Uncategorized

Cadillac secures front-row starting spot at Road America

Alex Lynn, Earl Bamber to take green flag for 2-hour, 40-minute race from second position
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Aug. 6, 2022) – Alex Lynn delivered a front-row start for Cadillac Racing for the 2-hour, 40-minute IMSA Fastlane SportsCar Weekend race Aug. 7.
Lynn drove the No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R to a best lap of 1 minute, 49.097 seconds on the 4.048-mile, 14-turn Road America natural-terrain course to claim the second spot in the 15-minute qualifying session.
“I think our car was ballistic today,” said Lynn, who will alternate in the seat with Earl Bamber. “We had a car that was good enough to be on pole, and big thanks to our 02 crew. Tomorrow is a new day and we’re going to go for the win.”
Race day could deliver different track conditions than the ambient 85-degree Fahrenheit and 130-degree track temperatures during qualifying. The forecast is for a 70 percent chance of rain with a high of 79 for the late-morning green flag (11:30 a.m. ET on Peacock and noon on USA).
“Tomorrow is a going to be a different day and I’m quite excited to race in the wet,” added Lynn. “The Cadillac is definitely the car to have in mixed conditions, so from our side we haven’t had a wet race all year so why not?”
Richard Westbrook drove the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R to the fourth starting position, while Olivier Pla qualified fifth in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R. Filipe Albuquerque, driving the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura, earned the pole with a best lap of 1:48.915.
Sebastien Bourdais looked to be on a pole-challenging lap late in the session before sliding in Turn 14 and the No. 01 V-Performance Cadillac DPi-V.R making left-side contact with the tire barrier. Bourdais was checked at the infield medical center and cleared to drive.
“The car was wonderful,” said Bourdais, who will start sixth as he shares driving duties with Renger van der Zande. “The guys gave us a rocket ship again. I did one prep lap and went for it. Essentially, it was a clean lap, and I was going really strong. Probably lit up all the sectors. Just got to that last corner and I got in there with quite a bit more speed and took the bump and the front just jumped on the white line and I just sabotaged myself. From there, once you’re on the white line and touch the grass it’s no getting past it.”
Bourdais and van der Zande won the last IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race – July 3 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park – from the sixth starting position. The No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R drivers have secured three podiums, including two wins, in the past three races.
Cadillac Racing has registered two podium finishes in each of the past two years at Road America.
Cadillac Racing lineup, starting position and quotes
No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)Earl Bamber, Alex LynnLynn drove in the qualifying session (start second, 1:49.097): “I think our car was ballistic today. We had a car that was good enough to be on pole, and big thanks to our 02 crew. Tomorrow is a new day and we’re going to go for the win. Tomorrow is a going to be a different day and I’m quote excited to race in the wet. The Cadillac is definitely the car to have in mixed conditions, so from our side we haven’t had a wet race all year so why not?”Car chief-Jamie CoatesLead engineer-Danielle ShephardRace strategist-Michael Harvey
No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R (JDC-Miller MotorSports)Tristan Vautier, Richard WestbrookWestbrook drove in the qualifying session (start fourth, 1:50.322): “We struggled yesterday with the balance of the car, so we threw everything at it today and completely changed the setup. It was going into the unknown a bit but a pleasant surprise. In some areas, we cured some of our understeer issues, which has been bugging us for the last three races. That was really encouraging. But we had a bit of a braking issue. In the end, happy with the position but never happy with the gap to the front row. I’ve never driven one of these monsters in the wet, but I love the rain, which is obviously no surprise being from England. I know from the Ford GT days it’s all about switching that tire on in the rain. I love a challenge.”Car chief-Josh KerriganLead engineer-Rick CameronRace strategist-John Church
No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)Pipo Derani, Olivier PlaPla drove in the qualifying session (start fifth, 1:50.369): “Obviously, not what we were expecting in qualifying. Tomorrow is a different day with different conditions, so we’ll have to see if the rain helps us. We’ll take what we have and try to do the best.”Car chief-Bill KeulerTechnical director/lead engineer-Iain WattRace strategist-Tim Keene
No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)Renger van der Zande, Sebastien BourdaisBourdais drove in the qualifying session (start sixth). “It’s a real shame. The car was wonderful. The guys gave us a rocket ship again. I did one prep lap and went for it. Essentially, it was a clean lap, and I was going really strong. Probably lit up all the sectors. Just got to that last corner and I got in there with quite a bit more speed and took the bump and the front just jumped on the white line and I just sabotaged myself. From there, once you’re on the white line and touch the grass it’s no getting past it. Tomorrow is obviously going to be a different scenario. We knew that all along and we focused on qualifying because the fry on full tanks wasn’t really a priority. We knew it was going to be wet tomorrow and the goal was to start on pole with a clear view. Now we have some work to do.”Car chief-Phil BinksLead engineer-John HennekRace strategist-Peter Baron