| SEBRING, Fla. (March 19, 2022) – Cadillac DPi-V.Rs held four of the top five positions halfway through the 70th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R paced the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) class at the six-hour mark. The No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R was running third, while the No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R was fourth. The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R – the 2021 race winner – was a close fifth. “This race is brutal,” said reigning IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship driver champion Pipo Derani, a three-time overall winner of the race who drove the No. 31 Cadillac for Action Express Racing in qualifying to the outside of the front row. “You’re in the middle of the Florida heat, so the 12-hour race here is actually more demanding than the 24 hours at Daytona. It’s part of the job, and if you make it to the night, it cools off and you start to speed up again.” Cadillac has won three of the five 12-hour races on the 3.741-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway in the DPi era. Cadillac last swept the podium in 2017. The No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R, which started from the pole after Sebastien Bourdais recorded a qualifying lap-record time of 1 minute, 45.116 seconds, experienced a gearbox issue early on and was several laps down. Live coverage of the race continues on Peacock and USA Network through the checkered flag shortly after 10 p.m. ET. Driver quotes following early stints: |
| No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais, Ryan Hunter-Reay (start first) Steve Eriksen (team manager): “We took the No. 01 to the garage and changed the gearbox after having downshifting problems. We tried a number of counter measures in the pits to correct, but later realized we needed to change the whole gearbox to eliminate the issue.” Chip Ganassi about having split pits between the Nos. 01 and 02 cars, with Corvette Racing in between: “With so many cars coming in and going out, the last thing we want to do is have one of our team cars be in the pits and hinder the other car coming in or having to wait another lap. So, it’s good that they’re split. They’re close enough to communicate.” No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Neel Jani (start fourth) Lynn: “The Cadillac is handling really well. No issues right now and the car is all in one piece thankfully. This race naturally grows in intensity, so we’ll keep ourselves calm and the car in one piece, then incrementally step it up.” No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)Pipo Derani, Tristan Nunez, Mike Conway (start second) Derani: “Sebring is fantastic; it’s always a pleasure to drive around this track, especially with a fantastic car like the Cadillac. It’s a hot day, so pacing yourself will be worth it toward the end of the race. I have a great team and I’m enjoying the moment. It’s great to have the ability to share information with the 48 team for the end of the race. We just have to get there.” Nunez: “It was a tricky stint out there in the heat and the traffic. It’s got to be about 130 (degrees) in the car. The team has given me a good car. Had some back luck on the out lap on the second stint; I felt a little hip check on the exit of Turn 1 but we recovered and ended up fine. Will get ready for the next one.” No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)Mike Rockenfeller, Kamui Kobayashi, Jose Maria Lopez (start fifth) Rockenfeller: “The start was good. The car is excellent and I’m very happy. It’s brutal in traffic. We didn’t have any (full-course) yellow, so it was two stints flat out. I think we have a good car and just take care of it till the end.” Lopez: “The car felt great and I was able to pick up the pace and get back in the lead. I’m very comfortable with the car. We have time. I think we have a car to fight at the end.” Kobayashi: “I was happy with the car, moved to the front and everything was working good. It’s tough going in the afternoon, and I know we have a good car for the night part of the race and be there to challenge for the win.” No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R (JDC-Miller MotorSports)Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook, Loic Duval (start 10th overall, seventh in class) Vautier: “The car is not bad at all. The start of the race was about management and we had to start with the qualifying tires that were damaged from the skid, so I had to be very conservative and make sure we keep the four tires safe. There was vibration and no grip. Traffic is sketchy, especially at the start of the race with those drivers with less experience in those LMP3 and LMP2 cars. I think we have a good car for the night, so head down and be there when it matters.” Westbrook: “It was typical Sebring during the day. Just hold your own and the real racing will start later. It’s a good car, had some good passes. To survive this place of the race is so important to be there at the end, but that is easier said than done. There’s so much traffic. Everyone, for the most part, has been respectful of the upper classes, so it’s been nice racing.” |