Endurance championships on the line in Motul Petit Le Mans season finale
DETROIT (Oct. 8, 2024) – In the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season finale, Tom Blomqvist sought to blunt Cadillac Racing’s ascendency to the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Manufacturer title while driving for another manufacturer.
This weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, he’ll seek to lift Cadillac Racing to its sixth IMEC championship since 2017 and second in a row while sharing the wheel of the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R with Jack Aitken and Pipo Derani in the Motul Petit Le Mans.
Cadillac Racing is four points out of the top spot entering the fifth and final endurance race of the season. Points will be awarded on 5, 4, 3, 2 scale at 4, 8 and 10 hours of the race.
Similarly, the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, driven by Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande and Scott Dixon, is four points arrears in the endurance team/driver standings. The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, which corralled the overall and endurance team/driver titles last year, is five points back as Cadillac Racing aims for its sixth driver and fourth team endurance championship.
Last October, the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R qualified second and Bourdais established the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) race record lap time of 1 minute, 10.917 seconds as the team finished runner-up by .452 of a second at the completion of 397 laps to the racecar co-driven by Blomqvist.
Media resources
- Cadillac event notes, driver bios, results, more
- Cadillac in Petit Le Mans
- IMEC GTP standings
- Cadillac season stats
- Cadillac titles, victories
- About the V-8 engine
- Driver headshots
- Driver candid photos
Cadillac Racing has recorded a first or second in every 10-hour race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta since joining IMSA prototype competition in 2017. Van der Zande has two victories (2018, 2020) and a pair of second-place finishes (2019, 2023) with Cadillac Racing.
With a 54-car grid, including 11 GTP entries, across four classes, steering clear of incident and debris over 10 hours on the 2.54-mile, 12-turn course will be part of a winning strategy.
“It’s a tough track and a really difficult race because with the traffic density even higher than Indianapolis it’s survival, survival, survival for about eight hours,” said Bourdais, who earned the pole Sept. 21 for the six-hour race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “Last year we had enough pace that even playing the survival game we were running at the front, which made it comfortable. Who knows what’s going to happen this year. Hopefully, when we get there, we’ll still be in the championship hunt and have something to play for.”
Peacock will stream flag-to-flag coverage at noon ET Saturday in the U.S., with the international feed on YouTube.com/IMSAOfficial and IMSA.tv. NBC will telecast the race from noon-3 p.m.
Qualifications will be streamed on Peacock (in U.S.) and IMSA.TV (outside U.S.) at 3:20 p.m. ET Friday. IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com will broadcast the race and qualifying, with SiriusXM (XM 206, Web/App 996) and local radio 98.1 FM broadcasting the race.
What they’re saying
No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R
Sebastien Bourdais: “We had an amazing car last year and the car to beat all race long, so we hope we have that kind of pace again. It’s a tough track and a really difficult race because with the traffic density even higher than Indianapolis it’s survival, survival, survival for about eight hours. Last year we had enough pace that even playing the survival game we were running at the front, which made it comfortable. Who knows what’s going to happen this year. Hopefully, when we get there we’ll still be in the championship hunt and have something to play for.”
Renger van der Zande: “I think Petit Le Mans is an amazing event. If you want to feel motorsports at its purest, I think that’s the race you have to visit. I think the track is amazing. It’s tricky, it’s multi-class racing and the atmosphere is amazing. I’ve always been able to fight for victories there, which makes it even more fun and good memories. It’s the last race for Ganassi with Cadillac and I hope we can go out with a bang and win that race.”
Scott Dixon: “As all endurance races are, you kind of ride a rollercoaster. For me, what I’ve learned is that we’ve had great speed, the team has done a superb job, and we’ve probably been just a little bit unlucky. It would be fantastic to go out at the end of the season with a win at one of the toughest races we have on the calendar with Petit. I’m definitely looking forward to it. I can’t wait to get there and get Cadillac what it deserves in the final race of the season with a big W.”
No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R
Pipo Derani: “We’ll look to maximize our chances for the endurance championship. We’ve always had a strong car at Road Atlanta and a lot of success the last few years there with wining the first GTP championships last year. I won that race once and have always been in contention. It’s a challenging track and challenging race in which anything can happen. It’s a track that’s very tight for the number of cars IMSA has, so it brings a lot of nuances to the race – you start during the day and finish at night like Sebring. I’m looking forward to closing this chapter of my career with this team that has been a very successful six years together on a high, and a race win would be fantastic.”
Jack Aitken: “Road Atlanta is definitely a place that holds good memories from last year. We know that we can be quick there, and recently having done a test there it’s familiar it will help us remain positive for the final round of the year. We’ll be doing what we can to get a win to sign off the year in a nice way and support the other Caddy where we can. There will be the usual challenges of endurance rounds. Traffic is going to be a big problem. As we saw in Indianapolis, it can really shape the race, so we’ll be working hard to keep our nose clean. Looking forward to going back there and challenging for the win.”
Tom Blomqvist: “As we approach Petit Le Mans, I’m really excited about our prospects with the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R. After winning the race the past two years with Acura, it would be amazing to make it three in a row, this time with Cadillac and help them to secure endurance championship repeats for both the brand and our team. Our recent test at the track was very positive, and I feel the car is in excellent shape for the season finale. The circuit is a lot of fun to drive, featuring a mix of fast straights, technical corners, and elevation changes. It’s one of my favorites. Managing traffic can be tricky here, and it often determines the outcome of the race. I have complete confidence in our team and the preparations we’ve put in, and I can’t wait to hit the track and give it our all.”
