Cadillac Racing teams Wayne Taylor Racing and Action Express closed two-days of testing at the IMSA WeatherTech Championship December Test at Daytona International Speedway today.
The No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing/Konica Minolta/Cadillac DPi-V.R, the No. 31 Whelen Engineering/Cadillac DPi-V.R and the No. 5 Mustang Sampling/Cadillac DPi-V.R had some software teething issues on the first morning of testing. Cadillac Racing management and the teams combined with the system suppliers to overcome the issues and all three of the all-new DPi-V.Rs made their first laps around the 2.5-mile World Center of Racing in preparation for the 55th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona to run January 28-29.
Piloting the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac are season regulars Jordan and Ricky Taylor, Max Angelelli and for the 24 they will be joined by four-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jeff Gordon. Gordon is enjoying his time behind the wheel of the all-new Cadillac DPi-V.R.
“The Cadillac is an amazing piece of machinery,” Gordon said. “This car compares to the F1 car that I drove at Indy a few years ago. The braking is far greater than the last generation car and of course a Cup car. Every lap that I have made in the car is helpful as well as the simulator time I got in Indy. Getting familiar with the seat and the steering wheel is all a part of getting comfortable with the car. I just need to keep up with Ricky, Jordan and Max. There were some places that I could be a little more aggressive, but that comes with miles. When I ran the race in 2007 I was along for the ride and we finished third on the podium. When you are here on race day for the hype and what goes on over 24 hours in the race is what makes this race so thrilling.”
Returning IMSA Prototype Champions Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi will be joined by Filipe Albuquerque for next month’s twice-around the clock classic.
“We experienced some new car issues, with some new software discoveries,” Fittipaldi said. “That is all a part of having a brand-new car. The team is getting comfortable with the new technology and we are working through the small issues. The new Cadillac really feels good. Immediately off of the trailer when we received the car in testing at Charlotte and Road Atlanta it was really good. Cadillac did an excellent job with the car. I love the seating position and the overall performance of the V8 engine is as you would expect from a well sorted engine.”
In the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Dane Cameron, Eric Curran, Mike Conway and Sebastian Morris will drive the car in the 24 at the end of January.
“The Cadillac is very cool to drive,” Cameron said. “Beside the little issues that took away some track time yesterday it is really fun to drive. The Whelen Cadillac is brand-new, first time on the track so we are beginning our learning curve. It was nice to get a few laps in today. The car feels really good. It is comfortable to drive fast and the visibility out of the car is very good. The braking performance is really strong as well. We are still doing some new car sorting, but I drove for an hour before lunch that was trouble free and we were able to put a lot of miles on it this afternoon.”
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will begin the 2017 season with the traditional Roar Before the 24 at Daytona, January 6-8, and then the 55th running of the Rolex 24 Hour At Daytona, January 26-29.