We relay Cadillac Racing press releases about 2023 WEC driver roster and GM sports car racing program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser meeting with the media via Zoom on Oct.12 to discuss the development of the new Cadillac race car for the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class.

Cadillac Racing Confirms World Endurance Championship Driver Lineup

After announcing IMSA lineup with Renger Van der Zande and Sebastien Bourdais in a Chip Ganassi Racing-prepared Cadillac V-LMDh and Pipo Derani, the 2021 IMSA DPi champion, with Alexander Sims in the sister Cadillac V-LMDh prepared by Action Express Racing, Cadillac Racing announced E. Bamber, A. Lynn and Richard Westbrook will drive the Cadillac V-LMDh in the seven WEC races. The 2023 WEC season begins March 17 with the 1,000 Miles of Sebring in Florida.

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 12 Hours of Sebring 2022.

Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn, who co-drove the #02 Cadillac DPi-V.R to victory in the 2022 Twelve Hours of Sebring, will be joined by veteran sports car racer Richard Westbrook to drive the Chip Ganassi Racing-prepared Cadillac V-LMDh.

The 2023 World Endurance Championship season begins March 17 with the 1,000 Miles of Sebring in Florida and will see Cadillac's first outing to the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2002.

The drivers of the all-new Cadillac prototype will also compete in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in late January – the opening round of the nine-race IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – in the Grand Touring Prototype class.

Earl Bamber has two overall wins from his five starts at Le Mans and was the 2019 IMSA GTLM champion. His comments: “I’m really happy to continue at Chip Ganassi Racing and Cadillac. I’ve loved my first season in DPi and now to continue over into the LMDh era and WEC is super exciting. Looking forward to fighting for world championship and another Le Mans victory.

“The World Endurance Championships gives us the opportunity to race at the world’s biggest race, which is Le Mans, the crown jewel of sports car racing. I’ve been lucky enough to win it before and it’s obviously a huge goal for Cadillac and everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing. To have that goal in sight is really exciting.

“It's been great to have Alex as a teammate in 2022. We’ve been able to learn and grow together in the DPi and we have a really good partnership going into WEC. We know each other really well and believe adding Richard will be a seamless transition. Hopefully, we can kickstart the 2023 season with success.

“The Cadillac V-LMDh car is phenomenal. Since day one we’ve been doing a lot of simulation work. I was lucky enough to be the first driver to get behind the wheel at Putnam and that was a really special moment. The whole team at Cadillac have done a fantastic job. It sounds phenomenal and I think the fans are going to love it.”

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 6 Hours of Monza 2022.

Alex Lynn, who has driven in the WEC since 2016, won the LMGTE Pro class at Le Mans in 2020 and also took LMGTE Pro class victories at Spa in 2017 and 2018. His comments: “I'm absolutely thrilled to continue with Cadillac and Chip Ganassi Racing. It's a huge honor to drive for Chip in any capacity but certainly on a full factory sports car program, it's seriously cool. Cadillac has so much heritage as a luxury North American sports car brand, so to be able to represent them is a huge privilege. I've had a lot of fun in my first year doing it and to continue that onto the World Endurance Championship stage is fantastic.

“For me, returning to WEC is sort of what I've always known and it's a bit like going into my wheelhouse. This year in IMSA was a bit different with getting to know all-new circuits and a new style of racing so 2023 will be filled with a bit more of what I’m used to with more of a European focus.

“I think what's significant about WEC is without a doubt Le Mans. As a sports car race Le Mans is the crown jewel and everything that we want to win. To be able to take Chip Ganassi Racing and Cadillac back to Le Mans to fight for overall honors is a huge honor and that's something that I'm going to work tirelessly to make sure we achieve.

“I think Earl and I work well together because we're very close but also because we challenge each other. Whether it's on our driving, on the setup of the car, we push and ask a lot of each other, but at the same time, there's a lot of respect. In a way, there's a little bit of brotherly love which is great, and I think it's needed in a successful sports car team. We’ve thrilled to have Richard come on board and to continue growing a winning program.

“I’m excited to race the Cadillac V-LMDh. I think it looks fantastic and it sounds even better. It’s going to really be one for the fans especially when we take it to Le Mans. I know that the crowd at Le Mans are big fans of American V8s, and this car is going to be no different other than the fact that it's going to be fighting for the overall victory, which I really believe it’s going to be a fantastic car. I think we're going to make great memories. There's one trophy that we've all got our minds on and it’s that one.”

Richard Westbrook is an 11-time IMSA race winner and earned a class victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in 2018. This year, the British driver scored an overall podium finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, co-drove to a runner-up finish at Sebring and earned third place finishes at the 24 Hours of Daytona and Long Beach.

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Le Mans 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019.

His comments: “After four really good years at Chip Ganassi Racing, I’ve got so many friends there and I’ve always dreamt to come back one day. It just worked so well between 2016 and 2019, and I’m delighted we found a route to come together again. I can’t wait, it’s an exciting era in sports car racing right now.

“It’s a really exciting time to be a sports car drivers when you have all of the top manufacturers throwing everything at it. I personally enjoy helping develop cars and I’m excited for the beginning of Cadillac’s V-LMDh program.

“I feel like I know Alex and Earl really well. I did Le Mans with Alex in 2020 and I’ve known him for years. It feels like I’m going back with an ex-teammate and exactly the same with Earl. Although I’ve never shared a car with Earl, we’ve always done the same sort of racing be it in WEC or in IMSA. We’ve had lots of battles, including this year in our dueling Cadillacs. We’ve always gotten along quite well, and I can say we’re going to have a great year together.

“I’ve really enjoyed my time racing in WEC the last couple of years and particularly at Le Mans. 2023 will be my first year doing a full WEC campaign. I think it will be really exciting for a true American manufacturer to go and tackle the World Endurance Championship, which hasn’t been done for a long time. It’s a type of racing that I’m used to and was brought up on. I’m looking forward to the challenge and the calendar looks great. I can’t wait.”

Progress Continues in Development of Cadillac V-LMDh

Full transcript of GM sports car racing program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser meeting with the media via Zoom on Oct.12 to discuss the development of the new Cadillac race car for the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class.

LOT OF MILES WITH LITTLE DOWNTIME AT MICHELIN RACEWAY ROAD ATLANTA. DID THE TEAMS AND ENGINEERING GROUPS GET WHAT THEY WANTED OUT OF THE THREE-DAY TEST?

“You never get everything you want because you show up with these crazy, ambitious test plans. But, I’d say, everyone was pleased with our time at the track. We’re making major progress with the car. We transitioned from getting it to run to testing a couple of tests ago and now we’re full steam ahead of working through our plan. The more miles we put on the better from a durability perspective and checking all of our parts. Really working through all the integration side with the hybrid to the engine to the rest of the car, working on the braking system. And even looking at the aerodynamic part of the car as well. Rotated the driver through, which is always good. The more seat time we can give them, the better. It was a successful test from our point.”

WHAT’S NEXT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CAR?

“Working through homologation with IMSA, the FIA and the ACO. We’ve been busy getting through the wind tunnel and the things we do on the homologation side. But really our next big thing that we’re working toward is we’d like to do a 24-hour test before the end of the year. You learn the most when you do those. We’re excited to see how the car does, making sure we have all the representative parts on the car for that to make sure that test is successful.”

WHAT’S THE TOTAL TESTING MILEAGE TARGET?

“The number is probably secondary to different things that we want to get through. The 24-hour test is a big deal for us coming up. Doing different things at different tracks is also important to make sure we cover how the car is responding to different scenarios. Trying to hit those milestones are the big ones. With that, I think the mileage comes with it.”

WHEN DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN TERMS OF THAT PROGRESS?

“If you look at the timeline between now and January when we are racing, we better be at least 50 percent through. The things that are mission critical to get ready for January I’d say we are about a tick more that halfway through those items, and then there’s looking beyond January and the things we’ll be doing in the WEC we have a list for that as well. We’re prioritizing getting the car ready for Rolex just because that comes first and then we’ll look at the WEC schedule and the unique things that WEC tracks bring to the equation.”

ARE THESE TEST CARS ACTUALLY GOING TO BE THE RACE CARS?

“They are going to be cars that will be available. In terms of refreshing them and putting the fresh vehicles with the teams we will work toward that. It may or may not happen, and really a lot of that comes down to what parts we can get and what will be available when. With the time ticking toward January, we’ll work with what we have and try to put forward the best we can within the constraints we’re working in.”

HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO HAVE THE THIRD CAR ON THE GRID AT DAYTONA?

“The more you add it’s not easy. It usually means your spares bucket might be a little less than you’d hope for, but our goal is to be there with three. I see us meeting that goal and we’ll go from there.”

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT IN TERMS OF WEC TESTING? ANYTHING IN EUROPE?

“We would like to do some testing in Europe. We have to see when we can fit it in, what tracks we can get. And then shipping things back and forth at the moment is a lengthy process. So, it’s figuring out what we can fit in with the limited time we have.”

HAVE YOU FIGURED OUT HOW YOU’LL USE THE HYBRID EXTRA ENERGY?

“Similar to the brakes, it’s evolving daily. We’re working on the simulation side and understanding and figuring out across the class what’s the plan. Some of that is still in motion. It’s probably the most exciting part – all of the opportunities. We can drive the car in electric mode. We can launch it, so you can see the true hybrid coming out. Where we evolve and how that works from the fuel economy standpoint versus other usefulness of having an electric motor on the car is what is going to make the class interesting. How each OE approaches that and how we change our strategy as we learn more.”

HOW CLOSELY ARE YOU FOLLOWING THE PROGRESS OF THE OTHER MANUFACTURERS?

“We are working together. Not so much that we’re helping tune each other’s cars, but there is a lot of alignment for handling all the things that this post-pandemic world has thrown at us from parts supply shipping and other things. We are keeping dibs on each other in terms of ‘how are you doing? Can you make it to the test? Can we share resources? Can we talk to the supplier to send us whatever it is and see if they can bundle it?’ I have a good feel just from that open communication on how everyone is doing. In terms of scrutinizing each and every one of their vehicles, I say that’s where my tunnel vision might be a little bit more on getting our car right. The way the regulations are set up, as long as each of us gets our cars right and fit into the rules that we’re supposed to be in, we’re inherently going to be very close from a performance perspective. It’s a bigger picture concern with what is going on with the competitors and mainly how we can help each other. I think it will be pretty wild when you see us start racing. It should be a great show.”

HOW IS DEVELOPMENT OF THE V-LMDH DIFFERENT FROM OTHER CAR DEVELOPMENT BECAUSE OF THE ADDITION OF THE HYBRID POWERTRAIN?

“From an aero perspective, I wouldn’t say it was too different for the hybrid. We did a lot of work in wind tunnels getting ready. The window that they’ve given us for the aero map that we have to fit in is quite small compared to things we’ve done in the past. And I think important because that’s what is going to help get the cars close to each other despite the fact that each one looks so different from each other. That’s good in terms of getting them set up for good racing. Starting with the scale wind tunnel – and a lot of that came from creating the body shape – we would check our ideas and still putting the car where it needs to be. When we had our first real full-scale race car, we started doing work in the big wind tunnels. The hybrid is weight to the car, so we need to keep on eye on that as we look at performance. But with that map being so small, our No. 1 target is getting there and the rest falls into place.”

HOW PROGRAMMABLE IS THE HYBRID? IS THERE A COMMON MAP TO STICK TO?

“There is the equity model that all of us have to run to that defines a lot of parameters on how we can use it and basically where and when. I think there is a little freedom in how we’re integrating everything and when we want to use the power coming off the hybrid versus engine power, or both or mix that. That’s where a lot of the learning is happening and working through things well past January because there is a lot to look at. There is some opportunity to have some identity from each OE’s perspective, but they’ve done a lot of work to make sure that they keep it parity as much as they can so that we don’t end up in a situation where one car is completely off in the weeds either positively or negatively and the rest are not. It’s evolving and we’re excited to find out all the things we can do.”

IS A 24-HOUR TEST SOMETHING YOU NEED TO GET IN THE BAG BEFORE THE DAYTONA SANCTIONED TEST?

“It’s something we need to get done before we get to January. Obviously, we’d love to have it as soon as we can so we can react to what we learn. In my perfect world, we would have done the 24-hour test in September. It’s something that we definitely need to get done before we race in January.”

WOULD A THIRD CAR AT DAYTONA COMPROMISE YOUR WEC SCHEDULE TO TEST IN EUROPE?

“When we made the decision to go forward, we were confident that it was the right move for us. I don’t believe any of that confidence has changed. I don’t see a huge impact to anything that we’re doing. Whenever we turn these cars on, we’re learning. It would be good to get to some tracks in Europe as soon as we can, but even as we drive around the tracks in the U.S. we’re enhancing the program. I’m glad we have the three cars at Daytona because it forces us to have all three cars race ready in January and go from there.”

LIKELY YOU WON’T TEST IN EUROPE UNTIL AFTER SEBRING IN MARCH?

“That could be the case. We have not finalized our schedule for next year. Honestly, our schedule for this year keeps changing just due to circumstances. We’ll see where it slots in and where is makes sense. It could be after Sebring; it could be before. It’s just whenever we can get it to work. This has been a wild ride to get this test plan to stick. Everyone has had to learn to be flexible.”

WHEN DO YOU TURN CHIP GANASSI RACING AND ACTION EXPRESS RACING LOOSE AND SAY YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER ANYMORE?

“Both teams represent Cadillac Racing; that won’t change going forward. The DPi was more of a traditional customer program from our perspective where we had the various teams with different levels of sponsorship whether through us or different entities that they were working with versus as we move into LMDh – especially in these first couple years. With the complexity of this car and what it’s taken to get this car ready to race, we needed both teams to be in lockstep with us and with each other. We’re finding that relationship is a huge asset to the program, so we would like to carry that forward.”

THERE ARE PARAMETERS THAT TEAMS CAN PLAY IN OUTSIDE THE BALANCE OF PERFORMANCE. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO SEE AT DAYTONA?

“I think we will be close. Everything that we’ve run into on our side has been a hurdle to everyone. It will be interesting to see what happens come January.”

CAN WE SEE ALL THREE CADILLACS AT LE MANS?

“You have to be invited by the ACO to come to Le Mans. If you have a full-season entry, you’re guaranteed Le Mans because that’s part of the season, so we’ll have at least one. The rest of it is waiting for that communication and working it out with the ACO. It will be what they are willing to work with us for. We would love to see as many cars as we can there. It will come down to what it says on the invitation.”