No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R places third on time sheet in first day of practice
SAKHIR, Bahrain (Nov. 2, 2023) – The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R began on-track preparations for the FIA World Endurance Championship season-concluding 8 Hours of Bahrain with an impressive first day outing.
With Richard Westbrook, Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn sharing seat time, the hybrid Cadillac recorded a best lap of 1 minute, 47.690 seconds on the challenging 5.412-kilometer (3.36-mile), 15-turn Bahrain International Circuit in the second free practice session for third best of the 12 Hypercar entries.
“Good start for the team; we managed to get through most of our race prep. Also did some qualifying work, so we’re going into free practice 3 and qualifying prepared,” team manager Stephen Mitas said. “Still some work to finish off before the race, but it’s looking good.”
The No. 7 Toyota led the way at 1:46.851 under dry track conditions after sunset.
The No. 2 Cadillac team is aiming to tap into the success it experienced at the start of the season, which included top-five finishes at Sebring, Portimão and Spa-Francorchamps ahead of their podium finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Cadillac Racing is in its first season of WEC competition with the Cadillac Hypercar that features a purpose-built 5.5-liter DOHC V8 engine developed by GM’s Performance and Racing propulsion team based in Michigan.
Lynn and Bamber combined to turn 22 laps in the initial free practice that was interrupted early on by a 45-minute red flag period because of strong winds that blew banners onto the track at Turn 1, prompting race control to extend the session. Heavy rain with 30 minutes remaining also impacted the lap times.
The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R recorded a best lap of 1:50.542 — .686 of a second off the session-leading time.
A one-hour free practice Friday precedes the 20-minute qualifying session under the setting sun.
Radio Le Mans will stream coverage of the final practice and qualifying in addition to the race (2 p.m. Arabian Standard Time / 7 a.m. ET Saturday). MotorTrend and MotorTrend Plus will provide both live television and streaming coverage, as will the FIA WEC app.
