One year after its debut with a podium in the Hypercar Class, Cadillac Racing returns to compete for the 24h of Le Mans with renewed ambitions and a very solid V-Series.R which suggests a positive scenario for the General Motors teams.
On the Circuit de la Sarthe we will obviously see in action the #2 car of Chip Ganassi Racing which with Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn takes part in the entire 2024 season of the FIA World Endurance Championship, which is joined by the #3 prepared by the same team and the #311 of Action Express Racing coming from IMSA thanks to the invitations distributed by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest.
Bamber and Lynn will be joined this time by Alex Palou, while on the other side of the pits Sébastien Bourdais, Renger Van Der Zande and Scott Dixon will share the wheel of the American LMDh #3.
The work will begin on Sunday with the usual day of testing, but both Palou and Dixon will not be able to attend because they are involved in the concurrent IndyCar race at Road America. For this reason, CGR has hired Tristan Vautier as a reserve, in order to be ready for any eventuality with an experienced and capable driver who knows the French track and event well.
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
“We are delighted to have Tristan join us as a reserve driver for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, he has been part of the Cadillac family in the past and has been a friend of CGR for a long time,” emphasizes Mike O’Gara, Director of Track Operations at Chip Ganassi Racing – In a race as important as Le Mans, you can never be too prepared. Having Tristan available will only strengthen our program.”
Palou is already excited for the commitment, even if he will arrive for the ride on Wednesday: “Going to Le Mans is an extraordinary opportunity and also a great challenge. We have the chance to win the general classification and this is our biggest goal. I am excited to return to the Cadillac and join Earl and Alex.”
“They were successful last year and the cars were very fast, so with our recent pace shown at Daytona I can’t wait to go and try to win. The calendar will be very busy and it’s the first time I’ve been there.” .
“It’s a race very close to home, being a few hours from where I lived with my parents, very important, I’ve always wanted to participate in it and I think with the Cadillac we have a good chance of doing well.”
“I was lucky enough to test and race the V.Series-R at Daytona, where we couldn’t get the result we wanted, but we were fast and it was a lot of fun. I can’t wait for Le Mans” .
Lynn adds: “Last year was a great result for the team, we finished on the overall podium and even led for a few laps for the first time with the Cadillac. We are very proud of this fact, but having said that, we are determined to do even better. The competition is really strong, so we have to stay humble, do our job and see what we can do.”
Bamber agrees: “We want to improve on last year’s result, which was the podium. I believe that with Cadillac and Chip Ganassi Racing we have all the potential to do so. I can’t wait for Alex to join our crew. He has been terrific in IndyCar and he will be a great addition to our team in one of the most important races in the world.”
#3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac V-Series.R by Sebastien Bourdais, Renger Van Der Zande, Scott Dixon
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Van Der Zande comments: “If you look at last year, I think we achieved very good results. But, at the same time, you have to keep an eye on the competition. I think we were better prepared than everyone else, but this year everyone they will be even more so and I believe that the rivals will be stronger than in 2023 also for reliability, not for speed”.
“The teams have their cars and their systems better organised, so from this point of view it will be more interesting. I think we will see a lot of high-level duels on the track, where you need to be at the top from the moment you start racing until you see the checkered flag.”
“This is why we come here: to compete against the best in the world and to win the race. We are ready for this challenge. I think it’s incredible what we did last year with the Cadillac program, finishing third and fourth. It’s It was a testament to everyone’s development and hard work in the first year of the program. We have really strong teammates, teams and partners to make it all work and go for the win.”
Bourdais is also of the same opinion: “Obviously this is a huge challenge, but we have obtained very promising results and lessons from last year. I think that with our Cadillac we certainly have a very competitive car to be able to compete.”
“Hopefully I can get that win that’s missing from my CV. Obviously it would mean a lot to me and I can’t wait to try again.”
Dixon, on the other hand, is already counting down the post-IndyCar: “I love this race; it’s one of the biggest and hardest in the world. We all know it’s a privilege just to be invited, so I’m thrilled to be back with Sébastien, Renger, Cadillac and all the people involved.”
“I think the team did a great job last year. We had a few problems here and there, but getting to third and fourth place was really spectacular. I hope this year the fight is closer, but I like both so. I’m very lucky to be able to fight with the team and be part of it. It’s never easy to fit together commitments, but the fact that we’re all on the same team makes everything more possible.”
#311 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R by Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims, Jack Aitken
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Even in Action Express Racing the work will begin with an absence: Aitken will be busy with Emil Frey Racing’s Ferrari in the DTM over the weekend, so it will primarily be up to Derani and the rookie Drugovich to fix their #311.
“I think it’s always a privilege to go to Le Mans and we will return to an even more competitive grid than last year – highlights the Briton – First of all, I want to return and demonstrate that we can compete for the overall victory. It’s a special race and everyone is excited to get back to racing.”
Derani says: “We are happy to return to Le Mans and the victory in IMSA has kind of cemented our return to Le Mans in a nice way. The fact that we were there in 2023, that we had the complete experience and that To now be able to leverage all that knowledge is exciting.”
“Last year we had an accident right at the start, but the race was very promising. We had good pace despite the laps down. If we can take advantage of all the knowledge we gained last year and improve some things, then we should have a good weekend.”
“There are a lot of details you don’t know when you’ve never been there; it was the team’s first time. So, having that experience and putting it to use will be amazing.”
Drugovich comments: “The 24 Hours of Le Mans is impossible to define in words, such is its magic and its importance for cars in general and for motor racing in particular. I have the opportunity to experience these 100 years of history for the first time with AXR and Cadillac. It’s a privilege that another dream becomes reality.”
GM’s Head of Sportscar Programs, Laura Wontrop Klauser, concludes: “We are excited to have this test day to make as much use of the track as possible, because no one can test on the circuit until they come to the Le Mans event.”
“We have done different test programs for each of the three cars, so as to maximize the amount of information we can gather for the programme. This also gives us the opportunity to test all the equipment that works behind the scenes.”
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