Cadillac Racing Teams Head to Canada
Cadillac and teams lead points, new track for two drivers
Cadillac V-Performance Racing teams Konica Minolta Cadillac, Mustang Sampling Cadillac and Whelen Engineering Cadillac are headed north of the border to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix to run July 6-8.
Mustang Sampling Cadillac leads Prototype points championship
Cadillac leads manufacturer standings
Whelen Engineering Cadillac won at CTMP last year
New track for Nasr and Albuquerque
The teams made a quick turnaround after Sunday's Watkins Glen race to get back on the track in just five days at the track formerly known as Mosport. The 2.4-mile, 10-turn circuit that maintains the same basic layout as when Formula 1 last ran there in 1977. The undulating natural terrain road course is a favorite among drivers for its challenging fast turns and long back straight.
The Mustang Sampling Cadillac team comes into round seven of the championship leading the Prototype driver points with Filip Albuquerque on top alone, as a result of teammate Joao Barbosa missing the Watkins Glen round due to injury. Albuquerque has 169 points, just one point ahead of garage mates Eric Curran and Felipe Nasr in the Whelen Engineering Cadillac. Konica Minolta Cadillac drivers Jordan Taylor and Renger Van Der Zande are in fourth with 156 points. The Wayne Taylor led Konica Minolta Cadillac defending championship team is still seeking their first win of the 2018 season.
"Mosport is the fastest track we go to," Jordan Taylor said. "It's a very high-speed circuit with long flowing corners. There are only two corners where you actually have a decently hard brake zone. The rest is all extremely fast. It's got a lot of history. It's been a traditional road course on the sports car racing calendar for years, so it's nice that we're able to go there. I think it will be a tough fight in the (Prototype) class, especially having so many cars on such a short, but fast track. You really have to get into a good rhythm to get the lap time, so traffic can really disrupt your flow. We've had a strong car there every year, so I'm hoping we can capitalize on that, but things are obviously much different this year. Pace-wise, we weren't really a factor at the last few races, so we need to focus on what we can control and that is trying to stay in touch with the leaders with our pit stops and our strategy and run a trouble-free race like we did last week at Watkins Glen, but this time I hope it's enough that we can actually compete with the leaders at the end."
Filipe Albuquerque, who will run CTMP for the first time, is ready to take on another new North American circuit. The Mustang Sampling Cadillac team leads the championship and is motivated to stay at the top of the points standings.
"It's a new place for me but it looks like a classic, old school track which is the type of circuit that I really like," Albuquerque said. "I have been studying in-car video and are as ready as I can be in our preparation. We will just have to see how we are when we get there. When we do the track walk the guys will help me and give me more specific tips. I have seen the previous races, so it will be a new experience going there other than just watching."
The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R team comes to CTMP as the races defending winners. Eric Curran and Felipe Nasr are poised to repeat on Sunday.
"CTMP is a great track to drive," Curran said. "We battled with the chassis and the handling but our Whelen Cadillac was a great car there last year. We are much further down the road with learning the car now. Hopefully we can show up and be better and faster off the truck than last year. We were in contention and the way strategy worked out we walked away with the win. It's a fun track and Felipe (Nasr) has never been there, but he will be ready to pick up the track quickly. We will keep chugging along and hope we have the speed and horsepower to use that fast track and be strong. It'll be fun and I hope we can match our result from last year!"
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park will be televised, delayed, starting at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 8.
Cadillac DPi-V.R 2018 Results
Track Drivers Qualify Finish Points
Daytona Filipe Albuquerque
Joao Barbosa
Christian Fittipaldi 3 1
Eric Curran
Felipe Nasr
Mike Conway 7 2
Jordan Taylor
Renger Van Der Zande
Ryan Hunter-Reay 1 15
Matt McMurry
Tristan Vautier
Eddie Cheever III 5 20
Sebring Filipe Albuquerque
Joao Barbosa
Christian Fittipaldi 8 10 3 (56)
Eric Curran
Felipe Nasr
Mike Conway 5 3 1 (62)
Jordan Taylor
Renger Van Der Zande
Ryan Hunter-Reay 10 2 7 (48)
Matt McMurry
Tristan Vautier
Eddie Cheever III 1 12 11 (30)
Long Beach Filipe Albuquerque
Joao Barbosa 5 1 35 (1)
Eric Curran
Felipe Nasr 2 7 32 (2)
Jordan Taylor
Renger Van Der Zande 6 3 16 (4)
Mid-Ohio Filipe Albuquerque
Joao Barbosa 6 4 119
Eric Curran
Felipe Nasr 12 8 109
Jordan Taylor
Renger Van Der Zande 4 5 104
Detroit Filipe Albuquerque
Joao Barbosa 4 6 144
Eric Curran
Felipe Nasr 6 1 144
Jordan Taylor
Renger Van Der Zande 7 5 130
Matt McMurry
Tristan Vautier 12 13 48
Watkins Glen Filipe Albuquerque
Christian Fittipaldi
Gabby Chaves 14 6 169 (1)
Eric Curran
Felipe Nasr
Mike Conway 11 7 168 (2)
Jordan Taylor
Renger Van Der Zande 8 5 156 (4)
Matt McMurry
Tristan Vautier 12 11 68 (24)
The Cadillac DPi-V.R teams won every title in the inaugural season of the IMSA DPi formula including: Cadillac wins DPi manufacturer championship; Cadillac wins TPNAEC (Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup) manufacturer title; Jordan and Ricky Taylor 2017 IMSA WeatherTech DPi driver champions; Konica Minolta Cadillac team champions; Mustang Sampling Cadillac drivers Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi and Filipe Albuquerque won the TPNAEC DPi driver championship; Mustang Sampling Cadillac won the TPNAEC DPi team championship; Whelen Engineering drivers Dane Cameron and Eric Curran finish second in the driver's championship; Mustang Sampling Cadillac drivers Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi finish third in the driver's championship; Cadillac teams combine to win seven races in 2017: Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona, Twelve Hours of Sebring, Long Beach, Circuit of the Americas, Detroit, Watkins Glen, and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
A leading luxury auto brand since 1902, Cadillac is growing globally, driven by an expanding product portfolio that features distinctive design and technology. Today Cadillac is growing globally, driven by an expanding product portfolio featuring distinctive design and technology. More information on Cadillac appears at
www.cadillac.com. Cadillac's media website with information, images and video can be found at media.cadillac.com.
Additional information can be viewed at Cadillac.com, GM.com, media.gm.com; Twitter @Cadillac; Facebook, GM, Cadillac.
The Cadillac Racing media guide can be viewed at media.cadillac.com. For additional information please contact Kyle Chura, kyle@kcapr.com or (248) 821-0468.
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