IMSA: Jani replaces Magnussen in Cadillac Racing lineup for Sebring

Neel Jani, who has had success in multiple motorsports series around the world, will join Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn to co-drive the No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R in the 70th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts on March 17-19.

Jani, 38, of Rorschach, Switzerland, is no stranger to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race on the 3.74-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway circuit in Florida. He co-drove with Bamber and Laurens Vanthoor to a runner-up finish in the GT Le Mans category in 2020 for the Porsche GT Team, and he earned the pole position for the 2017 race with Rebellion Racing.

“We’re thrilled that Neel Jani is available to be an integral part of our Cadillac team,” said Mike Hull, managing director of Chip Ganassi Racing which fields the Cadillac Racing entry. “His ability to win as a teammate at the highest global level of endurance sports car racing is proven with the unselfish mindset that’s necessary to win as a team.”

In 2016, Jani claimed the pole and went on to co-drive a Rebellion Racing entry to victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2021, he drove for the Porsche GT Team that finished second in the FIA World Endurance Championship Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance (LMGTE) Pro category. He has also competed in Formula E, the Champ Car World Series and A1 Grand Prix.

“I am fortunate to have the opportunity to run with a renowned team like Chip Ganassi Racing, while returning to one of my favorite tracks and races in the Twelve Hours of Sebring,” Jani said. “I’m eager to work with Alex Lynn and team up with a familiar face in Earl Bamber as we go for the checkered in the No. 02.”

Jani will replace Kevin Magnussen, who co-drove the No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R with Bamber, Lynn and Marcus Ericsson in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January and is set to return to F1 competition.

“We are happy for Kevin to return to his passion of racing at the highest possible level in open-wheel racing,” Hull said. “Our team is grateful to have worked closely with Kevin. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with him in the seat.”

A Cadillac entry has won three of the five 12-hour races at Sebring International Raceway in DPi competition dating to 2017. The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R is the defending Twelve Hours of Sebring race winner. Tristan Vautier and Loic Duval return to co-drive the No. 5 Cadillac DPi-V.R with Richard Westbrook.