| Expanded GTP program brings together experienced, championship-winning driver lineup |
| DETROIT (Jan. 9, 2025) – Cadillac Racing started the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season with a track record in earning the pole and runner-up finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and closed the campaign with a track record in earning the pole and overall victory in the Motul Petit Le Mans. Three Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) entries will aim to improve on the season-opening result January 25-26 in the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona by giving Cadillac Racing its fifth victory in the twice-around-the-clock race on the 3.56-mile, 12-turn Daytona International Speedway course. |
| Cadillac Racing has totaled 12 podium finishes, including the overall victories in 2017-2020 and 1-2 sweeps in 2017, ’18 and ‘19, since joining IMSA prototype competition in 2017. With experienced, championship-winning teams and drivers buoyed by the strong 5.5-liter DPHC V8 engine package, prospects are bright for all three entries being in the mix for the pole and overall victory. The heralded return of Wayne Taylor Racing to the Cadillac sports car racing program along with Action Express Racing, which will mark its 14th consecutive year with GM, and all-star driver rosters complement the on-track storylines. Four current drivers have won the Rolex 24 At Daytona with Cadillac Racing in DPi competition: Kamui Kobayashi (2018, 2019), Ricky Taylor (2017), Filipe Albuquerque (2018) and Jordan Taylor (2017, 2019). |  Media assets* Resource guide (notes, driver CVs, background)* Rolex 24 storylines, story ideas* Cadillac DPi/GTP results* Cadillac 2024 IMSA statistics* By the numbers* IMSA Jan. 8 teleconference transcript |
| Additionally, the 12-driver lineup represents seven FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar/LM1 titles, 11 24 Hours of Le Mans overall/class victories, six Twelve Hours of Sebring victories and three IMSA/Grand-Am prototype championships. On-track activity begins January 17 with the three-day Roar Before the 24, with teams returning for practice and qualifications January 23. Cadillac Racing led all GTP manufacturers with six poles in the nine races in 2024 and swept the front row three times, including at Daytona with the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R setting the pace with a Grand Touring Prototype track-record lap time. The team went on to record the second-place finish. |
| Peacock (U.S.) and IMSA’s YouTube channel will stream qualifications at 2:05 p.m. ET Thursday, Jan. 23. Coverage of the Rolex 24 At Daytona starts at 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Jan. 25, on NBC, with continuing network coverage on USA from 2:30-6:30 p.m. NBC will pick up the broadcast at noon Sunday, Jan. 26, for the finish. Peacock (U.S.) and IMSA’s YouTube channel will stream the entirety of the race along with the IMSA Radio broadcast at IMSA.com, Sirius 211/XM 207, locally at 93.5 FM/1150 AM and 107.9 FM at the track.What they’re saying Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing (No. 10)Ricky Taylor, full season driver: “Usually, the Roar is a qualifying weekend so the focus is a bit more distracted, whereas this year we can focus on what is important for the race and learn our new car over the entire test. The car was very nice to drive in November. I still feel like we know very little about it and have a lot to learn. The main surprise was how differently two manufacturers approached the same problem of adapting to hybrid racing. Both strong approaches, but very different.” Filipe Albuquerque, full season driver: “The first impression with the Cadillac V-Series.R and the people was great, but it also means there is a lot to do on the car and fine-tuning, getting to know everybody, to learn the car, to find new ways to adapt to the car — especially for the WTR drivers since we are almost all new to the car. So, we will need to take every minute on the track to learn and to be ready for the race, and even during the race we will be learning about the car. But that’s part of the game, so we are just excited to go on and get to the job.” Will Stevens, IMEC driver: “I can’t wait to get the season going to be honest. Our first test back in November seems a long time ago now and I feel we are ready to get this season underway. It’s always nice to have a break over Christmas and the New Year to recharge the batteries ahead of a new season but I am raring to go now. At the Roar, you can just focus on making sure we are covering everything we need to as a team before we start the race week. Previously, you always have an eye on qualifying and that ultimately takes some focus away from just getting through everything so it will make the Roar a nice build up for sure.” Brendon Hartley, Rolex 24 At Daytona driver: “Kicking 2025 off with the Roar is hard to beat. It feels like heading back to a family gathering with WTR but with excitement of a new toy in the garage. I am yet to drive the Cadillac so the Roar will be important for me to get a few laps to learn all the systems and get up to speed. I’m looking forward to it.” Cadillac Whelen (No. 31) |
| Jack Aitken, full season driver: “It’s going to be bittersweet to come back after last year. I think Daytona is a great way to start the season because you come straight into one of the most important races of the year and you have to be on your A game from the get go. I hope that we can be in the mix again and go one better.” Earl Bamber, full season driver: “I love this race and I’m hunting my first win there. I’m looking forward to joining Whelen for the whole year because I really love the IMSA paddock and the IMSA racing style. When you look at the category, it’s so competitive. With what Cadillac is doing behind the scenes, the amount of development, I think we have a really good chance to win.” Frederik Vesti, IMEC driver: “I’ve been looking forward for a few months to get going with Cadillac and the whole Action Express Racing team after the November test. Coming back will be very exciting. Having done a test at Daytona is really crucial as a team and as a driver, especially for me who is a rookie at every race this year. The test was really positive and I’m looking forward to learning more during the first weekend at the track.” Felipe Drugovich, Rolex 24 At Daytona driver: “The test in November was good for me as I was never on any type of banking like that and getting used to the car again, which is different from anything I drive. Last year I did Le Mans with Cadillac and this team and it was something I really enjoyed doing and I’ll enjoy the Daytona 24 with this group. It will be a good experience for me to drive in my second 24-hour race and I’m looking forward to the challenge.” Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing (No. 40)Jordan Taylor, full season driver: “The Roar is always a fun weekend in Daytona. You get to catch up with all the guys after the off-season and see a lot of familiar faces in the paddock. I think for us, it will mainly be about getting mileage in our new Cadillac V-Series.R and understanding which knobs we need to twist and turn to get the performance out of it. We have some new drivers coming back into the team as well, so it’ll be good to get everyone together for the first time and start gelling together. I think the approach for us is the same as always. The level of competition has always been high and our job has always been to maximize what we have and what we have control of. Having said that, as the competition gets stronger, the success is always sweeter.” Louis Deletraz, full season driver: “The GTP class keeps increasing in terms of level. You definitely cannot rest; you have to keep working hard. I think that’s something Cadillac Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing do very well; always working hard and trying to stay ahead of the game and be the best possible on track because the competitors won’t give any presents. I think that is even more exciting and rewarding for drivers. At the test in November, the first time I jumped in the Cadillac V-Series.R, I think the sound of the car — as many fans know is incredible — is even better from inside the car. Working with Cadillac Racing has been great and a very smooth integration. We are all trying to help each other and learn and move forward as fast as we can to be fast as possible on track which is all that matters. That’s actually very exciting. The car has been really fun to drive. It has been fast and has potential to do more.” Alex Lynn, IMEC driver: “Really looking forward to Daytona 2025. It’s always a great race to start the season. I think joining Wayne Taylor Racing again, it’s a team that has a lot of success and a team that turns up to every race fighting to try to win and that’s what I am about as a driver. I’m looking forward to getting out there and helping the No. 40 car fight for a Daytona victory.” Kamui Kobayashi, Rolex 24 At Daytona driver: “I am looking forward to this year at Daytona. We will push hard. The Rolex 24 is never easy, but WTR always has the best car and we have a great opportunity to win if we make no mistakes. This team knows how to win this race. It is my first time in the LMDh car and the hybrid is very different. Daytona’s schedule gives us time to understand the car. If we understand the car, we will be alright. I have big confidence in Wayne Taylor and his organization. His driver lineup is very strong and the Cadillac knows performance.” |
A big move for the team heading into 2025 as the is the shift back to Cadillac. How excited are you for that move and how has testing gone so far getting used to this new V-Series.R?Filipe Albuquerque: “Super excited about the new project that we are embracing as a group. Sometimes when you switch something, it’s like the drivers, the team or whatever. It’s never everything stays the same. The team, the drivers, the engineers, and you just swap the car. It’s almost like sell your old car and buy a new brand-new car. It’s a big switch for us because it’s a lot of people nowadays working directly on a car. We are excited, motivated, but as well overwhelming with the amount of things that we have to do. And, obviously, with the limited testing that is allowed, we have to use really well the Roar to check all the points. But, again, looking back when we were back in fighting against Cadillac, I think we were always looking at Cadillac as the ones that were the most consistent through all the tracks through all the season. So, they were always fighting for the championship, so very consistent in the last two years and hell of a performance in qualifying. So, it’s looking nice and I’m super excited to go to Daytona next week.”
Louis Deletraz has been on the podium for all three of his previous Rolex 24 Daytona starts. So, how do you how do you keep that podium streak alive and maybe take one more step on the podium?Louis Deletraz: “I’m very excited as Philipe said for the whole new program and joining Cadillac. I think they’ve been so strong competitors in the past that we’re very happy to be with them. And it’s a lot of work, obviously. I’ve been three times on the podium, never won Daytona. We all want that very much. The team has been working extremely hard. They have had very busy days because of the new project. They’re putting all the chances on our side to try and go and win. First, we have to go to the end of the race and have a fast car, and then the last cars will fight very hard on track.”Given your experience with Cadillac DPIs, does any of that knowledge transfer over to this LMDH car or is it kind of like a clean sheet of paper from your side of things?Filipe Albuquerque: “The feeling is actually like how the Cadillac puts the power down and how the response of the throttle is to the wheel. It resembles the 2017 DPI car when I first drove. I think that’s the biggest difference as well for this car and how we all had to adapt a little bit, but actually in a good way, how the power down is. And that’s nice. Very easy as well to deal with some of the functions. Obviously, I don’t want to get into details here, but it resembles a lot to the DPi.” What were your first impressions of the Cadillac V-Series.R versus the Accura that you’ve been driving before?Louis Deletraz: “It may not be surprising, but the first time on the outlap opening full throttle on the banking at Daytona in November was a great moment to hear the sound so nice inside the car and that it feels fast even on an outlap. So, that was pretty cool. Overall, driving-wise, I would say you can very much use your feelings. It’s not so complicated. It just gives you good feedback and it brakes when you brake. It has very good traction. Obviously, we’re just had two days with the car. We tried to learn and change a lot of things on the cars, trying to understand and be as ready as possible for Daytona. But I think what is also very interesting is the fact that a lot of the drivers in the lineup have driven different GTPs and it’s very cool to exchange and talk together about it and see different feelings because you can see different mentalities and where you can actually improve. It seems like it’s very easy to set up. It’s easy to adapt in a number of conditions.” Do you already feel that sense with the Cadillac as well from your limited time behind the wheel?Louis Deletraz: “Maybe it’s a good to say it’s easy, but definitely the feedback you get from the car is very nice. When you feel something, it’s very straightforward. When you try something, gives you that feedback and it’s a real racecar. So, it feels nice to drive and usually that makes you go fast. So, I quite like the Cadillac.” There’s still going to be competition between the WTR cars and the Action Express car. But do you feel there’s of a synergy versus a pair of single-car Cadillac teams?Filipe Albuquerque: “Back in the time in the DPi, it was pretty obvious. Actually, when I did the switch between Action Express and WTR, the tension was there. But I think that’s in the past, and a lot of people have changed as well. And I think because WTR went to different manufacturer, it’s kind of cooled down those tensions maybe, at least for now, before we start. It’s like friendship, like it’s going on and they are being super helpful for us because we have a guideline from Cadillac that it’s one team, one goal. Besides, we are going to be racing against Louis in the 40 car, we need to as well to respect the 31 car. So, we’re going to be treating each other the same. And we have the group chat with all the drivers. I think when everyone is together and pushing for one direction, I think it just tends to be healthy. It looks fantastic to be honest so far.” Filipe, you drove for Cadillac from 2017 to 2020, but never obviously with Wayne Taylor Racing when they were Cadillac. And we’ve heard Wayne Taylor say Cadillac is like family to him and the team. What’s your perspective like on that?Filipe Albuquerque: “It’s interesting how a lot of people are still around associated with the brand. I do remember to be very comfortable with the car driving style that was in the past, which it seems to be tending to the same feeling, like nice power down on the rear axle. Once again, that strong engine from Cadillac resembles a lot. Working with Dallara as well coming back. Actually, a funny story is when I went back to the Dallara simulator in Indianapolis, I met the guys that they are still doing the seat fit and I had my box there. I could see the box with my name with some gloves that I left there from the past, five years ago. We just picked up where we left off and the good people are still around. Obviously, there are more people now because there is now the electric part of the car, which in the past there was not. But it’s not totally new.” Is it as much of a fire drill now versus your previous manufacturer switch?Filipe Albuquerque: “In the DPi, I remember to be completely lost with some of the settings and I had to figure it out because the really first time I drove the car was at the Roar and the first time I had like new tires was in qualifying, which I was completely lost with the Acura. I these two days testing in November. It was kind of helpful and I think now, as well with Ricky, Louis and Jordan, we know what we would like to have on the car that could help us with the settings. Obviously, because we have a different mentality, or we come with different ideas, and we try to bring the good ones to the car and to try to apply. That is interesting, but the car feeling and how it works it’s much easier. I must say I feel that it’s more simple and am not as lost compared to when it was in 2021.” The team’s history with Cadillac, does that make it easier for you?Louis Deletraz: “I can definitely see it because I’ve never been working with Cadillac before. But when this all came together, you could hear inside the team all the stories, all the success that has been happening and you can see a lot of people smiling when they talk about it, which always makes you feel better as a driver. I think there is a lot of excitement towards this project. And also, since I’ve driven the Cadillac, you can really feel from in terms of goals and management. I mean, everyone in Cadillac wants to win. There’s a three-car program with Action Express. There will be a close collaboration. We all want to win for sure. We’ll be hard racing, but we work together. And I think what’s super great is there will be two cars in in WEC, which in both ways WEC should help us go faster and we should help the WEC go faster as well. And hopefully win a lot of races. So, it’s great to be part of this and very exciting because I think there is all the good things coming together and if everyone does this job, we can be very successful.” There have been a lot of driver lineup changes. How important is it to come out of the box strong?Filipe Albuquerque: “I think when two drivers merge and they seem to be alike and they feel the same things, it’s just like pairing a couple. Things just work. A good example of that was like when I met with Ricky in 2021. We won the first race straight away without much knowledge from myself and the team about the car. And it works. We’ve seen great evolution from manufacturer to manufacturer. Everything is much more on a thin line of performance between all the manufacturers. Obviously, a little touch from IMSA to help around there, but it’s part of the game and it’s understandable. We know where we will want to be. The question is how close can we be to that limit already in Daytona? Obviously, the car is — just looking at the facts — they finished second last year in Cadillac and I think it was the strongest car last year. But Porshe won and then the previous year was Acura. So, it’s about time now for Cadillac to win and it’s double WTR with Cadillac. They have won a lot.” How do you make each other – your teammates — better?Louis Deletraz: “I think personalities of all four driver match well and that’s what’s quite fantastic in a way. I would say we like each other, spend time together and on track respect each other a lot, even though we have to fight each other. I think it’s very important to be able to spend time outside together and trust your teammates have no ego because as soon as there is ego and another driver who just wants to beat you or be the best to have the best be pilot average, then you can’t really win championships. I’m really glad we’ve got this relationship with Jordan, which we keep building because we’re quite new. And it’s cool that we get to a second year together and build up on last year, but also with the 10 car because it’s really a nice situation.” Filipe Albuquerque: “I think at the end of the day it comes again to this relationship that I think Wayne has been doing a great job on hearing me and Ricky and Louie and Jordan. I remember to be choosing Louie is like, is he a good fit? For sure on speed is fine, but we were concerned about the personality in a way. He’s going to be the young kid that he wants to come over here and just beat our (butts) and just have new tires for him and just go fast because. We don’t need that. We’re going to destroy the car for each other. But I knew him and he was a great pick. We spent time together and then there is no egos. If it’s your time today to qualify, go ahead, buddy, I’m going to be supporting you. And then when one succeeds and does a pole position or does well or does bad, there is not that judgment. So, leaning on each other, I think that’s what makes sports car racing great when you have a great environment. And that’s exactly what we have there.”
The three classes will be filled with some of the top racers from across the country who will be invited to attend the race. World champion driver, team owner and sportsman racer Bo Butner along with his wife Randi Lyn, who is also an accomplished sportsman racer and made her Mountain Motor Pro Stock debut at the inaugural PRO Superstar Shootout, will act as liaisons for the Stock and Super Stock classes. Royce Freeman will also be equally as involved in coordinating the classes with the Butners to ensure these classes as seamlessly integrated into the program.
Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team finished 16th in Sunday’s Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway as their Ford teammates Joey Logano and his No. 22 crew won the season title in their Team Penske Mustang.
WITH 36 NASCAR CUP SERIES RACES COMPLETE: