On-track, Cadillac maintained its mid-season momentum in the FIA World Endurance Championship on home soil in the United States last weekend (4-6 September), while simultaneously attracting attention through a range of off-track activations.
Having entered the summer break buoyed by its first podium finish in 12 months in Brazil, Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA secured a spot on the front row of the grid for Lone Star Le Mans, with Jack Aitken in the #38 V-Series.R matching pole-sitter Antonio Giovinazzi (Ferrari AF Corse) to literally the thousandth-of-a-second in a thrilling Hyperpole dead-heat.
In company with team-mates Sébastien Bourdais and Earl Bamber, the Briton then replicated that front-running form on race day around the Circuit of The Americas, with the #38 Hypercar a contender for honours throughout, thanks in particular to a stellar defensive effort by the New Zealander on old tyres midway through.
The trio ultimately scooped the runner-up spoils – their best result to-date – as they took the chequered flag less than five seconds shy of victory to move up the Drivers’ championship table and consolidate Cadillac’s fourth position in the Manufacturers’ standings.
“That was a really spectacular day, and it was great to get second place in our home race,” enthused Bamber. “I think the team executed perfectly; we were leading at one stage and we managed to fight back through a strategy disadvantage twice due to Virtual Safety Cars, so to come away with second, everyone is really happy.”
“What a race and an incredible effort from the entire team,” echoed Cadillac Racing Programme Manager, Keely Bosn. “Our drivers fought hard to hold off the competition and maintain position throughout. An unfortunate bit of luck with the Safety Car erased the gap we had built, but the team stayed focused and recovered. I’m incredibly proud of everyone’s work. We never gave up, and the result is a great reminder to always fight until the very end.”
Cadillac was similarly busy off-track at COTA, revealing the V-ONE Concept – a pioneering new model rooted in the company’s endurance racing exploits and inspired by the V-Series.R race car. A first-of-its-kind for the brand and co-developed by Cadillac Design, Cadillac Racing and chassis constructor Dallara, the competition-bred V-ONE is intended to offer factory-level prototype performance underpinned by circuit-proven engineering and technology.
Sharing foundations and architecture with the race-winning V-Series.R in areas including suspension, transmission, electronics and aerodynamics – with, at its heart, a V8 hybrid powertrain punching out 830 combined horsepower – the single-seat V-ONE Concept explores how competition hardware can be translated into a driver-focused experience.
“The Cadillac V-ONE Concept is the ultimate manifestation of a customer performance concept and is a clear sign of our ambition for the Cadillac V-Series brand in the future,” remarked Global Cadillac Executive Design Director, Dominic Najafi.
Elsewhere on-site, GM Motorsports hosted ‘Driven to Explore’ – a two-day, hands-on STEM outreach experience for ninth-grade students from nearby Del Valle High School, delivered in partnership with FIA WEC and the Austin Community College Make It Center.
The students participated in structured STEM modules that connected rigorous classroom concepts to real motorsport applications – covering topics from tyres and scrutineering to media matters – complemented by behind-the-scenes exposure to the world championship event with the support of Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA, Corvette Racing partner TF Sport and Michelin.
“At COTA, 78 local high school students stepped beyond the classroom to see first-hand how world-class engineers, technicians and business leaders apply STEM principles in a high-pressure racing environment,” commented Robert Binns, GM Motorsports K-12 STEM IMPACT Co-Lead.
“Working as a team, students were challenged to build a competitive car within a strict ruleset, execute a pit-stop and pitch a business and sponsorship plan to GM programme leadership. They also toured the garages to get an up-close look at the race cars and personnel before watching a live practice session.”
“It’s incredibly important for students to understand the role STEM can play in defining their future careers,” added fellow project Co-Lead, Kenna Edwards. “Motorsport presents a tremendous range of opportunities for young individuals, and ‘Driven to Explore’ allows them a window into what is possible.”
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