There's A Lot to Like About Cadillac's Chances to Win 24 Hours of Le Mans
After its four teams advanced to Hyperpole, Cadillac locked up the front row in qualifying for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. There's only one goal left for the American manufacturer.
Can Cadillac win the 93rd running of the world's most famous sports car race?
The odds look better than any of the first two years that Cadillac V-Series.R teams have raced at Le Mans with their LMDh hybrids against the dominant LMH hybrids of Ferrari and Toyota. This year, a Cadillac was either first or second in the first three practices and in the qualifying sessions.
The key is avoiding major errors, said Gary Nelson, the team manager for the No. 311 V-Series.R of Action Express Racing that qualified eighth. 'The last two years, the big thing for us was making mistakes,' said Nelson. 'We're always trying to not repeat our mistakes and hopefully we don't come up with some new ones. Then we'll see where the cards fall.'
The British Jota team and its pole-winning No. 12 driven by Alex Lynn and the runner-up No. 38 of Earl Bamber contested the first three rounds of the World Endurance Championship as newcomers to Cadillac, having replaced Chip Ganassi Racing as the factory representative for the GM brand.
Entering the Test Day, Jota relied on the massive compilation of digital records from Action Express's previous two trips to Le Mans. Last year, Jota won at Spa with its Porsche 963, the only privateer team to have won a Hypercar race in the WEC.
With seventh on the grid its best showing, the Ferrari crews of AF Corse, winners of the first three WEC rounds and the last two Le Mans 24-hours, appeared to be focused on race preparation. The new Balance of Performance (BoP) has dictated compensating for a loss of top speed. According to drivers, the search for lap times has played havoc with the 499P's race set-up. But, throwing down a gauntlet, the Ferraris were first and second in the final night practice.
Toyota Gazoo Racing also appeared to be focused on consistent race pace in place of qualifying. After the No. 7 GR010 Hybrid surprisingly missed the Top 15 in the first round, the No. 8 managed only 10th in the final round.
Qualifying lasts for just one flying lap on low fuel and fresh Michelins. The grueling race is another matter. 'The hard work really starts (once qualifying ends),' said Will Stevens, co-driver in the No. 12 Cadillac. 'It's a long road ahead but after qualifying we're pretty confident.'
If the new BoP has indeed brought the LMH cars of Ferrari and Toyota back to the field, it means Cadillac, including the Wayne Taylor Racing entry that starts 14th, will have plenty of competition from the fellow LMDh-based cars of Alpine, BMW and Porsche.
Porsche Penske Motorsport will be in its third season of a three-car entry. But it has not been Penske perfect with the No. 6 Porsche 963 being banished to the back of the field for being underweight in qualifying. Before Mathieu Jaminet qualified his No. 5 Porsche third, a wheel came off on course.
"We've had a busy and quite difficult few days, but qualifying has shown once again: When it comes down to it, our team is fully there," said Jonathan Diuguid, managing director of Porsche Penske.
The No. 4 Porsche, where Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy will try to add a Le Mans victory to wins in the Rolex 24 at Daytona and Sebring 12-Hour, starts fifth. Laurens Vanthoor, starting 21st in the No. 6, will also try to complete endurance racing's triple after co-driving with Nasr and Tandy in Daytona and Sebring.
The BMW M Team WRT (fourth and sixth on the grid), and the Alpine Endurance Team (ninth and 12th) each gave Ferrari a run in the previous round at Spa and can be expected to challenge in the 24-hour, where fuel mileage, pit strategy and tire wear will be significant factors as well as track position and driving.
Only the new Aston Martin Valkyrie and Peugeot's still struggling 9X8 are considered such long shots in a crowded field that they are out of the running.
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