Cadillac Racing GTP entries encounter unforced issues in six-hour race
INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 22, 2024) – A promising start to the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks ended in double disappointment for the Cadillac Racing Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) entries in the six-hour race Sunday.
Contending with the 56-car, four-class field and dramatic changing weather and track conditions that included a long full-course yellow in the opening hours on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R and No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R were poised to challenge for podium positions.
Sebastien Bourdais, who earned the second pole of the season for the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R and fifth in the eight IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races for Cadillac Racing, traded the point multiple times with the No. 6 Porsche 963. And with Renger van der Zande in the seat and holding the lead, the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R gained maximum points at the halfway mark in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup standings.
The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R qualified fourth and Jack Aitken moved to second on Lap 8 and briefly took the lead on the first pit stop for Michelin wet tires.
But unforced issues negated the strong start for both racecars powered by the purpose-built Cadillac 5.5-liter V8. While running seventh later in the race, driver Pipo Derani was alerted to an issue and was called onto pit lane.
Cadillac statement: With 3 hours, 50 minutes left in the race, the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac lost oil pressure. After inspecting the vehicle in the garage, the decision was made to retire the car. We will regroup to diagnose the root cause of the issue and prepare to race again in the season finale at Road Atlanta.
It was the first mechanical DNF for the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R in the GTP era.
With 1 hour, 27 minutes left and running second, van der Zande rolled onto pit lane for regular service and a switch to Bourdais for the close. A lap later, however, the right-rear tire on the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R went flat, and Bourdais had to make a full tour of the course before limping into the pit. An extended stop, which included untangled tire chord from the driveshaft, cost the team three laps.
Bourdais soldiered on, overtook the No. 7 Porsche 963 and drove the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R to eighth place overall. The No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 won the race.
The IMSA GTP season concludes Oct. 12 with the 10-hour Motul Petit Le Mans at 2.54-mile, 12-turn Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R was runner-up in the 2023, clinching the GTP and IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup manufacturer championships for Cadillac Racing. Peacock will stream flag-to-flag coverage, with USA telecasting the race from 6-10:30 p.m.
What they’re saying
No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R
Sebastien Bourdais: “I think pace-wise we were OK, but the competition was stronger again. … Unfortunately, we probably didn’t have what we needed to fight. But it turned into a very weird race at the end with the BMW winning. I jumped in the car. I did the out lap. I didn’t hit anyone, but something cut the right rear tire. Debris, or someone when they got by when I was crawling around on cold tires, I have no idea. I didn’t feel anything at all. Just another really disappointing race because it definitely feels like we did everything we could to give ourselves a chance, then we get nothing at the end.”
Renger van der Zande: “I’m very disappointed with where we ended up because we had good speed in the car, we worked really hard on the setup and to get it done. The team did a fantastic job. I think we extracted everything we could out of the car. Seb did a good job; I did a good job. At the end, a blown tire ended our fight today. I’m not happy, but we’ll move forward from here, and we’ll see what we can do at Petit Le Mans and hopefully win that race.”
No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R
Jack Aitken: “The first stint went great for us. The car was working really well and managed to move up from P4 to second and even were closing in on the No. 6 Porsche. Then the rain started to come and we managed that pretty well, too, getting out of the pits in first place. But a bit of bad luck and the race unraveled for us. It was an encouraging race start and we’ll take that to Petit Le Mans.”
