Following a comparatively fallow 12 months, Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA belatedly returned to the FIA World Endurance Championship rostrum last time out in Brazil – and when the 2026 campaign resumes in Texas next weekend (4-6 September), the Anglo-American alliance is aiming to do the same again.
Over the opening three events of the season, Cadillac’s V-Series.R was unquestionably one of the fastest contenders in FIA WEC’s headlining Hypercar field, but for a variety of reasons, results proved hard to come by. Even in São Paulo, the squad fell short of converting its commanding front row lockout in Hyperpole into a second series victory – but a three-four finish nonetheless represented a step in the right direction, which the GM-owned marque is now eager to consolidate on home soil.
The #12 Cadillac will feature a new face in its driver line-up in Austin, with double IMSA champion, Ricky Taylor joining regular duo Will Stevens and Norman Nato, as Alex Lynn continues his recovery from surgery ahead of his anticipated comeback in Catalunya in October. The Frenchman triumphed outright at Circuit of The Americas six years ago.
“COTA is such a nice circuit to drive,” enthused Nato, “and I’m pleased to have Ricky joining us. He has a lot of experience, he knows the car very well and he’s fresh from winning in IMSA, so I have no doubt he will be a great addition to the team. The main target continues to be to win races. We had a great result in Brazil and will be looking to build upon that after the summer break.”
“I’m really looking forward to getting back to COTA, especially coming off a strong result in São Paulo,” echoed team-mate, Stevens. “It’s always special racing for Cadillac in the US, and hopefully, we can keep the momentum going. I’ve raced with Ricky many times in IMSA, so I’m sure he is going to fit in great with the team and will hit the ground running. Let’s have a good weekend!”
Despite last year’s downpour, competitors are traditionally faced with sky-high temperatures during the six-hour Lone Star Le Mans, while the track’s technical and physical layout – with plenty going on around the course of the 5.513km, 20-turn lap and a lot of corners in quick succession – poses a stern challenge for drivers and cars and prioritises careful tyre preservation.
Earl Bamber, Sébastien Bourdais and Jack Aitken will head into battle behind the wheel of the sister #38 Cadillac, as the trio chase their first podium appearance of the campaign. The British ace – the fastest driver during the 24 Hours of Le Mans Hyperpole session back in June – has done a lot of racing in North America in recent years but has never competed at COTA, while the Frenchman is US-based and the New Zealander, like Nato, is a former winner there.
“It’s been good to get a bit of a break and recharge the batteries,” reflected Bamber. “The team had a strong outing in Brazil, where we picked up a good haul of Manufacturer points. COTA was a wet-and-wild run last year, but in both the wet and dry, the car had good pace. I’m looking forward to going to Cadillac’s home race in FIA WEC and kicking off the second half of the calendar.”
“We showed a lot of pace at the start of the season, including two strong results in Brazil,” added Bourdais. “The aim is now to build upon this momentum and deliver some more great results.
“COTA is a challenging track; it has a variety of different speeds and is bumpy in places. You never know how bumpy, or where the bumps will be until you get there as the track changes a lot year-on-year. Let’s see what the weather holds – it can be incredibly hot but there can also be torrential rain. No matter what the weather, the whole team is ready to push for a strong result!”
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