Cadillac Racing is dominating IMSA competition this year – here’s the how and why?
Cadillac Racing is dominating IMSA competition When you think of Cadillac, luxury, not racing is likely the first adjective that comes to mind. But the first seven races of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship have all ended with one of Cadillac Racing’s three teams on top of the podium. There are three races left and Cadillac Racing is hoping for complete domination with a sweep. Here’s the story. By David Miller ▲
What is the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship? The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is an endurance racing series that dates back to 1971, with a few management changes during that period. It’s now in its 47th season, which started with the Rolex 24 at Daytona, followed by other key races at Sebring, Long Beach, Watkins Glen, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), Laguna Seca and Road Atlanta for a total of 10 stops. ▲
Cadillac’s commitment began two years ago Cadillac’s commitment to go racing in IMSA’s premier prototype-class started back in early 2015. According to Matt Russell, Marketing Manager for Cadillac Racing, “we had to challenge ourselves further after a good run in World Challenge” – a series for race cars loosely based on production models, in which the brand achieved considerable success. ▲
Building on past success “We’ve made endurance racing efforts back to 1950 at Le Mans, but we never won a race or a championship (in such series),” adds Russell. “The accomplishments in World Challenge gave Cadillac the boost we needed to get back into endurance racing.” ▲
The Cadillac DPi-V.R prototype The race car that is dominating the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is called the Cadillac DPi-V.R. It competes in the prototype class – which has new regulations beginning this year – and is fitted with a naturally aspirated 6.2-litre V-8 engine that produces 600 hp @ 6,800 rpm. The project began with the choice of the engine to fit new rules for the series back in April 2015. Cadillac was the first team to commit to the new format and has tested more than any other team. ▲
Engine ties to the CTS-V and Escalade Cadillac Racing opted to go with the same basic engine architecture used for the 6.2-litre pushrod V-8 found in the Cadillac CTS-V and Escalade production cars – a variant of the GM ‘small-block’ V-8 also used in the Camaro and Corvette. The road-going CTS-V has more power due to a supercharger that ups the numbers to 640 hp and 630 lb-ft of torque. IMSA has its own regulations, which mandate air restrictors, so the team couldn’t utilize that extra power. The engine has been modified for racing by ECR Racing. ▲
Only two engines used per car Much of Cadillac’s success in endurance racing has come from the reliability and durability of its engine. With three cars in the field (the No. 10, No. 5 and No. 31), each team has only used two engines all season, and that switch occurred immediately after the first race at the 24 Hours of Daytona. They’ve each used the same engine ever since, while others seem to be changing on a per-race basis. ▲
Chassis by Dallara Cadillac partnered with Italian race-car manufacturer Dallara to put the prototype together. The basis of the car is a Dallara chassis with the same construction used by all cars competing in the class. Everything around that base is exclusive to Cadillac’s DPi including the nose, side pods, engine cover, lights, wheel arch, rear fender and overall shape. ▲
Design by Cadillac design team It took Dillon Blanski, Cadillac’s Lead Creative Designer, and his team a year to complete the entire project from the initial design sketch phase after his sketch was chosen from an internal design competition. This is Blanski’s first race car design after leading numerous production cars. Once approved, Blanski and team created a scale model out of clay from the initial sketches incorporating distinctive Cadillac looks. It was scanned and made into a digital model to be sent to Dallara for aerodynamic testing. ▲
Distinctly Cadillac According to Blanksi, the key components were making the race car both fast and distinctly Cadillac in appearance, without resembling a specific road car. The first order of business was to work in the fender shapes, side pods and the upper air-intake box. ▲
Style with substance “A good balance of design and aerodynamics worked really well for this DPi car,” adds Blanski. The shape of the air intake box resembles the Cadillac crest, and that design element ended up not being just cosmetic, but helped in performance testing early on in the wind tunnel. ▲
More Cadillac touches The prototype race car has the wheels, deep wheel arches and sharp feature lines that resemble those of the V-Series road cars. Another key design touch from Cadillac road cars is the brand’s signature vertical LED lights on the front and rear, which stand out on track as well as on the road. ▲
Future design language Cadillac has flagged the DPi-V.R prototype as a special design project – a similar treatment provided to a concept car. According to Russell, “it’s filled with passion and a great reflection towards the spirit of the brand.” Russell also hints that there are bits of design language that we will see in future Cadillac road cars. ▲
The technology transfer story A big part of racing has always been how technologies from racing trickle down to the brand’s various road cars. According to Russell, the street car has benefited directly from placing its production-side engineering with racing. “We have one of the best technology transfer stories in the business today, from software lessons, aerodynamics, and the way the braking system is designed to get a feel or modulation.” ▲
Performance Data Recorder The performance data recorder found in the Cadillac CTS-V, as well as Chevrolet products like the Corvette C7, was founded by the racing program. It’s an option on V-Series street cars and comes with the Cosworth tool box to analyze your driving performance – the same system used by the racing team. ▲
The teams and players Cadillac Racing has three teams in the IMSA prototype class. Leading the driver’s championship is the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R driven by brothers Ricky and Jordan Taylor. The other two are the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing car driven by Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi and the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing piloted by Dane Cameron and Eric Curran. The No. 10 has won five of the seven races, while the No. 5 and No. 31 each have one victory. The No. 31 came from the eighth qualifying position in the most recent race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (CTMP) – formerly Mosport – to take the checkered flag first. ▲
Former Chevrolet drivers Last year, all six Cadillac drivers piloted the Chevrolet Corvette DP race car, with a 5.5-litre V-8, which was then General Motors entry in the IMSA prototype series. According to Jordan Taylor, driver of the No. 10 car and a GM team racer since 2011, “the transition has been a learning experience with all new parts and a new engine which requires a new driving setup and a different driving style.” ▲
Success comes with patience and time The Cadillac Racing team was the first with a car on the new DPi platform, as well as the first team to test, in September 2016 at four different tracks. “A lot of our success has to do with testing before the season started and putting in more mileage that any of the other teams,” adds Taylor. “Getting an understanding of what makes the DPi work allowed us to figure things out before everyone else.” ▲
Marketing and ROI from racing At each race, Cadillac is active at trackside with customers and prospects. Visitors can see the technology, meet the drivers and team members. In addition, Cadillac provides parking spots and hospitality to some for relationship building. ▲
Strengthening Cadillac DNA According to Russell, many Cadillac customers are engaged in motorsport. Being successful at the track and visibly on television allows the brand to communicate and showcase its performance abilities. “Passion is at the centre of our racing program, and through that, we’ve invigorated what Cadillac is.” ▲
Track success will find its way into future marketing While details were not discussed, Russell hinted that Cadillac’s success with its DPi-V.R prototype will be important in the brand’s communications going forward. ▲
Bring on the competition Cadillac Racing has earned every victory in 2017 and the same race car is expected to be back next year but, frankly, the team hasn’t faced competition of the same caliber with equivalent resources. However, Russell and Program Manager Max Angelelli point out that they would like to see a healthy dose of competition and are happy to have Acura Motorsports joining the series in association with Team Penske next year. Now that should be some real competition! ▲
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Keyword: Why Cadillac Racing is not an oxymoron