Porsche submitted in October, now Cadillac is following suit: this week the GM brand also successfully completed an endurance test in Sebring with its LMDh prototype. The Cadillac V-LMDh ran relatively smoothly over the course of the 24 hours.
The endurance test was carried out by Chip Ganassi Racing, the team that uses a Cadillac in both the US IMSA series and the WEC endurance championship. In the first twelve hours of the test, IMSA drivers Renger van der Zande and Sebastien Bourdais took turns with a third driver.
According to information from ‘Motorsport.com Global’, this third driver was IndyCar legend Scott Dixon. For the second half of the test drives, the WEC drivers Alex Lynn, Earl Bamber and Richard Westbrook took over from their colleagues.
Aside from that, Cadillac’s second field team, Action Express Racing, was also present at the Sebring tests. This team was given a different testing program, run by Alexander Sims and Luis Felipe “Pipo” Derani.
Cadillac teams with different programs
“It was helpful to have one car drive the full 24 hours and have the other car complete a very successful test schedule that also included some night driving to get the drivers used to the new headlights in changing track conditions,” said Kalvin Parker, assistant program manager of Cadillac Racing.
“It was also beneficial for the team to see how it works as a unit over 24 hours with a new car with new systems.” Overall, the Cadillac V-LMDh should now have around 19,000 test kilometers on the clock, almost 5,500 less than the Porsche.
Lynn emphasizes how valuable every single test kilometer is when he says: “For every rider and every member of the crew there is no other way to really get to know their machines than on a track like this [wie in Sebring] to drive. The team sends you out and says, ‘You have two hours, go explore.'”
Alexander Sims feels good
“Once the season has started there is something to learn with every run, so it’s a nice feeling to explore and learn on your own, especially when you start looking for more performance.”
Sims, previously in Formula E and driving the GTE Corvette: “It’s really good to experience the car at Sebring with the challenges that the bumpy track offers and to explore and understand what the car is doing in doing in these situations.”
“We’ve made a number of changes and are making good progress. This is another step compared to Road Atlanta where the car is more in tune with me at speed and I’m very comfortable with what it’s doing. That Car runs fine.”
The Cadillac V-LMDh will make its racing debut at the end of January 2023 at the 24 Hours of Daytona. On this occasion you can also meet the new prototypes from Acura, BMW, Ferrari and Porsche. Acura and BMW are said to have also tested in Sebring.