For the first time since 2016, the 24 Hours of Le Mans saw three different manufacturers occupy the three steps of the podium. On that occasion, Porsche, Toyota and Audi were the three manufacturers capable of returning home with a trophy from the most famous and celebrated endurance race in the world, while in the Centenary edition it was Ferrari, Toyota and Cadillac who took the podium.
For the American company, which made its debut in the WEC championship just this year with its LMDh, the Le Mans result represents not only the first podium of the season, but also great satisfaction for a young project. An important milestone, which came at the end of a race in which the other Cadillac #3 was able to reach fourth place. More unfortunate was the other Action Express Racing V-Series.R #311, which had an accident against the barriers during the first lap, which required a long period of repairs.
However, the two Cadillac Racing cars, run by Chip Ganassi Racing, had a relatively trouble-free race throughout the 24 hours, particularly the #2, which finished on the podium. In an “elimination” race, this proved to be a central aspect bearing in mind the many technical problems suffered by Porsche cars, in addition to the episodes involving the Peugeots, the #7 Toyota and the #50 Ferrari. The only episode to report was a spin by Westbrook after being surprised by the arrival of the rain when he was still on slick tyres.
#2 Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R by Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Richard Westbrook
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
The car, which participates in all seasons of the World Endurance Championship, finished one lap behind the Ferrari #51 and the Toyota #8, however conquering the last step of the podium. A result that the team has been looking for for a long time in this start of the championship, conquering the title “before the others”.
“I am very proud, but first of all I want to congratulate Ferrari, it was impressive. Obviously we’re a bit disappointed, we would have liked to fight for one of the top two places, but we’re not there yet. We will do our homework and come back stronger next year. Considering everything that’s happened, it’s a great result for Cadillac and everyone involved in this project. We are very proud, we are first of all, that’s all we could ask for,” Westebrook explained.
Although the goal always remains to triumph and beat all one’s rivals, the first word that echoes at Cadillac is “pride”, not only for having managed to complete the 24-hour race despite the still young project, but also for crossing the finish line as best LMDh.
#2 Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R by Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Richard Westbrook
Photo by: Marc Fleury
“Ferrari and Toyota did a fantastic job today. It’s a project that came to life in Sebring, as a new team, I think we had the potential to score some podiums and we finally did. I think it’s great for this project. We also finished the first few laps leading the race for Cadillac at Le Mans, so we ticked a box,” explained Bamber during the press conference.
“Obviously the ultimate goal for everyone is to try and win the race, we will certainly try. We had good pace in certain circumstances, but in the end Ferrari’s pace was very constant, the strategies were aggressive. Car #50 was also fast. We will do our homework, we will come back stronger, now there is Monza, we want to be the best of the rest of the group and get closer during the rest of the season”.
Alex Lynn also followed the same line, who wanted to underline the path that led Cadillac from the genesis of this project to the podium at Le Mans: “Is not enough! Seriously, I’m very proud of the team and congratulations to Ferrari and Toyota. I am proud of the team and the brand considering where we started from, getting here and putting a car on the podium at Le Mans as a first year for the program is extremely important. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.”
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