No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R starts third but incurs penalty that curtails run to top
SAKHIR, Bahrain (Nov. 4, 2023) – Cadillac Racing’s inaugural FIA World Endurance Championship season concluded Saturday with a disappointing finish in the Eight Hours of Bahrain but heads held high for an overall positive year.
Prospects for another podium finish were dashed in Turn 1 of Lap 1 when, with the front of the Hypercar field tightly bunched, the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R made light rear contact and spun the front row-starting No. 7 Toyota.
Both cars continued – the hybrid Cadillac, with driver Earl Bamber reporting the front wheels locked up under hard braking under pressure from the trailing Ferrari, dropping to seventh from its season-high third-place qualifying position. The Cadillac Racing entry incurred a 60-second stop-and-hold penalty for causing contact and eventually dropped off the lead lap.
The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R displayed good pace the remainder of the race on the challenging 5.412-kilometer (3.36-mile), 15-turn Bahrain International Circuit, but the deficit was too much to recover and challenge for its second podium finish of the season.
The pole-sitting No. 8 Toyota won the 249-lap race and earned the Hypercar championship.
Following the 11th-place result, the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R team took away positives from the season overall and the seventh race that included the qualifying effort, topping the time chart in free practice for the first time, pit stop performance and more data acquired to mount a championship challenge in 2024.
Additionally, Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook have greatly contributed to the development of the LMDh platform that features the brand-new 5.5-liter DOHC V8 engine developed by GM’s Performance and Racing propulsion team for Hypercar and IMSA Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) competition.
The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R, fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing, started the season with top-five finishes at Sebring, Portimão and Spa ahead of its third-place finish in the centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans. The podium at the endurance classic was the first for Cadillac Racing, which returned to Circuit de la Sarthe after a 21-year absence.
“To see what we were able to achieve in both (WEC and IMSA), knowing that a lot of things were brand new, I’m so proud of the team and everything they have accomplished,” GM sports car racing program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser said.
The sister IMSA program swept the GTP regular season and endurance manufacturer championships along with driver/team class and endurance titles.
Following off-season testing for the programs on opposite ends of the Atlantic Ocean, the eight-race 2024 WEC kicks off March 2 at Lusail International Circuit in Qatar. The nine-race IMSA GTP season begins Jan. 27-28 with the Rolex 24 At Daytona at Daytona International Speedway in Florida.
What they’re saying
Earl Bamber: “Tough start to the race. I was actually not trying to pass anyone; I was just braking. Then, in the middle of the brake zone, both front tires just locked up. I tried to avoid the left-hand side bit just clapped the Toyota. I feel bad we affected their race and we obviously affected our own. Still, there are a lot of positives this weekend and for our first season. Third at Le Mans and there is a lot to hold our heads up high.”
Alex Lynn: “It wasn’t our day today, but any time on the track is about learning and important as we build this program. Now it’s about regrouping and having a strong off-season and already turning our attention to 2024. Still so many positives we can take from this weekend and year and go ago next season. We’ve got some good speed in this car, but we have to continue to work hard because no one else is slowing down. We know what we need to do and improve to challenge for the podium.”
Richard Westbrook: “We had high hopes after Alex (Lynn) did a great job in qualifying and the car was really good in practice. It would have been nice to close out the season on a high. We were really confident going into the race, but it wasn’t to be. We’ll take this one as a learning opportunity and come back stronger in 2024.”
