Cadillac Racing GTP entries look to bag hefty points in effort to repeat titles
DETROIT (July 30, 2024) – The IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America would be the perfect time for Renger van der Zande and Sebastien Bourdais to score their second victory of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season in the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R.
Van der Zande and Bourdais enter the 2-hour, 40-minute race Aug. 4 having earned podium finishes in four of the past five races, including runner-up at the most recent race at Watkins Glen International. They are second in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) standings with three races remaining.
“Now it’s three races to go and the big push for the championship, so hopefully Road America is one more step toward that goal,” said Bourdais, who has teamed with van der Zande to qualify no lower than third in all six IMSA races, including pole at Laguna Seca. “We’ve done a decent job at being consistent and scoring points and will have to stay consistent and focused.”
Van der Zande recorded three consecutive podium finishes (2020-2022) with Cadillac Racing though victory in the prototype class has eluded him at the sweeping 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit.
“Podiums are nice. Wins are what we need, so that is what we come to Road America for,” said van der Zande, who has recorded at least one victory in each of his 11 IMSA seasons.
Cadillac Racing has earned three pole starts at the track since 2017, including 2023 by Pipo Derani in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R. The reigning and two-time prototype champion won from the pole in 2021 at the track with Cadillac Racing. The race will mark Derani’s 75th in IMSA competition.
Ten GTP cars are entered in the field of 47 across four classes.
Peacock will stream the race live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday and qualifications at 5:15 p.m. ET Saturday for U.S. viewers. IMSA.TV and the IMSA YouTube Channel (youtube.com/IMSAOfficial) will stream the race and qualifications live for the global audience. Saturday qualifications and the race will be broadcast on IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com and SiriusXM (XM 206, Web/App 996).
What they’re saying
No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R
Sebastien Bourdais: “One of the crown jewels of road racing in America. A place that everybody loves to go to. Super challenging, quick and a little bit of everything – slow-speed, high-speed corners and long straights where the cars can really stretch their legs. The resurfacing last year made it a little tricky off-line. One year later it seems to have evened out some and all of the racing that we’ve seen so far has become less scary to go off-line, so it should definitely open some opportunities. We’ve had some strong runs recently but missing that last little thing to win races. Top speed has been the main factor. We’ve done a decent job at being consistent and scoring points and will have to stay consistent and focused. Overall, we’re in a good place and we understand more of what we need from the car and how to perform. Both Renger and I have really settled into our roles in the organization and it’s helping results. Now it’s three races to go and the big push for the championship, so hopefully Road America is one more step toward that goal.”
Renger van der Zande: “Road America is one of the classics, one of the special ones in America. An old-school racetrack with high-speed corners, low-speed corners, and it’s one of those tracks where you need a lot of power to conquer the long straights. We’ll see what we come up with. Podiums are nice. Wins are what we need, so that is what we come to Road America for.”
No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R
Pipo Derani: “I’m looking forward to Road America as it’s one of the nicest tracks in America. Super fast and enjoyable to drive. Last year we had a strong car and unfortunately an accident on warm-up took us away from pole and changed the course of our weekend. We are looking forward to trying to get another pole and hopefully a race win.”
Jack Aitken: “Road America is a place where I’ve been for just a rollout test, so I’ve not done many laps. It’s a place that is extremely popular and one of the legendary circuits on the calendar, so I’m looking forward to competing there. The circuit looks more spacious than some of the other tracks we’ve been to this year and I’m thinking it might not be quite as hectic but quite easy to make a mistake. The resurfacing definitely looks like it changed the character of the track a little bit. It’s faster, but if it rains it’s pretty slick. We saw last year and in other series that if you lose concentration the circuit can be quite punishing. It should be a nice challenge. We need a win and I hold the same optimism that I’ve had the past few races and don’t see a reason why we can’t get it. Pipo was competitive here last year and I’m a quick learner, so I don’t foresee any issues.”
