Cadillac Heads to Petit Le Mans in Championship Hunt

Whelen Engineering Cadillac in contention for DPi title

2021-11-09

The Whelen Engineering Cadillac team is in the hunt for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar DPi Championship heading into the season finale Petit Le Mans to run at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Nov. 10-13

Whelen Engineering’s Nasr and Derani second in drivers’ points standings
Cadillac leads manufacturer battle
V-Performance Academy Cadillac looking for second win
Mustang Sampling Cadillac all French line-up

Whelen Engineering Cadillac drivers Felipe Nasr and Pipo Derani and the Action Express Racing team sit just 19 points out of the IMSA WeatherTech Championship driver and team points lead. With points awarded for qualifying, pole sitter is awarded 35 points, the team will have to unload with a fast No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R. Mike Conway will return as the third driver for the team as they attempt to win the Championship which they last won in 2018.

“I’m really excited to be heading into the last race at Petit Le Mans with a real chance of winning this Championship,” Derani said. “We’ve won this race in the past, so the Whelen Engineering Cadillac is going to be very competitive. We’re looking forward to this race because it’s one of the most fun tracks to drive. It’s really fast. The race is going to start midday and we’re going to have a lot of nighttime driving this year. It’s going to be a very interesting race with a Championship on the line. We want to win the race. We’re going with that mindset. We’ve won the last three out of four races. If we win the race, it’s going to guarantee us the Championship. Hopefully, it’s going to be a good weekend. We’re proud to be heading into the last race with a real chance of fighting for this Championship, especially after the difficult beginning to the season."

Kevin Magnussen will be making his last start in the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R at Petit. Along with teammate Renger van der Zande, the Chip Ganassi run team is looking to add another win to go along with their lone victory of the season in Detroit. Six-time IndyCar Champion Scott Dixon returns to the team as the third driver for Petit.

“Petit Le Mans is a fantastic race. It is fast and finishes in the dark,” van der Zande said. “I’ve won it twice. At the tracks you do well, you tend to love to race there, that is how it is with Petit Le Mans for me. If I have to pick one event which is pure motorsport in North America Petit Le Mans is at the top. It is hard racing. There is always something happening. The Chip Ganassi Racing team has been testing there, so we are prepared. There is always fuel savings and some fast racing there, so we will have to control ourselves for the final segment. We are looking to finish the season on a high note.”

JDC-Miller Motorsports reunites the French Connection with Tristan Vautier and Loic Duval joined again by Sebastien Bourdais in the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac. The trio won Sebring in March and are looking to add another win on the season when the green flag drops at 10:10 a.m. ET on Saturday.

“I’ve been looking forward to Petit Le Mans,” Vautier said. “It is one of the trickiest races of the year. It is a narrow track and managing the traffic can be a challenge. Racing for 10 hours you have to be on guard. We are not sure what the weather conditions will be, could see rain and some cold and it will be dark longer as well. As a team we had a strong Long Beach. We were able to test at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta and hopefully with that data we can continue our podium streak from Long Beach. Lot on the line for Cadillac with the 31-car competing for the championship. We will focus on our race but help them if we can.”

The No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R returns with seven-time NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson, WEC Champion Kamui Kobayashi, and IndyCar Champion Simon Pagenaud. The team has been a factor at the front of the field but is still looking for their first podium finish of their four-race IMSA WeatherTech season.

“I am really excited for this weekend’s race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta,” Johnson said. “I really enjoyed the two days of testing we had there a few weeks back. Although I have been there before in a Cup car, the lap times were about 20-23 seconds a lap slower than what I experienced in the Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R. So, the two days were very useful to me to learn the racetrack and get a good feel for things. There is also a new wrinkle with the race being held in mid-November with daylight savings time and the early sunset. We will be spending a majority of the race driving at night. There is really no lighting around it [the track]. We have to rely on the lighting from the 48 Cadillac and our competitors. Daytona is really my only experience driving at night. A lot of new lessons to be learned coming at Road Atlanta. We have an amazing team we are running with and some great drivers running with me in Kamui and Simon. We will also be pulling for the 31 Cadillac in the Championship as well.”

Cadillac Motul Petit Le Mans Driver Line-up:

No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R, Renger van der Zande, Kevin Magnussen, Scott Dixon
No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R, Tristan Vautier, Loic Duval, Sebastien Bourdais
No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, Felipe Nasr, Pipo Derani, Mike Conway
No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R, Jimmie Johnson, Kamui Kobayashi, Simon Pagenaud

The 24th Annual Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta will be broadcast live starting at noon ET Saturday, Nov. 13 on NBC before moving to NBCSN at 3 p.m. through the race conclusion. Nonstop coverage is also available on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold and IMSA Radio (XM 202, SiriusXM Online 992).

Image credit: Cadillac/Richard Prince

Cadillac DPi-V.R racing history, 2021, Whelen Engineering Cadillac posts wins at Long Beach, Road America, and the WeatherTech 240 at The Glen. Chip Ganassi Racing won their first race with Cadillac at the Detroit Grand Prix. The Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R won the Sebring 12 hours. In the season opener Rolex 24 At Daytona, the Ally Cadillac team placed second with NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson.

The 2020 season saw the Konica Minolta Cadillac team win the season opening Rolex 24 At Daytona and post a win at Petit Le Mans. The Whelen Engineering team won Sebring in July. The Konica Minolta Cadillac team won the IMSA Endurance Cup championship.

In 2019 Konica Minolta Cadillac took the win at the season opening Rolex 24 Hour At Daytona, the Whelen Engineering Cadillac squad followed that up by winning the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The Mustang Sampling Cadillac team also posted a win at Long Beach on the year.

The 2018 season saw the Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R win the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona; Cadillac won the IMSA Prototype Manufacturer Championship; Whelen Engineering Cadillac drivers Eric Curran and Felipe Nasr win IMSA Prototype Drivers' Championship; Whelen Engineering Cadillac wins the IMSA Prototype Team Championship; Cadillac wins Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup (TPNAEC) Manufacturer Championship; Whelen Engineering Cadillac drivers Eric Curran and Felipe Nasr win TPNAEC Drivers' Championship; Whelen Engineering Cadillac wins TPNAEC team championship.

In 2017 Cadillac teams won every title in the inaugural season of the IMSA DPi formula including: Cadillac wins DPi manufacturer championship; Cadillac wins TPNAEC (Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup) manufacturer title; Jordan and Ricky Taylor 2017 IMSA WeatherTech DPi driver champions; Konica Minolta Cadillac team champions; Mustang Sampling Cadillac drivers Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi and Filipe Albuquerque won the TPNAEC DPi driver championship; Mustang Sampling Cadillac won the TPNAEC DPi team championship; Whelen Engineering drivers Dane Cameron and Eric Curran finish second in the driver's championship; Mustang Sampling Cadillac drivers Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi finish third in the driver's championship; Cadillac teams combine to win seven races in 2017: Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona, Twelve Hours of Sebring, Long Beach, Circuit of the Americas, Detroit, Watkins Glen, and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

A leading luxury auto brand since 1902,Cadillac is growing globally, driven by an expanding product portfolio that features distinctive design and technology. Today Cadillac is growing globally, driven by an expanding product portfolio featuring distinctive design and technology. More information on Cadillac appears at www.cadillac.com. Cadillac's media website with information, images and video can be found at media.cadillac.com.

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