No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R returns to the familiar circuit of Spa-Francorchamps
DETROIT (May 7, 2024) – Cadillac Racing heads to the third round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season at the challenging, albeit familiar, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R, driven by Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber, qualified fourth and placed fifth in the six-hour race last year in Cadillac Racing’s inaugural WEC season in the Hypercar class, and both drivers have competed with success multiple times at the historic venue in the heart of the Ardennes.
“It’s one of my favorite tracks in Europe and I’ve spent a lot of time there. Won one of my first big races in Europe there in Porsche Mobil 1 Super Cup, so I really looking forward to going back there especially with this Cadillac,” Bamber said.
The team recently tested at the 7.004-kilometer (4.35-mile), 20-turn road course, which features the fearsome Eau Rouge – a corner of speed, elevation and a blind crest. Concurrently, the sister Cadillac V-Series.R cars in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class will race at Laguna Seca with its signature Corkscrew complex.
Bamber and Lynn drove to 10th place in the most recent WEC race at Imola, advancing two positions from the qualifying position of the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R. Lynn drove the initial stint with a damaged rear wing sustained at the green flag and had a setback because of a right-rear tire puncture from debris in his second stint that forced an unplanned pit stop. Bamber was challenged by mixed track conditions from intermittent rain over the final 2 hours, 23 minutes of the six-hour event.
The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, an important race unto itself on the WEC calendar, is also considered a tune-up for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. Cadillac Racing will again have three Hypercar entries in France, including Bamber, Lynn and two-time INDYCAR champion Alex Palou in the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R.
Of note
Cadillac Racing driver Sebastien Bourdais teamed with Jean-Christophe Boullion to win the FIA Sportscar Championship race at Spa-Francorchamps in 2002. Bourdais also co-drove to victory in the 2010 Le Mans Series race with Simon Pagenaud and Pedro Lamy.
Cadillac Racing and the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R opened the season with Bamber, Lynn and Bourdais driving 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 irregularity.
The TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is scheduled for 1 p.m. Central European Time / 7 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Saturday, May 11. MotorTrend, Max and the FIA WEC app will provide coverage of the race in the U.S. Velocity will telecast the race in Canada and FOX Sports 3 will provide coverage in Mexico. Radio Le Mans will have the flag-to-flag broadcast.
What they’re saying
Alex Lynn: “Spa is an amazing racetrack and so historic. The WEC races there always turn out to be dramatic. After Le Mans, it’s probably my favorite WEC event of the year just because it being the dress rehearsal for the big one. You really feel that tension in the year. The circuit itself is a glorious place. So much elevation change, fast-flowing corners. I’ve had a lot of success there in my career, so I’m really looking forward to going there. We tested there a few weeks ago, which was productive. Any test days you get around Spa are valuable. I’m looking forward to myself and Earl tackling this great race and certainly the next two races are going to be exciting.”
Earl Bamber: “Really looking forward to Spa. It’s one of my favorite tracks in Europe and I’ve spent a lot of time there. Won one of my first big races in Europe there in Porsche Mobil 1 Super Cup, so I really looking forward to going back there especially with this Cadillac. I think we’re making strides as a team. We’lll have the true test at Spa this weekend. They say Spa is the closest representation with the downforce level ahead of Le Mans.”
