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Cadillac at Road Atlanta: Championship aspirations

10-hour Motul Petit Le Mans holds keys to manufacturer, Cadillac V-Series.R titles
DETROIT (Oct. 10, 2023) – Cadillac Racing’s objective in the 26th Motul Petit Le Mans is clear cut: finish strong to reap championship rewards.
To achieve the goal of holding the hardware at the conclusion of 10 hours of exhilarating and often stress-inducing racing Oct. 14 will require finishing ahead of the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) competition. 
The points are that tight entering the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season finale on the 2.54-mile, 12-turn natural terrain Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta course that opened in 1970.
Cadillac Racing sits atop the standings in three of four categories:* GTP Driver/Team Championship: The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R holds a three-point lead. Pipo Derani and Alexander Sims teamed with Jack Aitken to win at Sebring and have scored two other podium finishes and two pole starts. Points are accumulated by GTP qualifying position and race finish.
* IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup: Cadillac Racing paces the GTP manufacturer field entering the fourth race of the series buoyed by the win (Sebring) and runner-up (Watkins Glen) of the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R and the third-place finish (Daytona) of the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R driven by Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande and Scott Dixon. The No. 31 Cadillac leads the Team/Driver Championship by five points, with additional points awaiting at the four-, eight- and 10-hour marks.
* IMSA GTP Manufacturer Champion: Cadillac Racing held the top spot until the most recent round at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and is eight points arrears. Points are added through GTP qualifying position and race result.		Cadillac Racing media resources* Race guide: Storylines, bios, statistics, a look at the hybrid GTP car and more* Did you know? Petit Le Mans race notes* Inside look: Title contender Pipo Derani previews raceCadillac V-Series.R featured in Forza Motorsport game released today. Video preview
Cadillac Racing is aiming for its fourth IMSA Manufacturer Championship and fifth IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Manufacturer Championship since 2017. Cadillac Racing has also recorded three Driver/Team Championships, four IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Driver Championships and two IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Team Championships since 2017.
Derani is seeking his second Driver Championship since 2021.
“It’s going to be an amazing last race in the first year of GTP, which I think is great for the fans and the sport that we arrive with the four manufacturers fighting for the championship,” said Derani, who co-drove to runner-up finishes in the 10-hour race the past two years and won in 2019. “You have to go for the win because that’s the only way to guarantee you the championship win, so it’s going to be interesting. We wanted to arrive here with a much bigger lead, but I believe others have the same thought where during different parts of the season they gave points like we did.”
Peacock will provide flag-to-flag coverage Saturday for U.S. residents (IMSA.com/TVLive outside the U.S.) starting at 11:35 a.m. ET. USA will telecast the race from 6:30-10 p.m. Peacock and IMSA.com/TVLive will air qualifications Friday at 3:15 p.m. IMSA Radio will broadcast qualifying and the race on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com. The race broadcast on SiriusXM begins at 11 a.m. Saturday (XM 207 and web/app 992). Spectators can also tune in to 98.1 FM.
See the 2024 V-Series lineup
Spectators can view the exciting 2024 Cadillac V-Series vehicle portfolio at the Cadillac display in the midway. Vehicles include the track-capable Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, CT4-V Blackwing, Escalade-V, and CT5-V and CT4-V sport sedans. The special Road Atlanta Track Edition CT4-V will also be on display.
Display hours are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday and 8:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Saturday.What they’re sayingNo. 01 Cadillac V-Series.RSebastien Bourdais: “Looking forward to the last event. It’s been a weird season for the 01 Cadillac, so it would be good to finish on a high note and get the manufacturer championship for Cadillac. It’s a long race and you have the car balanced for the day and night. A fast car during the daytime doesn’t necessarily translate to being fast in the closing hour when it counts. This track is always adding an extra factor of getting comfortable to be able to go fast, and that confidence doesn’t come easy because it’s a very flowing track but also has quick corners that require commitment. So, the confidence level needs to be there to challenge the car to get it to that level. It is even more tricky when you add the traffic component.”
Renger van der Zande: “Road Atlanta never disappoints; it’s always a big show. In America, if you want to see pure racing, Petit Le Mans is the one to watch. I’m looking forward to it. Our test days (in late September) are really helpful in understanding the car – not only for Petit Le Mans but also for next year. We’re still developing the car. It’s the last race of the season, where you really want to shine. (As a two-time winner) I know this place, so hopefully we’ll have a similar result.”
Scott Dixon: “I’m really looking forward to Petit. It’s a fun, but difficult race. The confines of the track are pretty tight and then you’ve got a lot of issues from Turn 3 down the Esses into Turn 5. It can create some action, so you definitely have to be on your toes to make sure you give people space and not try to hurt the car. It’s a fun track and a crazy race, one that we’ve led lots of times but just haven’t won it. It’s one of the toughest races of the IMSA season. We’re with a great team with great teammates. Hopefully, we can keep it in one piece and finish off the season well.”
No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.RPipo Derani: “It’s going to be an amazing last race in the first year of GTP, which I think is great for the fans and the sport that we arrive with the four manufacturers fighting for the championship. You have to go for the win because that’s the only way to guarantee you the championship win, so it’s going to be interesting. We wanted to arrive here with a much bigger lead, but I believe others have the same thought where during different parts of the season they gave points like we did. You’re trying to have a good car during the day, but even more important now than before is a car that will react well at the end of the race. The gap now compared to the DPi is much bigger because we have so many more things to work on this car than the DPi, so there are so many more things that will influence for better or worse in the race.”
Alexander Sims: “It was good to get laps and get a feeling for the track and car and start getting an understanding of the tire (during late September test). Going into the last race is rather exciting with the situation in the championship. It creates a great story, and you understand the importance of a single position change come the end of the race. With this being my third full season in IMSA, I know too well that races can turn on their head in the blink of an eye. We can only control what we can control and do the best job possible, managing risks accordingly during the race.”
Jack Aitken: “I’m enjoying working again with the whole crew. Luckily, I hadn’t been away too long, so it didn’t take too long to get back up to speed. The championship situation is an interesting one because we have three different situations. In endurance, we are leading comfortably and just need to finish it. In overall, we are leading but it’s very tight and it’s basically a winner-take-all situation. And in the manufacturer championship, we need to make up a bit of a deficit. We’ll just try to have a clean race weekend and show the speed that we know we have and that should put us in the mix for the win.”