Sebastien Bourdais sets fourth track record in No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac
DETROIT (June 3, 2022) – Sebastien Bourdais put the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R on the pole for the fourth time in the past five IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races – setting the track qualifying lap record each time – and will lead the field to the green flag June 4 for the 100-minute Chevrolet Sports Car Classic.
Bourdais got around the tricky 2.35-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit on Belle Isle in 1 minute, 18.818 seconds on his final lap in the 15-minute qualifying session to steal the lap record from Juan Pablo Montoya (1:19.373) in 2019.
The No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac previously started from the pole at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the Long Beach street circuit and Sebring International Raceway. Bourdais and co-driver Renger van der Zande won at Long Beach. Van der Zande co-drove the No. 01 Cadillac entry to victory at Belle Isle in 2021.
Cadillac has won three of the four races at Belle Isle in the DPi era.
Bourdais’ best lap came after a gusty tailwind caught him off-guard in Turn 2 and pushed the No. 01 Cadillac into the unforgiving barrier.
“At that point, I thought I cost myself a shot at the pole,” he said. “I still had some Michelin tires potential left and it all came together. That last lap was mega. It was a messy qualifying, but like I said you have to commit so much around here that you expose yourself.”
The No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R, co-driven by Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber, will start fourth. Olivier Pla, making his debut in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, qualified fifth and will share driving duties in the race with reigning IMSA DPi champion Pipo Derani. The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R, co-driven by Tristan Vautier and Richard Westbrook, qualified sixth.
The USA Network will telecast the race live at 3 p.m., while IMSA Radio will broadcast all sessions at IMSA.com along with XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.
Rory Harvey, Cadillac Global Vice President, will deliver opening remarks and is the honorary starter. A Corvette C8 Stingray will lead the field to the green flag.
An interview with pole winner Sebastien Bourdais (No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R):
TALK ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT THIS ONE WAS.
“I couldn’t leave the track record to Juan Pablo. It’s really sweet. Obviously, a couple of really big laps, a really big hit and super happy that the Cadillac is so strong because any other car, I think, that was the end of the session halfway through. I took off and ended in the wall pretty square in Turn 2. That was unexpected. There was a strong tailwind in (Turns) 1 and 2, and it caught me off-guard. Really happy for Cadillac at its home race. Big commitment around here; really rewarding. It’s really the first time I put everything together in qualifying in Detroit. I’ve been fast here, but never in qualifying. Hoping for a good day tomorrow. The 01 won last year so the expectations are high.”
DID YOUR FASTEST LAP COME AFTER YOU HIT THE WALL?
“Yes. I hit really hard, regrouped for two or three laps. I wasn’t really sure everything was right; I was checking tire pressures for a couple of laps. As bad a hit as it was, I didn’t want to keep pushing through but make sure everything was right. At that point, I thought I cost myself a shot at the pole. I still had some Michelin tires potential left and it all came together. That last lap was mega. It was a messy qualifying, but like I said you have to commit so much around here that you expose yourself. I think that’s why you see so many mistakes; it’s a really unforgiving place. A good, traditional street track with walls right on the edges. Very sharp curbs on the entry and exit. Big reward when you put it together but high intensity behind the wheel.”
AN UP AND DOWN YEAR FOR YOU. DO YOU WISH IT WAS MORE CONSISTENT?
“For sure. I’ve had a fairly uneventful season. Mostly, it’s been running out of luck. We’ve had electrical issues that really never happens. It’s not so much on the guys. I don’t think I’ve hit the wall that many times in succession in a long time – since I was 16 or 17 when I was dumb and stupid. I guess I’m not getting any wiser. You have to hustle the car around so much and push that you expose yourself. The BoP is tough for us on a track that is historically strong for us. I think it proves that we have to dig that deep. Track position is key. We haven’t had the season we’ve wanted so far as far as results. We’ve been really fast and have had a bunch of poles, but opportunity doesn’t reward the points you need to win the championship. We’re hoping to kickstart our season in the second half and put some points on the board. Hopefully, it starts tomorrow.”
MAXIMIZING THE POINTS IN QUALIFYING HELPS A LITTLE?
“It’s a small consolation prize. We’re 200 points behind in the championship. We have to start getting things to come our way and our opponents to have some issues if we want to get back in that fight. We have to keep our heads down, push as hard as we can and minimize mistakes and hope we get a little luck at some point.”
Cadillac Racing from the cockpit
No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V. (Cadillac Racing)
Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais
Bourdais drove in the qualifying session (start first, 1:18.818).
Van der Zande and Bourdais co-drove the No. 01 Cadillac DPi-V.R to the victory on the streets of Long Beach on April 9 after starting from the pole. … It was the 16th IMSA victory for van der Zande and eighth for Bourdais. … Bourdais set the qualifying lap record time in the event. He set the lap record time in earning the pole for the March 19 Twelve Hours of Sebring. … Bourdais earned the pole for the May 15 Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio. … van der Zande, in addition to claiming the 2021 overall victory at Detroit, co-drove to IMSA Prototype Challenge class wins in 2015 and ’16 at Belle Isle. … Bourdais is a four-time INDYCAR champion and two-time winner at Belle Isle in INDYCAR competition. … Bourdais and van der Zande are on the entry list for the 24 Hours of Le Mans this month.
Car chief-Phil Binks
Lead engineer-John Hennek
Race strategist-Peter Baron
No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R (Cadillac Racing)
Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn
Lynn drove in the qualifying session (start fourth, 1:19.334). “I think the car deserved better, to be honest. I was quick enough to deliver something better, but long race tomorrow and we’ll make it better.”
First-year entry in expanded Cadillac Racing DPi program. … Bamber and Lynn co-drove to a runner-up finish on the streets of Long Beach on April 9 after starting second. … They, along with Neel Jani, co-drove to victory March 19 in the Twelve Hours of Sebring. … Bamber salutes his home country with a silver fern design on the sides of his helmet — a quasi-national emblem used for various official New Zealand symbols. … Lynn is on the entry list for the 24 Hours of Le Mans this month.
Car chief-Jamie Coates
Lead engineer-Danielle Shephard
Race strategist-Michael Harvey
No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)
Pipo Derani, Olivier Pla
Pla drove in the qualifying session (fifth, 1:20.298): “First time in the car and with the team. Coming to this place, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I tried every lap learn from the car and get more confidence. We’re going to continue to push and see what I can improve on for the race and give the car to Pipo in position to win the race.”
Pla is making his debut in the No. 31 Cadillac at Detroit. … Derani and Felipe Nasr were runners-up in 2021 and 2019 at Detroit. … Derani and Tristan Nunez co-drove to third place on the Laguna Seca road course after starting sixth. They followed with a third-place finish May 15 at Mid-Ohio. … Derani and Nunez, joined by Mike Conway, started second and finished third in the March 19 Twelve Hours of Sebring. … The three-driver team started seventh and finished fourth in the Rolex 24 At Daytona to open the season. … Derani and Felipe Nasr were the 2021 IMSA DPi Driver Champions and Whelen Engineering/Action Express Racing was the Team Champion. … Derani and Pla are teammates for the second consecutive year for the 24 Hours of Le Mans this month.
Car chief-Bill Keuler
Technical director/lead engineer-Iain Watt
Race strategist-Tim Keene
No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R (JDC-Miller MotorSports)
Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook
Vautier drove in the qualifying session (start sixth, 1:20.331): “Today was challenging. We were hoping to have a little more after being strong here last year. The top Cadillacs have made a step up and we have to find what we’re missing. We’re hard at it. We have the warmup to try a few things and hopefully have a solid race.”
Vautier and Westbrook co-drove to third place on the streets of Long Beach on April 9 after starting fifth. Vautier and Westbrook, joined by Loic Duval, drove to second place in the March 19 Twelve Hours of Sebring and opened the ’22 season by starting second and finishing third at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. … Westbrook is a London-trained chef. … Vautier and Westbrook are on the entry list for the 24 Hours of Le Mans this month.
Car chief-Josh Kerrigan
Lead engineer-Rick Cameron
Race strategist-John Church
About Cadillac
A leading luxury auto brand since 1902, Cadillac is growing globally, driven by an expanding product portfolio that features distinctive design and technology. More information on Cadillac appears at www.cadillac.com.
