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WEC preview: Cadillac takes positive steps to Portugal

No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R team aims for continued improvement in second race of season
DETROIT (April 10, 2023) – Following an impressive debut of the hybrid Cadillac V-Series.R in the FIA World Endurance Championship, Cadillac Racing turns its attention to the opening leg of the European schedule and the 6 Hours of Portimão in Portugal this weekend.
Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook will share the driving duties of the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R In the 11-car Hypercar class on the Algarve International Circuit.
“It will be the first time we run the car in Europe. That will be a challenging weekend,” said Bamber after the team opened with a fourth place in the 1000 Mile of Sebring on March 17.
Its sister racecars – the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R and the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R – on Saturday will seek to give the iconic brand six consecutive victories on the streets of Long Beach, California, in the third race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. 
The 100-minute race is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn circuit.
The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R, co-driven by Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims and Jack Aitken, started from the pole and went on to claim the victory in the Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 18. It was Cadillac’s third consecutive win on the 3.741-mile, 17-turn course and first in the recast Grand Touring Prototype class.		Media resources
* French version of Portimão preview* Cadillac Racing driver bios, team info* Cadillac Racing car and driver photos* Cadillac Racing victory list, accolades* 6 Hours of Portimão entry list
“We have a solid car and we can’t wait to get to the rest of the WEC season and the IMSA season and show the world how great it is,” GM sports car racing program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser said. “Every time we turn the car on, we learn something. Whether if we move it or even if it sits still, we learn something, and the racing is the best way possible to learn. We can only grow and get better.”
The 6 Hours of Portimão will mark the third race for the No. 2 drivers in the new Cadillac V-Series.R powered by a 5.5-liter V-8 normally aspirated engine developed by GM’s Performance and Racing propulsion team paired with the spec energy recovery system. 
They opened with a fourth place in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January followed by the strong showing at Sebring International Raceway.
“We’ll keep giving it the same effort we’ve given it so far and try to build on this good result,” team manager and strategist Stephen Mitas said.
The WEC has visited the Algarve International Circuit once (June 2021) – an eight-hour race in which Westbrook co-drove a Hypercar entry with Ryan Briscoe and Romain Dumas that qualified 11th and placed 30th overall (54 laps behind). Bamber and Lynn have raced at the circuit in various formulas.
Completed in 2008, the racecourse has hosted the Formula One Portuguese Grand Prix, MotoGP and the Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals among other races and is an annual stop for the European Le Mans Series. Bamber observed that many of the circuit’s 15 turns have personality and that its undulating 4,653 kilometers (2.891 miles) length is akin to riding on a roller coaster.
Two free practices Friday and one Saturday totaling 150 minutes precede the 15-minute Hypercar qualifying session. Green flag for the 6 Hours of Portimão is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET/noon local Sunday.As announced late last month, a second Cadillac V-Series.R is entered for the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchampson April 29. Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande will drive the No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R.		Algarve International Circuit
Length: 4,653 kilometers(2,891 miles)Turns: 15Nature: Undulating road courseOpened: 2008Previous WEC visit: 2021
What they’re saying
Earl Bamber: “I’m very excited for Portugal. We had a great day in Sebring, fighting for a podium, and I think we all want to go one step higher and make it there this time. The team has been doing some really good preparation and I know we are going to make positive steps every race. It’s a learning process in the WEC, but we have all eyes forward to make it on to the podium.”
Alex Lynn: “It was a strong showing for the whole crew in Sebring, and we’re all excited to now get our European adventures started. This will be the first time competing with this car in Europe, and we’ve put a lot of time into understanding what the car needs, making efforts across the simulator and now it’s about executing a clean race. There is this big buildup to Le Mans, where we can score some serious points beforehand. We’re really looking forward to continuing to learn and carrying on with this strong momentum that this car and team has provided.”Richard Westbrook: “We had a lot of positives come out of our first WEC race — reliability, good points and we got a ton of data. With how our car was running, it is disappointing not to have come away with a podium finish at Sebring. But we are a brand-new WEC team and are still learning about the car and the WEC rules. It will be a bit of going into the unknown at Portimao because it is unlike any track we’ve raced on or tested on in the U.S. Still, I’m looking forward to the challenge and confident we’ll continue to score more solid points in the championship.”