IMSA News: Cadillac aims to add to Long Beach success
Cadillac Racing celebrates the golden anniversary of the Grand Prix of Long Beach and will seek to add to its own success on the 1.97-mile, 11-turn street circuit this weekend with its three-car Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) lineup.
The 100-minute sprint – the third race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season – is a physical and mental departure for drivers from the endurance races totaling 36 hours to start the nine-race campaign.
“Every lap will matter for car setup, but also for driver confidence. It’s such a special feeling to drive between the walls with those cars,” said Louis Deletraz, co-driver with Jordan Taylor of the No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R.
Last April, Cadillac Racing finished 1-2, with the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R edging the pole-sitting No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R by 0.564 of a second. Opting not to change Michelin tires during the lone service stop and mandatory driver change, the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R drove to the front of the field and led the final 34 laps.
The 1-2 finish was the third for Cadillac Racing’s prototype program at Long Beach, which also includes victories in 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018 and 2017. There was no race in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In total, Cadillac Racing has nine victories at Long Beach.
Featuring Formula 5000 in its inaugural event as the prelude to Formula One races from 1976 through 1983, CART/Champ Car, which became IndyCar in 2009, has been the headliner in the intervening years.
After a two-year run as part of the Grand Prix, sports car racing returned to the Oceanside community in 2006 with Ron Fellows driving the No. 16 Cadillac CTS-V to the victory in the Speed World Challenge GT race.
The next day, current Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA driver Sebastien Bourdais won the Champ Car race from the pole – among five victories at Long Beach that includes 2024 and 2022 with Cadillac Racing for the 2019 Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame inductee.
Also at Long Beach, Andy Pilgrim won the 2012 Pirelli World Challenge GT race in the No. 8 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe that led to the series’ manufacturer title and 1-2 in the driver championship (Johnny O’Connell and Pilgrim) for the brand. O’Connell drove the No. 3 Cadillac CTS-V to victory in the 2014 GT race on the way to earning his third consecutive drivers’ title and the third successive manufacturer title for Cadillac.
Brothers Jordan and Ricky Taylor won the 2017 IMSA race from the pole – one in the streak of five consecutive victories to start the season that culminated in the manufacturer and drivers’ championships — in Cadillac Racing’s first year of prototype competition. Current teammate Filipe Albuquerque co-drove to victory in the 2018 and 2019 races in the Cadillac DPi-V.R
Overall Cadillac Racing prototype victories
2024 — No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R; start third – Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande
2022 — No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R; start first – Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais
2021 — No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R; start first – Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr
2019 — No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R; start fourth – Filipe Albuquerque, Joao Barbosa
2018 — No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R; start fifth — Filipe Albuquerque, Joao Barbosa
2017 — No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R; start first – Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor
1-2 finishes
2024, 2022, 2021
Poles
2024, 2022, 2021, 2017
What they’re saying
No. 10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R
Ricky Taylor: “It is always exciting to get into the sprint race part of the season where we can really get back into the rhythm of IMSA racing. It’s always a bit of a shock to the system to transition to every lap really counting, but I think all of our drivers really enjoy that. We really have to be on our game and make every session count. We have been learning a lot about this car, and this will be the first race weekend we’ve gone into without any prior testing, so we will be working hard to make the little track time we get count. Relying on the sister car will be so important, with the short time to get the race cars where we want them for qualifying, we must trust each other’s feedback and work to create two strong cars for the race.”
Filipe Albuquerque: “Long Beach, it’s always nice to go to California. Cadillac had an amazing race there last year; they qualified on pole and drove really well. The motivation is high. We are still learning about the car, but we are closing down to what we need to know. Let’s hope we can get our first podium with the Cadillac in Long Beach. There’s no better place to start with sprint races and street courses are always nice, so let’s bring it on and I can’t wait to go for it.”
No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R
Jack Aitken: “Missing out on a podium at Sebring is tough to take but taking the positives of coming from the back of the field to lead all those laps and be in contention for the win. Now we go to a totally different place. I’m looking forward to it. You know, we’ve had two of the longest races of the year. Long Beach has always a cool place to go to. We had a 1-2 finish there last year, started from the front, so it’s got good memories and it’s a happy hunting ground.”
Earl Bamber: “(At Sebring) we showed great pace through the whole race, led a ton of laps. The car was good. Sort of bittersweet that we didn’t get a podium. But we just have to roll into Long Beach. I think the car really suits there, which it showed last year. I’m looking forward to returning to Long Beach and going for the win.”
No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R
Jordan Taylor: “I think we’re all very ready to get to Long Beach after a rough start to our year. Our championship run is pretty hard to imagine at this point, so our goal from here on out is basically to race for wins. There is no reason to be settling for anything less. It will be our first street course and first sprint race with our Cadillac V-Series.R. Last year they were very strong, so we’re hoping to pick up where they left off. We have done a lot of prep heading into the event, and with the limited time on track, I feel like we’re as prepared as we can be to hit the ground running.”
Louis Delétraz: “Long Beach is always a fun event. We’ve had a rough start of the year on No. 40, so we’re really motivated to have a good weekend. It’s the first sprint race of the year, and the Cadillac V-Series.R GTP is always fast on street courses. The track evolution is huge between FP1 and the race. Every lap will matter for car setup, but also for driver confidence. It’s such a special feeling to drive between the walls with those cars.”