Cadillac Racing expands driver roster for Spa

Cadillac Racing announced today an expansion of its driver roster for the upcoming Six Hours of Spa in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Jack Aitken, part of the lineup that delivered the first victory with Cadllac’s V-Series.R last month in the Twelve Hours of Sebring, will co-drive the No. 3 Cadillac at Spa with Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande.

The trio will race in the 13-car Hypercar category alongside the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R, co-driven by Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook, on the 7.004km (4.35-mile), 20-turn Spa-Francorchamps circuit for the third round of the WEC season. 

“Chip Ganassi Racing is excited to have Jack join Sebastien and Renger in sharing driver duties for the No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R at the Spa WEC race next week,” said Mike O’Gara, director of operations for Chip Ganassi Racing that runs the Cadillac Racing entry. “This is just another example of the ‘One Team’ concept that Cadillac Racing is all about. We value Jack’s feedback in the car, and hope that this strengthens the preparation for Cadillac Racing’s assault on the 24 Hours of Le Mans this June.”

 In addition to going for the win, the Spa weekend presents opportunities to absorb information about the hybrid Cadillac racecar on a European circuit as Cadillac Racing prepares a three-car lineup for its Le Mans return after two decades.

“We are grateful for all the entities in this program collaborating and increasing our strengths and capabilities,” GM sports car racing program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser said.

Aitken already is confirmed for Le Mans as he will reunite with Pipo Derani and Alexander Sims in the No. 311 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R. They co-drove to a dramatic victory at Sebring International Raceway as part of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Aitken, a former Williams F1 reserve driver, competed in the European Le Mans Series in 2022 for TF Sport in the LMP2 class. He also competed in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and ADAC GT Masters with Emil Frey Racing. He made his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut in LMP2 with Algarve Pro Racing.

“Driving at such an incredible circuit with the Cadillac V.Series R will be an invaluable addition to our prep for Le Mans,” he said. “It will be a pleasure to integrate with Chip Ganassi Racing and work together to push the Cadillac program forward, as we have a great deal of respect between us. Partnering up with Seb and Renger will be great for me personally, as I'll be learning off two great guys.”

The gold No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R, running as the No. 01 in IMSA, earned a podium finish in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona in January and qualified second and third in the succeeding races.

The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R has displayed reliability and strong pace with consecutive fourth-place finishes to start its maiden WEC season. It has advanced a total of five positions – more than twice as many as any other Hypercar entry -- from its qualifying spots in the two races.

Cadillac is tied for third in the WEC Manufacturer Championship.

The Cadillac V-Series.R features an all-new Cadillac 5.5-liter DOHC V8 naturally aspirated engine developed by GM’s Performance and Racing propulsion team based in Pontiac, Michigan. The body, codeveloped by Cadillac Design, Cadillac Racing and chassis constructor Dallara, incorporates key Cadillac V-Series production car design elements.