Last weekend at Laguna Seca, Laurin Heinrich’s late race charge delivered JDC-Miller MotorSports an upset victory in the fourth round of this year’s IMSA SportsCar Championship, the second-ever win for a privateer Porsche 963.
The first came 722 days earlier, when Hertz Team JOTA triumphed at the 2024 6 Hours of Spa, with its #12 Porsche of Will Stevens and Callum Ilott, in a landmark victory for the team, which now runs Cadillac’s factory FIA WEC effort.
“I think it was obviously big for us,” Stevens, who has raced for JOTA since 2019, tells DSC. “Looking back at the time we had with Porsche as a privateer, as a team, it was a big step coming into Hypercar and trying to compete against the manufacturers.
“We knew we could put up a fight against the manufacturers. We always had good history in LMP2 with JOTA as a team to make good strategy calls, and we knew when we had the opportunity, we would be there to hopefully take it.
“I think getting that race win was big for us to prove to everyone that we were ready to take that step as a team, which ultimately then led into this programme and the journey we’re on now with Cadillac.
“I’ve been at JOTA now for a long time, transitioned with them from LMP2, into privateer Hypercar, into a full factory programme. It’s still a lot of the same people on that journey with me, so it’s been cool to see everyone progress and how much bigger the operation now is with the team now working in close collaboration with Cadillac to ultimately try and build the best race cars we can build.”
Even before its 2024 victory, Spa-Francorchamps was regarded as a strong venue for JOTA Sport, which has also claimed a pair of LMP2 wins at the venue.
Imola, in contrast, hasn’t traditionally been a happy hunting ground for the British operation, making the strong pace shown by the V-Series.R at this year’s FIA WEC season opener all the more promising.
Even more so, once you consider that it was JOTA’s first race since the Cadillac received a significant update over the off-season, and the team had a disrupted pre-season testing programme.
“Different tracks have different philosophies in terms of setup and how teams go about their philosophies with race cars,” Stevens explains.
“Spa has always suited us, but I think as a team we’ve adapted very well to learning what tracks need, the characteristics you try and chase with the car, and where we find it.
“Imola was always one of our not-so-good tracks, but a few weeks ago we were very strong there in the race, so I think we’ve learned a lot as a team.”
The #12 V-Series R was running fourth early on at the Italian circuit when a drive-through penalty for a yellow flag infringement cost it vital track position, with Stevens and co-driver Norman Nato unable to recover.
“Obviously, the penalty cost us a lot, but we had a very strong start,” the Briton reflects.
“We were competing at the sharp end, and I think we would have come away with a very good result. But looking at the positives, with our new package this year, it’s very encouraging that we can perform like we did at Imola.
“We’re still learning a lot as we go. This circuit requires very different things from the car, so it’s going to be an interesting weekend for us to try and get on top of things. It’s good learning before Le Mans to have two very different circuits that require two very different things.”
Stevens and Nato will be joined this weekend by Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing GTP driver and Hypercar debutant Louis Delétraz.
Delétraz is taking the seat usually occupied by Alex Lynn, who is missing the opening rounds of this year’s championship as he recovers from a procedure to address a neck issue.
If I could do a double programme or drive more in Hypercar, I really want to do it
Having raced the V-Series.R for the past year and a half in IMSA, the 2023 FIA WEC LMP2 drivers’ champion is a natural choice to complete the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA crew for Spa.
“I’ve always said, I love WEC, I love Le Mans and I want to be here,” the 29-year-old declares. “Ultimately, if I could do a double programme or drive more in Hypercar, I really want to do it, so I’m really looking forward to it.
“I know the Cadillac very well from IMSA, so it’s not a big surprise. Will and Norman, we’re friends for a long time, so it’s all a very easy adaptation, and I’m happy if I can help while Alex is getting better.”
Although it’s his first race start with JOTA, Delétraz is familiar with the team through his former exploits. First as a rival during his time in the FIA WEC’s LMP2 category, then more recently as a collaborator as part of the ‘One Cadillac’ policy which has seen the American marque’s three factory supported prototype teams work closely together during the past year.
“I’ve been really excited to work with JOTA,” Delétraz says.
“We had time to go to the sim, I was there just before Laguna Seca, prep a bit, and meet the guys. I know quite a lot of people from JOTA. I’ve worked with or against many of them before. We prepped it as well as we could.”
Despite this being Delétraz’s first ‘standard’ FIA WEC race since the 2023 8 hours of Bahrain, he has no concerns about getting back up to speed with the format, due to his presence in the European Le Mans Series with AO by TF.
“Adapting will be easy,” he says. “I’ve raced in ELMS for the past five years. Same rules, same style of racing, a bit shorter racers, but I’m not too worried about that.”
Free from the concern of needing to score championship points as a one-off driver, it’s clear that Delétraz’s aim for the weekend is to help Hertz Team JOTA and its #12 entry to challenge for a second Spa victory.
One key weapon he brings to the #12 crew’s arsenal is the experience he has gathered during the start of the IMSA season, where he has completed four races with both the updated aero package and brakes, plus the new-for-2026 tyres.
“I’m here to race,” he declares. “I’m here to fight for wins, and so is Cadillac and JOTA, so we’re going to push.”
“I’m really enjoying driving the car. I think we’ve been quite strong lately in IMSA. I’m quite warm, I was just in the car last weekend, which is for sure an advantage, as is to have driven already four races with these new tyres when WEC has done only one, so it’s great that we’re sharing all of this.”
This weekend is currently a one-off for Delétraz, although he’s clearly open to further outings should the opportunity come up. Is he a Plan B option for Le Mans, if Lynn isn’t available?
“It hasn’t been talked about, and my role is only Spa,” the Swiss, who as it stands will compete with AO by TF in LMP2 at La Sarthe, confirms. “Being able to spend Spa with JOTA, it would make sense if Alex is not available, but it has not been set yet.”
Images courtesy of Paul Foster & Andrew Lofthouse
