| Cadillac V-Series.Rs qualify third and fourth for the 2-hour, 40-minute sprint |
| BOWMANVILLE, Ontario (July 8, 2023) – Cadillac Racing will occupy the second row for the start of the Chevrolet Grand Prix on Sunday at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Pipo Derani, driving the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R, posted a quick lap of 1 minute, 05.829 seconds to qualify third in the nine IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Grand Touring Prototype field. Derani’s best lap of 10 on the 2.459-mile circuit was 0.176 of a second off the pole-claiming lap of the No. 60 Acura ARX-06 driven by Tom Blomqvist and 0.095 of a second from a front-row start. |
| Sebastien Bourdais followed 2 minutes later in the 20-minute session with a lap of 1:06.266 in the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R to claim the outside of Row 2 for the 2-hour-40-minute race. Bourdais and Renger van der Zande will seek to successfully defend their 2022 victory in the twilight of the DPi era. The tandem is fourth in the GTP standings through five races. Derani, who drove to a third-place finish last year at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, and teammate Alexander Sims are coming off a runner-up finish two weeks ago at Watkins Glen International that vaulted the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R into the GTP Driver and Team Championship standings. Cadillac leads the GTP Manufacturer Championship. NBC will telecast the Chevrolet Grand Prix at noon ET Sunday, with additional coverage in the U.S. on Peacock Premium. Live broadcast of the race will also be on IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com and SiriusXM (XM 207, Internet/App 992). What they’re saying |
| No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.RPipo Derani drove in the 20-minute qualifying session with a best lap of 1:05.829: “I think we did a good job from free practice 2 to qualifying. The car was really good yesterday, and we tried a couple of things that didn’t go as planned for practice 2. We were able to turn the tables around again and come back to qualifying with a strong car. To be that close to the Acuras after what they displayed in practice 2, I think it shows that we are on the right path. So, thanks to the team for providing me with a good car. Starting on the second row is good, especially on a track that is difficult to pass. We have a strong package for the race and I’m looking forward to the 2-hour, 40-minute race and add points to our championship lead.” No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.RSebastien Bourdais drove in the 20-minute qualifying session with a best lap of 1:06.266: “It’s a good Cadillac day. Pipo (Derani) put a very strong lap out there to get P3. The competition up front seems to be strong, but it’s close enough that things will equal out in the race. It will be interesting and hopefully we have a flawless day and just get it done. |