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IMSA at CTMP: Tough day for Cadillac in Canada

No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R retains championship points lead
BOWMANVILLE, Ontario (July 9, 2023) – The silver lining Sunday for Cadillac Racing in the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is that the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R retained the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Grand Touring Prototype driver and team points lead.
Pipo Derani and Alexander Sims, who started on the inside of Row 2 in the hybrid Cadillac racecar for the scheduled 2-hour, 40-minute sprint, finished seventh in the race that ended under caution due to an incident with 4 minutes, 50 seconds left involving the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R.
The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, which qualified fourth with Sebastien Bourdais behind the wheel, was pushed off the racing surface into the grass and made heavy nose-first contact with the tire barrier in Turn 8 on the 2.459-mile course.
Renger van der Zande exited the car under his own power and was checked at the infield care center. The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R was classified ninth. The No. 60 Acura ARX-06 took the checkered flag.
Sims recorded the fastest lap of the race of the GTP contenders at 1 minute, 07.422 seconds on Lap 96 of 120. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R holds a 10-point lead over the No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8. Cadillac paces the GTP Manufacturer standings by 47 points.
The next IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP race is Sunday, Aug. 6, on the 4-mile, 14-turn Road America course. Cadillac Racing will participate in a two-day IMSA-sanctioned test July 28-29 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in preparation for the mid-September race on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course that incorporates sections of the famous oval.
No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.RPipo Derani: “We just weren’t lucky with the yellows today. We proved we had the pace, were quick in every sector of the track, but after being pushed wide on the final restart we weren’t able to recover in time to challenge for the podium. Tough hit on championship points, but we’re still in the lead and we’ll move on to Road America to try to increase the lead.”
Alexander Sims: “We had a good car throughout the race and were very competitive but got caught by yellow flags today. It was just one of those days that you have to fight through to stay on course for the championship.”
No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.RRenger van der Zande: “This was a tough result today for our Cadillac team. You never want to retire late in the race, but thankfully I’m OK and we can look to what lies ahead. Our team has made it clear that we will always dust ourselves off and push forward, no matter the circumstances.”