No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R finishes 10th overall, adds to championship points total
MONZA, Italy (July 9, 2023) – A promising start to the 6 Hours of Monza didn’t pay out with the desired result as the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R finished 10th overall Sunday in the FIA World Endurance Championship race.
Timing of a safety car period at the start of the third hour impacted the strategy of Cadillac Racing, which was among the handful of teams that pitted early in the race under the first safety car period.
For the fifth consecutive race on its maiden tour of the WEC schedule, the prototype powered by the all-new Cadillac 5.5-liter, DOHC V8 ran without mechanical issue.
Starting fifth in the 13-car Hypercar field on the 5.793-kilometer, 11-turn Autodromo Nazionale di Monza circuit, Alex Lynn took advantage of contact between two cars in the early minutes to advance his position. The team pitted behind the safety car with 31 minutes expired for 55 seconds of fuel/energy, joining four other Hypercars on the alternate strategy.
Richard Westbrook took over driving duties with 4 hours, 39 minutes left and was running third when the second safety car was deployed 46 minutes later. Westbrook inherited the lead through pit stop cycling but was called in for emergency fuel under yellow. Three minutes later, under green, the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R returned to pit lane for full fuel/energy, which dropped the hybrid racecar to 10th in class.
Earl Bamber, marking his 33rd birthday, relieved Westbrook with 3 hours, 24 minutes left and held track position during his stints. Lynn returned to the seat with 59 minutes left and brought the car home. Twelve Hypercars were running at the finish led to the checkered flag on Lap 200 by the No. 7 Toyota Gazoo Racing entry.
The WEC moves to Fuji, Japan, for the penultimate event in the championship. The six-hour race will be contested Sunday, Sept. 10, on the 4.563-kilometer, 16-turn course.
No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R
Richard Westbrook: “My stint in the car was really good. We were fighting at the front and on a different strategy to half the cars, so it was good, classic sports car racing with different strategies playing out. And it was working for us. Unfortunately, the timing of the safety car was bad for us and we had to pit for emergency fuel and once that happens you’re pretty much out of the game. It’s a real shame. We have a good racecar, good on tires and were looking forward to this race. But when stuff like the timing of the safety car happens, you’re in the lap of the gods and it didn’t quite work out for us today. But in the future it will.”
Earl Bamber: “Overall, a pretty tough day. I think we executed everything perfectly until qualifying and things in the race just didn’t go our way. From chassis, engine and everything like that I think we’ve made gains since Le Mans. We just needed to execute it better as drivers with a bit of strategy. But you have one of those days and we still scored points. I think we know where we can improve for Fuji. Huge congrats to Corvette Racing for winning the world championship.”
Alex Lynn: “The start was pretty chaotic, but we got through unscathed and had a good start. And then we were battling it out with the Peugeots, the Ferraris, the Porsches and the car was performing well. It hasn’t swung our way, but we’ll pick up points where we can.”
