No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R team confident heading into Round 2 of the WEC season
DETROIT (April 15, 2024) – Earl Bamber is certain that memories will wash over him this week at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo and Dino Ferrari.
The racecourse in Imola, Italy, that will host the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season is a substantive notation on Bamber’s motorsports CV.
“Imola actually was my first-ever European race,” said Bamber, who will co-drive the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R with Alex Lynn in the 6 Hours of Imola. “It was 2008 and I won. I have fond memories of Imola because it was my first time racing on a European track and winning made it extra fun.”
The New Zealander, who had raced to that point in Formula BMW Asia, Formula V6 Asia, the Toyota Racing Series, among others, joined ADM Motorsport for the two rounds of the International Formula Master series (aka Formula Super 2000) in September 2008 at Imola. Driving a spec Formula 2000, Bamber placed seventh in the first race and won the second.
“It was an eye-opening event, a great weekend at Imola,” Bamber added. “I’m looking forward to going back with Cadillac Racing and compete for another win there.”
Cadillac Racing tested for two days in mixed conditions in September 2023 on the 3-mile (4.9 km), 21-turn (12 left) Imola course. The facility, which hosted its first race in 1953 and last Intercontinental Le Mans Cup — precursor of the WEC — race in 2011, replaced Monza on the WEC calendar this year as the latter is undergoing scheduled work.
“As a team, we’re excited to go racing again. Now the season really starts to ramp up in preparation for Le Mans,” said Lynn, who will also compete at Imola in July as he seeks to successfully defend his European Le Mans Series LMP2 championship.
Cadillac Racing and the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R opened their second season of WEC competition as Bamber, Lynn and Sebastien Bourdais drove to a fourth-place finish in the 19-car Hypercar field March 2 at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar. On March 27, the FIA issued a report that disqualified the Cadillac Racing entry because of a post-race technical inspection infraction.
Cadillac issued the statement: During the FIA World Endurance Championship race in Qatar on March 2, the rear diffuser strakes on the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R were unintentionally out of specification relative to the homologated height. We have cooperated with the FIA and ACO and accept their findings.
Bourdais co-drove with Anthony Davidson to victory in the No. 7 Peugeot 908 entry in the six-hour Intercontinental Le Mans Cup race July 3, 2011, at the Imola circuit. Davidson earned the pole and Bourdais set the LMP1 race lap record of 1 minute, 33.112 seconds.
The 6 Hours of Imola is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET, Sunday, April 21. Max and discovery+ will provide live streaming coverage in the U.S. along with the FIA WEC app. RadioLeMans.co will have flag-to-flag coverage. Viewers can also ride along in the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R during the race HERE.
What they’re saying
Earl Bamber: “I think Qatar was a good start to the season considering our limited preparation. I think the whole team did a fantastic job to sort of pull us out of a hole on strategy and really on the fuel strategy place us on the right pit stop cycle rotation. It’s a credit to the whole team and just the whole progression that the Cadillac program is coming toward. We’re getting stronger and stronger with each race. It was a good race of execution and now shows we have good footing and I think where we are car-wise we’re excited going to Imola. We drove there once already and it was phenomenal. I think it’s going to be really difficult with traffic management and I think it will be a spectacular race for the fans. With Ferrari and Lamborghini on the grid, I think the fans are going to be out in full force. It should be a real festive feeling.”
Alex Lynn: “I’m looking forward to Imola. It’s a great track, a historic place and I think it’s a great place to host the second round of WEC in 2024. I think the fans will bring some big atmosphere, which is always fun when we get to European WEC races. As a team, we’re excited to go racing again. Now the season really starts to ramp up in preparation for Le Mans. Imola is a twisty circuit, a lot of stop, start, which we seem to be very agile with our car so I’m quite optimistic for a successful event.”
