No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R climbs six positions from qualifying spot in WEC finale
MANAMA, Bahrain (Nov. 2, 2024) – Cadillac Racing concluded its second season of FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Hypercar competition with a spirited drive to seventh place in the Bapco Energies Eight Hours of Bahrain.
Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Sebastien Bourdais co-drove the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R, which qualified 13th and started 12th in the 18-car field after a qualification infraction was levied on a competitor, in the race that transitioned from 89 degrees Fahrenheit ambient temperature at the mid-afternoon green flag to not considerably cooler at the checkered flag under the lights.
The result was the fourth top 10 of the season for the Chip Ganassi Racing-run team and 10th in its two-year run covering 15 races.
Energy and tire management on the abrasive 3.36-mile (5.412km), 15-turn racing surface that is original to the Bahrain International Circuit that opened in 2004 was significant throughout the 235-lap race to keep the hybrid Cadillac in points-scoring position.
Bamber climbed the ladder by overtaking the No. 83 AF Corse Porsche 963 with 24 minutes left and No. 38 Hertz Team JOTA with six minutes left to finish 55 seconds behind the winning No. 8 Toyota GR010.
The pole-sitting No. 8 Toyota GR010 won the race to clinch the Hypercar manufacturer title for Toyota Gazoo Racing. The No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 (Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer, Laurens Vanthoor) won the drivers season championship. Hertz Team JOTA, which will become the Cadillac factory team in 2025, registered its second successive FIA Hypercar Team World Cup Championship for privateers.
Through the eight races totaling 72 hours and 1,859 laps, the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R displayed remarkable durability and speed. The Hypercar entry earned its maiden WEC pole position last month at Fuji Speedway and had a string of five races in which it qualified fourth or higher in Hyperpole.
Fourth place at Cadillac Racing’s home race at Circuit of The Americas in early September is the team’s best finish of the season.
The 2025 WEC season begins Feb. 28 with the Qatar1812Km at the Lusail International Circuit, preceded Feb. 21-22 by the annual Prologue.
For more than a century, racing has provided a testbed for Cadillac to transfer knowledge and technology between racecars and production vehicles, and a way to build a fanbase for the brand around the world.
The Cadillac V-Series.R marks the third-generation Cadillac prototype and the brand’s first hybrid electrified racecar. Codeveloped by Cadillac Design, Cadillac Racing and chassis constructor Dallara, the racecar incorporates key Cadillac V-Series production car design elements such as vertical lighting and floating blades.
What they’re saying
Earl Bamber: “It was a good race for us at the end. I think we maximized what we could today. I don’t think we had the best car, but we definitely maximized as a team and to come away with points is a great result. It’s definitely building and building each time out. I think if you told we’d get seventh when we started the race I think we’d take it, so I think it’s a good one.”
Sebastien Bourdais: “Given the circumstances because we struggled pretty much all week with rear grip for the most part and weren’t super confident going into the race and starting P13 was certainly a challenge because it’s so hard to pass around here. Earl (Bamber) did a heckuva job, particularly at the end on the medium (tires), and got us back to a very respectable P7 for a tough week. Not super happy with myself. I made a mistake on the full-course yellow and got a (drive-thru) penalty for it. I got the time back, but we still got the penalty. Overall, pretty satisfied with the result from where we started.”
Alex Lynn: “It’s been a tough weekend, but I think scoring points is a positive from where we started. We put on a strong performance and scored some good points. A good way to end the season.”
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