Front ¾ view of the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R at the Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 20, 2024.
LONG BEACH, Calif. — Does the expression third time’s a charm apply to motorsports?
Cadillac Racing, which came away with runner-up finishes after earning the pole in the two previous IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship endurance races, capitalized on a third pole start to win the sprint race Saturday on the streets of Long Beach.
Renger van der Zande and Sebastien Bourdais, driving the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, held off the sister No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R driven by pole-sitter Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken by 0.564 of a second to secure Cadillac Racing’s sixth victory at Long Beach and 30th overall since joining IMSA’s prototype class in 2017.
The victory is the fifth at Long Beach for Bourdais, who teamed with van der Zande to win on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary circuit in 2022. The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, which registered its second runner-up finish, has qualified on pole in all three races.
In addition to the race win, leading 60 of the 68 laps and taking pole position, Cadillac Racing hybrid racecars paced the GTP field in both practice sessions.
“Congratulations to the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R team and drivers Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande for winning the hard-fought race on the streets of Long Beach. It was a strong effort all around with pole-sitter Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R earning their second runner-up finish in three races. A great day for Cadillac Racing at Long Beach," said Mark Stielow, GM director of motorsports competition.
Derani pitted from the lead for the lone time in the 100-minute race with 63 minutes remaining for fuel and left-side tires and gave way to Aitken, who was making his debut on the circuit. Inheriting the lead from Derani, Bourdais brought in the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R a lap later for service and handed driving duties to van der Zande. The Chip Ganassi Racing team decided not to change Michelin tires, and van der Zande was able to get the advantage on the out-lap over Aitken. They ran 1-2 the final 48 minutes.
Bourdais and van der Zande, who teamed with six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon to finish second in the 12-hour race last month at Sebring, sit second in the GTP points standings — 58 points behind the championship leader. The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R is third in points.
A Cadillac DPi won five consecutive races at Long Beach through 2022 (no event in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), including podium sweeps in ‘22 and ’21, to extend GM’s victory streak to seven in the event. A Chevrolet Corvette DP won the 2015 and ’16 races.
Cadillac Racing will look to successfully defend its victory at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca when IMSA returns to the Californian circuit for a 2-hour, 40-minute race on May 12.
Side view of the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R with drivers standing on the car celebrating their win on April 20, 2024.
Front ¾ view of the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R at the Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 20, 2024.