held up) by a GTD car in Turn 16. Do I try to overtake him on the outside in Turn 16? Second is really a good result. We’ve won a podium in both races. Everyone should be proud. Great day for Cadillac and a great day for JDC.”
No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)
Pipo Derani, Tristan Nunez, Mike Conway
Finish: Third. Start: Second
Pipo Derani: “It was a tough day at the office, but it was a good points day. Unfortunately, we couldn’t win. We didn’t get a yellow at the end so we could try to catch the front runners. It was a Cadillac 1-2-3 (finish). We’ll take the points. It’s a long championship. I wanted my fourth (Sebring 12-Hour) win, but I will have to wait a little longer.”
Tristan Nunez: “It was a long, hot day. It was a tough one from start to finish. The heat did not help with that. We had a great car all race. We just had a couple of bad luck moments throughout the race that affected us from taking the win. But no doubt, a podium is good. It was a Cadillac sweep. So, it’s good for the brand. Now we move onto Long Beach.”
Mike Conway: “We were up there all day. We were going for the win, but we came up short at the end. It was a great job by the whole team. The car was really solid all day long. I think we had the car to win. But it just didn’t quite work out.”
No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)
Mike Rockenfeller, Kamui Kobayashi, Jose Maria Lopez
Finish: Sixth. Start: Fifth
Mike Rockenfeller: “We knew we had an issue earlier in the day because we could see a lot of smoke coming out of our brakes. When I was in the car, I was thinking about it. I hit the brakes in Turn 7 and the front left rotor completely exploded. I was happy not to lose the car even though I went off. The race was over. It’s a shame because I think we had a chance, with a clean race, to fight for a podium or a victory.”
Kamui Kobayashi: “We had a competitive Ally Cadillac throughout the race and then Mike had the brake issue. It put us down a few laps, but the team performed well, and we were competitive. It was tough to just jump in the car this morning and then run the race. But we showed good pace and teamwork, but it just wasn’t our day. Congratulations to the 31 guys on their podium.”
Jose Maria Lopez: “It was very hot today. Every time I was in the car, I was able to find speed, be quick in the car and have that feeling that we had the pace to fight at the end. Unfortunately, we had a brake failure. That’s endurance racing. It can be tough sometimes”
No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)
Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais, Ryan Hunter-Reay
Finish: 35th overall, seventh in class Start: First
About Cadillac
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