Cadillac GTP / Hypercar: Fan favorite

[Adam43]

A thread for all the prototype Cadillac going ons! in WEC and IMSA, but I think the most appropriate subforum is N.A.

Just some general

Launch of the GTP: https://www.dailysportscar.com/2023/...ac-v-lmdh.html

WEC update for Spa: https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...ineup-for-spa/

[Adam43]

What a silly thread? What's the point? er, I needed somewhere to put these.

Driver comparison's from WEC so far this year (er, you're in NA Sportscar - idiot).

Sebring:
Average Lap time

Rank	Car	Fastest	Top 10	Top 20	Top 40
1	Earl BAMBER (Cadillac 2)	1:48.607	1:49.107	1:49.305	1:49.546
2	Richard WESTBROOK (Cadillac 2)	1:49.466	1:49.772	1:50.063	1:50.584
3	Alex LYNN (Cadillac 2)	1:49.514	1:49.709	1:50.108	1:51.167

It's all Bamber. In terms of speed, consistency and just how long they put him in the car (which helps a little with this view).

Portimao:
Average Lap time

Rank	Car	Fastest	Top 10	Top 20	Top 40
1	Earl BAMBER (Cadillac 2)	1:33.077	1:33.755	1:34.002	1:34.318
2	Alex LYNN (Cadillac 2)	1:33.401	1:33.567	1:33.851	1:34.313
3	Richard WESTBROOK (Cadillac 2)	1:33.626	1:34.047	1:34.221	1:34.528

Bamber has the fastest lap and generally is quickest. Still gets the most laps.
But Lynn has the faster 3rd to 20th lap.

Spa:

Rank	Car	Fastest	Top 10	Top 20	Top 40
1	Richard WESTBROOK (Cadillac 2)	2:04.906	2:07.806	2:08.627	NA
2	Alex LYNN (Cadillac 2)	2:05.372	2:06.705	2:07.129	2:09.652
3	Renger VAN DER ZANDE (Cadillac 3)	2:06.727	2:07.660	2:08.203	2:25.463
4	Earl BAMBER (Cadillac 2)	2:06.891	2:07.212	2:07.599	2:08.897

Westbrook has the fastest lap (conditions? Bamber missed out?). Lynn has the edge over Bamber. Bamber gets a few more laps and did the early running. Only Van der Zande gets a go in the no.3 - crashes (is OK). His driving was in the worse conditions too.

I'm putting Bamber in for the crucial moments, but based on Portimao any of them can do the hard mileage in the no.2.

[Adam43]

Driver Comparison update! Le Mans practice and qualifying.

Average Lap time

Rank	Car	Fastest	Top 5	Top 10	Top 15	Laps
1	Sébastien BOURDAIS (Cadillac 3)	3:24.908	3:26.400	3:28.514	3:30.286	32
2	Earl BAMBER (Cadillac 2)	3:25.170	3:26.028	3:27.603	3:29.172	40
3	Luis Felipe DERANI (Cadillac 311)	3:27.960	3:29.388	3:30.082	3:30.919	38
4	Jack AITKEN (Cadillac 311)	3:28.277	3:29.151	3:29.909	3:30.612	35
5	Alexander SIMS (Cadillac 311)	3:28.603	3:29.158	3:29.758	3:30.529	31
6	Alex LYNN (Cadillac 2)	3:29.256	3:30.279	3:31.271	3:38.431	21
7	Scott DIXON (Cadillac 3)	3:29.445	3:30.259	3:30.972	3:31.826	38
8	Richard WESTBROOK (Cadillac 2)	3:29.948	3:30.542	3:31.008	3:31.633	31
9	Renger VAN DER ZANDE (Cadillac 3)	3:30.238	3:30.839	3:31.781	3:33.760	20

These will be more useful from the race. Lots more laps and actual competitive laps.

[Adam43]

Man, I feel for Seb. It was a good time. Which still appear in this list as deleted times aren't, er, deleted from this data set.

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by Adam43

Man, I feel for Seb. It was a good time.

He safely parked his car. The red flag was very conservative but probably necessary. Sad for him and all the team. Still, Bamber is really fast.

[joeb]

Originally Posted by Adam43

Driver Comparison update! Le Mans practice and qualifying.

Average Lap time

These will be more useful from the race. Lots more laps and actual competitive laps.

Of course Seb and Earl have the fastest times because they were laying it out in qualifying. But overall I think they have a great driver lineup here, and if Renger has the slowest times at the end of the 24 I'd be surprised.

Originally Posted by Adam43

Man, I feel for Seb. It was a good time. Which still appear in this list as deleted times aren't, er, deleted from this data set.

I was gutted for him and the team. They put their car ahead of Toyota and just behind Ferrari only to have it go up in flames.

[PascaLM]

Any information about what went wrong on he #3 ?
I hope it was only a leakage and not the engine itself. I think that the V8 is unbreakable even pushed to 700 hp.

[Coach Ep]

this doesn't sound very hopeful:

***Sebastien Bourdais encountered fuel pressure problems prior to the No. 3 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac V-Series.R coming to a stop on the Mulsanne Straight and catching fire. “I just lost fuel pressure, but from the engine side because it kept clearly just injecting fuel somewhere,” he told Sportscar365. “It flooded the car with fuel and it just blew up.”

***Bourdais added that the fire likely inflicted significant damage to the car: “It’s burnt bad, because you can’t get in the engine. You can’t put out the fire because you need to take the rear cell [off] to be able to take the engine deck off. You can’t get the fire out. It slowly burns the car.”

Btw, not the first time a Caddy is having a roasting LM experience, I remember this one like it was yesterday!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4_HeOza_Cg

[joeb]

Sounds like lots of electronics could be in need of replacing with that type of flame damage. Probably some seals and other components as well. At least today is a non-track day and they team can go over everything.

[Coach Ep]

I suspect Ganassi's boys & girls are basically building up a new car.

[Gerard C]

“It flooded the car with fuel and it just blew up." Fire was everywhere it seems, even under the front axle: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2FPAvxq2YY0
He's been doing very good and was lucky too.

[justracing]

Originally Posted by Coach Ep

I suspect Ganassi's boys & girls are basically building up a new car.

Those guys are earning their keep in these temperatures, good luck to them. Evidently in took a full day to replace the fuel cell which they had a problem with previously, sounds very much like a connection leaking or coming loose.

[Coach Ep]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

“It flooded the car with fuel and it just blew up." Fire was everywhere it seems, even under the front axle: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2FPAvxq2YY0
He's been doing very good and was lucky too.

On a side note: noticed the hybrid status indicator light was green so car was not electrically 'active' and basically okay to touch (although I'd still be very suspicious, especially after witnessing a Peugeot "Christmas light show" [red-green-off-red]in person @ Sebring this year. You should have seen Loic Duval jumping out of that car like a high jump athlete!).

[Coach Ep]

Good news! https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...yperpole-fire/

[justracing]

Originally Posted by Coach Ep

Good news! https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...yperpole-fire/

[Adam43]

Let’s go. I look forward to seeing some masterful helmsmanship from the drivers in that car.

[Gerard C]

Go Caddy, Earl and Seb'!

[justracing]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Go Caddy, Earl and Seb'!

Don't they sound just fabulous

[joeb]

Having to add oil to the car at every pit stop cost them up to 15 seconds per stop and around 3 minutes by the end of the race - dropping them from the lead lap. Interesting they attribute this problem to the renewable fuel - same thing happened at Daytona.

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...no-2-cadillac/

[GT6]

A really good show from the caddy teams lets hope the small problems can be fixed.

[Gerard C]

Thanks for the intersting link. Yes, they can be proud! If the issues about the oil consumption come from the fuel, he's fair not to mention that the official supplier is also a Pug's official sponsor. As to other issues, I remember Boudais talking about the wiring and other connections between the steering wheel and the main computer and the ECU itself. Anyway, great race, fantastic results for Cadillac.

[Gerard C]

The oil consuption thing is quite intersting I find. It is (or was?) restricted in F1 because when burning the oil participates to the octane level. That's why its so important to have a good deal with the supplier, you can beneficiate of all the R&D important and hard work. In the past, the best combination was supplied by Eni an Italian company. At LM, it was Total a French company.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by joeb

Having to add oil to the car at every pit stop cost them up to 15 seconds per stop and around 3 minutes by the end of the race - dropping them from the lead lap. Interesting they attribute this problem to the renewable fuel - same thing happened at Daytona.

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...no-2-cadillac/

Very interesting. And good feedback and information for Caddy and Total.

[E.B]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Thanks for the intersting link. Yes, they can be proud! If the issues about the oil consumption come from the fuel, he's fair not to mention that the official supplier is also a Pug's official sponsor. .

Not to mention the fuel is made from French wine leftovers!
From this link provided by Adam in another thread (Interesting article)
https://www.bbc.com/sport/motorsport/65874444

At this year's race all 62 cars, including the many privateer entries, run on a sustainable fuel made from vineyard grape skin waste.

The wine industry's residue is transformed into ethanol, then converted into useable fuel. Its makers say it reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 65%.

It is a very French solution to a global problem.

Cheers. Santé etc.

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by E.B

Not to mention the fuel is made from French wine leftovers! Cheers. Santé etc…

A la tienne, Etienne works fine too. Do we have to worry about an increase in the price of french wines? Hips!