WEC News: Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA unveils livery
Cadillac Racing, in conjunction with Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA, revealed the livery of its two Hypercar racecars that will contest the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season.
Highlighting the event at Cadillac City Paris, the iconic brand’s flagship EV store and experience center, was the unveiling of the Nos. 12 and 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R racecars. Guests included principals from General Motors, Cadillac Racing, JOTA Sport, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, organizer of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“The unveiling of the Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R livery here at our iconic flagship in Paris reflects Cadillac’s unwavering commitment to innovation and performance on the global stage,” said Pere Brugal, Managing Director and President, GM Europe.
“As we expand our footprint in Europe, this partnership represents a powerful opportunity to showcase Cadillac’s pioneering spirit in one of the most prestigious racing championships in the world.
“We are proud to work alongside JOTA Sport and Hertz to bring our V-Series.R to life and look forward to an exciting season ahead.”
Cadillac Racing has doubled its WEC factory program entries for its third season of global Hypercar competition, with championship-winning JOTA Sport campaigning the cars in its first WEC season as a works team.
JOTA Sport is one of the most experienced and successful sports car racing teams in recent history, having finished on the podium in LMP2 at Le Mans 10 times, including second and third overall in 2017. Owned in part by affiliates of Knighthead Capital Management, LLC and sponsored by global car rental company Hertz and seven-time champion and entrepreneur Tom Brady, the England-based team entered the Hypercar class as a privateer in 2023.
“The unveiling of the Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R livery today is the culmination of an enormous amount of hard work and commitment on all sides of this new motorsport family. It’s a very proud moment for the entire group as we unveil this stunning race machine,” said David Clark, Co-Founder and Director, Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA.
“This moment represents more than our aesthetic for the year ahead, it represents the next step for both race-winning, record-setting brands within the FIA World Endurance Championship. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Hertz for being incredible partners to us on this journey and to show our gratitude to GM/Cadillac for having the belief in us, not just in our ability to perform but also for their trust in the level that we are going to represent one of their most prestigious brands on a global stage. We can’t wait to see what we can do together this year.”
Drivers Will Stevens, 2009 Formula One champion Jenson Button and Norman Nato return to the team that earned a historic victory at Spa-Francorchamps for a privateer and second successive FIA Hypercar Team World Cup Championship this past season. They will be joined by Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn, who return as Cadillac Racing teammates for the third consecutive WEC season and fourth overall, and Sébastien Bourdais. Driver pairings will be announced at a later date.
The eight-race global calendar begins February 20-21 with the annual WEC Prologue leading into the Qatar Airways Qatar 1812Km on February 28 at the Lusail International Circuit. The race will mark the second consecutive year of the season opener on the 5.419-kilometer (3.367-mile), 16-turn circuit north of Doha, Qatar.
For more than a century, racing has provided a test bed for Cadillac to transfer knowledge and technology between racecars and production vehicles, as well as a way to build a fanbase for the brand around the world.
The Cadillac V-Series.R, powered by the purpose-built 5.5-liter DPOHC V8 engine, marks the third-generation Cadillac prototype racecar and the brand’s first hybrid electrified race car. Codeveloped by Cadillac Design, Cadillac Racing and chassis constructor Dallara, the racecar represents the fifth generation of the V-Series, incorporating key Cadillac V-Series production car design elements such as vertical lighting and floating blades