Cadillac Racing looking strong at the start - Speedway Digest

Cadillac Racing’s Grand Touring Prototype entries, which started on the front row for the 62nd Rolex 24 At Daytona, continued the strong pace they displayed in test sessions and led a majority of the laps in the initial six hours of the North American endurance classic.

The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series,R, which bolted to the pole with a track-record lap at the hands of reigning GTP champion Pipo Derani, led early on and recorded the fastest lap of the race (1 minute, 35.863 seconds) on Lap 2. Jack Aitken and Tom Blomqvist also led laps in the first quarter of the race that saw ambient temperature reach 79 degrees Fahrenheit at the 1:41 p.m. ET start.

Sebastien Bourdais, who drove the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R to second in the 15-minute qualifying session Jan. 21, led during his two-plus-hour stint. Scott Dixon and Alex Palou also took turns at the front of the 10-car GTP field. Renger van der Zande will be in the car in the early evening.

USA Network’s coverage continues until midnight and then from 6 a.m.-noon ET Sunday. NBC has the race conclusion airing from noon-2 p.m. Flag-to-flag streaming coverage is also available on Peacock.

Leading the field and looking ahead to 2025

The 2025 Cadillac CT5-V and CT5-V Blackwing, which were unveiled earlier in the week, made their public debut at Daytona International Speedway and are available for spectator viewing this weekend in the Cadillac display.

The 2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is serving as the Official Safety Car for the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Cadillac is showcasing its Detroit “OnePride” spirit with a Detroit Lions sticker on the rear bumper of the Safety Car. The Lions face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in the NFC Championship game.

The CT5-V Blackwing features a 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 that generates 668 horsepower and 659 lb.-ft. of torque with a six-speed manual or 10-speed automatic gearbox.

“Cadillac sedans continue to drive positive brand momentum, year-over-year,” said John Roth, vice president, global Cadillac. “Last year, our sedans experienced their best sales since 2018 and CT5 is Cadillac’s best-selling vehicle, globally. As V-Series celebrates a record year, the importance of this option for those customers who value performance and power cannot be overstated.”

The V-Series, marking its 20th anniversary, “is the ultimate expression of Cadillac design, performance, and technology.” The 2025 Cadillac CT5-V and CT5-V Blackwing will be produced at GM’s Lansing Grand River Assembly facility in Michigan, with production to begin in summer 2024. Learn more at cadillac.com.

No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R

Sebastien Bourdais: “We knew we were going to have a fight, and we do. I think the car shows that it’s got plenty of pace, which I’ve never been in doubt of that. But as far as when it comes down to interacting with the other cars, we really have out-brake ourselves to get by, because we’re barely keeping up in the straights. It’s good we’re leading, and we can definitely put on a fight, but it’s the hard way. It is what it is. We knew we had the strong package as far as optimizing the performance level we have at our disposal, but it won’t be easy if it comes down to a drag race in the last 30 minutes.”

Scott Dixon: “I think the Cadillacs have been going really good throughout the race. That was tricky for me. We had to do two-and-a-half stints on the same set of tires, so that was definitely an eye-opener, and to actually hold on to the pace of the lead was showing the car is in good shape. We’ll see where that goes. I think as we build up on double-stinting tires, or even more than that, should help us on the back end of the race. Pretty crazy out there. Lots of interesting traffic, and just trying to keep the car on track and out of trouble.”

Alex Palou: “The car felt very good going through traffic. Patience is No. 1 in the car. It’s just a dream to share this 01 Cadillac with teammates like this that I can learn every session and every single lap. Pretty happy and I’ll be back during the nighttime.”

No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R

Jack Aitken: “I think we have very good racecars. I’m not going to sit here and say we’re not looking good. Obviously, we were good in qualifying already and the race is proving to be a similar situation with the field that we look to be good on pace. But the Porsches especially and the BMWs are not far behind. And even when we get behind the Acuras it’s not easy to pass. We’ll see how conditions change overnight when it gets cold again. We haven’t had those conditions since the Roar.

Pipo Derani: “With a clear track in front of us, we started fast — did a 1:35 on Lap 2 — and led a lot of laps. The car felt good and was fast, and we were just trying to take care of the tires on track conditions that are not the same as they have been the past week (79 degrees Fahrenheit at race start). A couple of yellows disrupted the flow, but you expect that and we stuck to our plan. I handed the car off to Jack (Aitken) and we’ll see how things evolve as we enter the early evening.”

Cadillac Racing PR