Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA Hypercars consistently among quickest at test
LUSAIL, Qatar (Saturday, Feb. 22) – With the foundation solidly in place, Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA turns its attention to details next week during the build-up for the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season-opening Qatar 1812 Km.
Not only did the Prologue this week at the 5.38-kilometer, 16-turn Lusail International Circuit on the northern outskirts of Doha prove that the team has a firm handle on the manufacturer transition and move from privateer to factory program, the test sessions established the Nos. 12 and 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R entries as race victory contenders.
The preseason exercise was the first time all six drivers, engineers and crews with the first-year Cadillac Racing-JOTA Sport alliance worked together as Cadillac Racing expands to a two-car program for its third season of WEC Hypercar competition.
“If the path you travel is down a corridor, our corridor is very wide at the moment because we’re making sweeping changes to try different things, which is what testing is for,” JOTA Sport co-founder and director Sam Hignett said. “We’re narrowing the corridor to find the best window where the car operates. We should roll into race weekend in pretty good shape.”
At least one of the Hypercars was in the top five on the lap time chart in the field of 18 in each of the four sessions totaling 14 hours over the two days, including a 1-2 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA showing in the night outing the initial day as team worked through a series of objectives.
The No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, co-driven by Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais and Jenson Button, recorded the second-best lap time overall of 1 minute, 39.116 seconds. The No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R co-driven by Alex Lynn, Norman Nato and Will Stevens posted a quickest lap of 1:39.296.
A 60-minute free practice session February 27 precedes Hypercar qualifying and the 10-minute Hyperpole. The 10-hour race February 28 is scheduled for green flag at 2 p.m. AST/6 a.m. ET.
Media resources
Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA information to assist in your coverage of the season opener and beyond, including event notes, storylines, driver CVs, photos, statistics and more. HERE
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What they’re saying
Sam Hignett, JOTA Sport co-founder and director: “We’ve got six generally happy drivers, which is always a good gauge of how it’s going, If the path you travel is down a corridor, our corridor is very wide at the moment because we’re making sweeping changes to try different things, which is what testing is for. What’s really encouraging is wherever we go, it’s a definitive answer. We’re narrowing the corridor to find the best window where the car operates. We should roll into race weekend in pretty good shape. We can go testing and do things, but it’s just not the same as being at the Prologue. There’s so many bits and pieces, working with the other cars, GT car traffic, working with the race director, pit lane rules and full-course yellows. It is absolutely the best test session we do all year.”
No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R
Alex Lynn: “I think we’re on the right track. There were so many times last year in the WEC we were very fast and sometimes we didn’t put the results on paper. There is so much potential in this championship for this car and it’s really coming on leaps and bounds. Team JOTA has been amazing and we’ve been enjoying it, and that usually results in fat lap times as well.”
Norman Nato: “This is the first time we’re working together in a race environment, so we don’t feel 100 percent ready yet. But step by step we’re going to create a team pushing in the same direction to have the best package. It’s a really exciting project and I’m happy to be part of it. Already, having six drivers with different driving styles you can learn from corner to corner, and set-up and strategy-wise you can try different things and arrive next week with a package that you’re thinking about the race and not trying to find the best set-up. This is a track that suits our car and it’s also important to have a clean race to learn as much as possible because you need consistency to fight for the championship.”
Will Stevens: “All of us working together for the first time generally has worked really well so far. I think we had a positive start to the week. We rolled off the truck with a good racecar and I feel quite comfortable with everything we have at the moment. It’s still early in the race week. We have a lot of things we want to cover in the Prologue and then we have time before next week starts for us to go in and analyze everything. The six of us are giving similar feedback and that’s positive point that we’re going to push in the same direction.”
No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R
Earl Bamber: “I think we’ve been doing our homework in the winter. I think it’s definitely helped overall with different drivers driving at Daytona, Sebring test and now coming here. I think we’re in a good window; the car is feeling really nice, and it’s been really nice to be with two cars here. We can learn and share a lot. Get twice as much done with the limited track time we have in the WEC. We also get a lot of help and support from the guys in America and vice versa. We’re working on the details on the racetrack. This one team, one dream that we’ve got at Cadillac Racing is working well.”
Sebastien Bourdais: ““It was the first time we had the 38 with Jenson, Earl and I and our engineering group together. The very first time. Is it perfect? No. Do we have work to do? Yes. But with the Prologue we have plenty of time to learn and go through the test program to be ready for next week. All it all, I’d say it’s been a positive start.”
Jenson Button: “I’m happy. You always wish there was more testing, but there is still quite a lot more before the race. I’ve watched the Cadillac racing the last couple of years, whether its’s in IMSA or WEC, and loved the way the car looks in high-speed corners, the way it rides curbs, the sound of it. It’s awesome. I think the car suits my style a little bit more than what I was driving last year. I’m enjoying the process and obviously it’s a big learning for the team to be working with the Cadillac. But I think everyone has worked so well together – all the engineers from Cadillac and JOTA. We’ll have moments, some stumbling blocks along the way, but I feel the atmosphere is really good and everyone is gelling.”
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