Chip Ganassi Racing have confirmed that former Porsche factory driver and 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Neel Jani will co-drive the #02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R in the 70th running of the Twelve Hours of Sebring.
Jani, 38, joins Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn in the #02 Cadillac Racing entry for the Mar. 16-19 event at the 3.74-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway.
Jani has competed across several motorsports series, including Formula E, the Champ Car World Series and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Jani is no stranger to the Twelve Hours of Sebring, as he finished second in class with the Porsche GT Team at the 2020 race alongside Bamber and Laurens Vanthoor.
“We’re thrilled that Neel Jani is available to be an integral part of our Cadillac team,” CGR Managing Director Mike Hull said. “His ability to win as a teammate at the highest global level of endurance sportscar racing is proven with the unselfish mindset that’s necessary to win as a team.”
“I am fortunate to have the opportunity to run with a renowned team like Chip Ganassi Racing, while returning to one of my favourite tracks and races in the Twelve Hours of Sebring,” Jani said. “I’m eager to work with Alex Lynn and team up with a familiar face in Earl Bamber as we go for the checkered in the #02.”
Jani will replace Kevin Magnussen, who is set to return to F1 competition. “We are happy for Kevin to return to his passion of racing at the highest possible level in open-wheel racing,” Hull said. “Our team is grateful to have worked closely with Kevin. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with him in the seat.”
Cadillac has won three of the five 12-hour races at Sebring International Raceway in DPi competition dating to 2017. The #5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R, which started on the front row and placed third in the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 30, is the defending Twelve Hours of Sebring race winner. Tristan Vautier and Loic Duval return to co-drive the #5 Cadillac DPi-V.R with Richard Westbrook.
The #02 Cadillac DPi-V.R debuted this past January at the 24 Hours of Daytona, where it was co-driven by Earl Bamber, Marcus Ericsson, Alex Lynn and Kevin Magnussen to a 12th-place finish.
