New Cadillac DPi Prototypes Get Up To Speed At Daytona Test - Speedway Digest

The Cadillac DPi-V.R made its highly anticipated IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship debut during two days of testing at Daytona International Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday. Wayne Taylor Racing fielded the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi for Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor, Max Angelelli and retired NASCAR star Jeff Gordon, while Action Express Racing had two of the striking new race cars at the test.

Co-driving the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac were Filipe Albuquerque two-time WeatherTech Championship Prototype champions Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi, while Mike Conway, Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner Seb Morris and 2016 Prototype champions Dane Cameron and Eric Curran shared the No. 31 Whelen Engineering/Team Fox Cadillac.

The test got off to a bit of a sluggish start for the Cadillac teams due to some teething issues related to software, but all three teams managed to turn productive laps on Tuesday afternoon and all day Wednesday. The No. 31 Cadillac ended the two-day test with the quickest time, posting a best lap of 1 minute, 37.797 seconds.

“This afternoon, we’ve had a good run,” Curran said. “We’ve had a solid car and it’s fun. I was quickest this afternoon and that feels really good to be in a new car and to feel so comfortable. We’re good. We’ll keep plugging away, but I really love the whole new program. I love the look of the car, the red and white Whelen colors, and it’s just fun to be part of this Cadillac program. It’s going to be a great season.

“We’re not the only ones in the new-car boat. Everybody’s here with us. It seems like the whole paddock is full of new cars. It’s kind of like whoever can get their new car together the quickest and be ready for the 24 coming up in January. We’ve got a good crew, we’ve got a good team and Dane and I are prepared to pick up where we left off in 2016 with the championship.”

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.