Two Cadillac V-Series.Rs to challenge for GTP victory in conclusion of West Coast swing
DETROIT (May 9, 2023) – Pipo Derani says it’s time to take the next step. Two steps to be precise.
The co-driver of the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R has stood on the third-place tier of the podium in each of the past four IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. This weekend, in the MOTUL Course de Monterey, Derani and Alexander Sims will seek to deliver the team’s second victory of the season in the Grand Touring Prototype class.
The two-hour, 40-minute race on the 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course marks the 25th consecutive year that IMSA is racing at the track on the Monterey Peninsula and the first for the GTP class that has expanded to nine racecars since last month’s Grand Prix of Long Beach.
The track, with signature Corkscrew turn, will pose another test for all GTP teams as they continue to learn the nuances of their hybrid racecars.
“It’s always a very challenging track with the lack of grip and ups and downs, so it’ll be interesting to see how the new cars react,” said Derani, who joined forces with Sims and Jack Aitken to win the Twelve Hours of Sebring in March.
Cadillac leads the GTP Manufacturer Championship standings and the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R is one point out of the lead in the GTP Team and Driver Championship.
The sister No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, co-driven by Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande, will aim to get untracked after disappointing outings at Sebring and Long Beach.
NBC will televise the race at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, with streaming in the U.S. on Peacock and outside the U.S. on IMSA.com/TVLive. Qualifying will be streamed on IMSA.com/TVLive at 3:50 p.m. ET Saturday. All sessions will be broadcast on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com. SiriusXM live race coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. (XM 207, Web/App 992).
Check out the exciting Cadillac production lineup
Spectators can view the Cadillac V-Series roster, including the 2023 Cadillac Escalade-V and the 2023 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, at the Cadillac display in the midway. Hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday.
What they’re saying
No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R
Renger van der Zande: “Laguna Seca is a special one; the highlight of my season because of the highlight of my career with the move in the Corkscrew which elevated me in the top class basically. It’s such a classic race. The tarmac is the same, so there will be a lot of tire deg, and the first time with the Cadillac GTP car so that’s going to be interesting setup-wise. There’s a lot to learn about the car still and I think Laguna Seca is another step in that direction and bringing it forward from there.”
Sebastien Bourdais: “We haven’t had the results that we were hoping for so we’re looking to rebound at Laguna Seca. It’s a really fun track when you can get the car in the window. Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to repave the track as we were all expecting, which is going to put a really strong point on tire management. Tire deg is incredibly high on that surface. We know we have challenges ahead. Nothing has really changed on the BoP, so we’ll have to work really hard to be on top. As with every weekend, it’s going to be a fight with the other manufacturers. That’s what makes it fun and hope we can bring the 01 Cadillac to the front and have a great weekend and turn this thing around before Le Mans.”
No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R
Alexander Sims: “Looking forward to just driving the track and trying to get our teeth stuck into understanding how these GTP cars can work best around there. We’re embarking on an unknown journey at each of these circuits that we go to. We sort of do the simulator work, and the engineers have a certain expectation of what it should be in terms of competitiveness for us. Once we’re on the ground, the circuit conditions are inevitably slightly different to what one expects. We have to adapt and try to optimize our package as quickly as possible while still working on the fundamental development of this car as well because we are still in the early stages of development.”
Pipo Derani: “We have seen this year that some tracks that we were stronger with the DPi compared to our competition, such as Sebring and Long Beach, with the new regulation that advantage has vanished. With that in mind, we are hoping that the advantage that our competitors had in Laguna also goes away and we find ourselves with a chance of winning at Laguna. It’s always a very challenging track with the lack of grip and ups and downs, so it’ll be interesting to see how the new cars react to that. Hoping to have a more straightforward strategy this time around compared to Long Beach and not have our results and faith be dependent on a yellow.”
