Get well soon Frederic
FIA WEC CEO Frederic Lequien is not on site in Austin this week, following a nasty biking incident ahead of the event.
Frederic confirmed that he is sporting a broken wrist and elbow, which means he cannot travel. He is however working from a distance.
DSC wishes him well and hopes to see him back in the paddock soon.
Farewell Rachel
Yesterday was FIA WEC communications manager Rachel Cavers’ final day on the job, as she has decided to step back from the role ahead of the imminent birth of a second child.
A true professional, and a joy to have in the media centre, she will be sorely missed in the WEC paddock going forward.
DSC wishes her and her family all the best for the future!
Pink Cadillac Day recognised
Did you know that 1 September is Pink Cadillac Day in the United States?
What began with Elvis Presley and his 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special is now manifesting in the form of a pink Cadillac V-Series.R, displayed in the Grand Plaza of Circuit of the Americas this weekend.
“Pink Cadillac Day goes beyond commemorating a vehicle,” Cadillac explained in a press release this week. “It embraces individuality, nostalgia for classic American car culture, and the brand’s unique place in pop culture and luxury. Cadillac has been featured in more than 400 movie scenes and referenced in more than 300 songs by artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, The Beach Boys and Elvis Presley.”
Additionally, this pink Cadillac is now available to download in the Microsoft game Forza Motorsport thanks to a collaboration between the two. The V-Series.R is already the “cover car” for the game that was released last October.
Earl Bamber reveals special helmet
Two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Earl Bamber unveiled a special, bald eagle-themed helmet for this weekend’s race as well.
“Bald eagles and America have been longstanding things we’ve talked about in the team,” said Bamber. “And our guys are proud of the Cadillac engine sound, something that’s really iconic. So I said I’d do a special helmet and I believe we’ve come up with something unique with the American flag combined with the eagle. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s nice to see their faces light up and hopefully, it looks great on track.”
Mobil 1 hosts celebration at the Austin Speed Shop
Last night Mobil 1 and Hertz Team JOTA organised a gathering at the Austin Speed Shop to celebrate 50 years of Mobil 1 and the partnership between the two organisations.
JOTA bosses Sam Hignett and David Clark were present for the event along with all six of the team’s drivers.
Along with a spectacular array of classic cars in various stages of restoration, a JOTA Porsche 963 show car sporting the team’s commemorative Mobil 1 livery was on display in the shop.
Familiar faces in Lamborghini Super Trofeo
As mentioned yesterday we have two support series racing at COTA – Mustang Challenge and Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America.
Among the 43-car field in LST includes some familiar names. That roster includes WEC GTE AM race winner, Le Mans LMP2 winner (2008) and GTE AM podium finisher Jeroen Bleekemolen. He shares the #54 Flying Lizard Motorsports machine with two-time Rolex 24-class runner-up Tim Pappas.
2008 Le Mans Series Champion Alexandre Premat is also listed together with IMSA and ELMS class race winner Scott Huffaker, ex-Mazda factory prototype racer Joel Miller, and 2022 ELMS Championship runner-up and Le Mans LMP2 podium finisher Nico Jamin.
2022 GT World Challenge America Pro-Am champion Ashton Harrison and seven-time Trans-Am Series champion Ernie Francis Jr. add even more depth to the Super Trofeo field.
Jamin and his co-driver Kiko Porto – both exports of the Road To Indy developmental ladder – lead the Pro class standings after three race meetings, two points ahead of Francis and his co-driver Giano Taurino of South Africa.
Keating: New Mustang GT3 ‘like an old glove’
Ben Keating spoke at today’s pre-event press conference upon his return to the WEC and his surprising entry into the #88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 – and wants to let it be known that he has no problem at all getting behind the wheel of a GT3 car again.
“I am thrilled to be here,” Keating said. “Christian Ried, who I competed against for the last four years, called me and asked if I wanted to race. I could not pass up the opportunity. It’s fun to be back at this track. I haven’t raced here since 2019.
“The Mustang has had quite a challenging year of development. It’s the first year for a brand-new car. I have my expectations set very reasonably.
“I just got 15 minutes in the car (during FP1) and I was pleasantly surprised. It’s my first time on Goodyear tyres, first time in the Mustang GT3 and I still have a lot to learn… yet, it’s somewhat like an old glove. I felt like I was riding home.”
“It takes such a long time to manage ABS braking. I don’t know if you can ever master it. I feel I have less consistency as I never know what the computers are going to do. The car feels a little more numb going into a corner”.
“I feel that the main difference between the GTE and the GT3 is that all the GTE cars had the confidential Michelin tyres developed specifically for them,” he added. “You could work with a tyre manufacturer to design a tyre that would mask problems if you had them with a particular car. You could really design a car around it.
“In LMGT3, everyone uses the same tyre, and it makes it more challenging for all the manufacturers to have a car that does well around it. I think it shows up a lot in the brake zones. You really feel the differences of the different cars.”
Serravalle finds new home
Canadian racer Antonio Serravalle finds himself in new surroundings this weekend in COTA.
The former Isotta Fraschini Hypercar driver has been confirmed as a reserve at Proton Competition and is present in the paddock for his first weekend with the German team.
Porsche sad to see JOTA go
Urs Kuratle, the director of factory LMDh racing at Porsche, says the German brand will be sad to see HERTZ Team JOTA switch to competing with Cadillac at the end of the current season.
While Porsche was aware of the British team’s switch to becoming Cadillac’s service provider for its two-car factory Hypercar effort long in advance of the news becoming public, Kuratle admits that the marque is still disappointed that JOTA’s time as a 963 customer team is coming to an end.
“We are extremely sorry to lose JOTA from the customer stable,” he told DSC. “They put in great performances, which was good for Porsche, won the race at Spa and achieved more positive results. It’s a shame to lose them, but the step they are taking is understandable.
“On a personal note, I will miss going into the JOTA garage on race weekends. They are a really great bunch of people and it’s a shame that we will lose those guys and access to that garage.”
BMW eager for strong result this weekend
The 2024 season has been a challenging one for Team WRT and BMW in Hypercar. The M Hybrid V8 has shown flashes of potential across the five races so far this season, but failed to achieve a standout result.
Ahead of Sunday’s race at COTA, WRT boss Vincent Vosse spoke about recent testing and expectations for Lone Star Le Mans.
“We’ve been testing the Hypercar at Paul Ricard with Michelin,” said Vosse. “We also tested on this track after Sao Paulo. Unfortunately, we had rain ruin half of the sessions, hence why we are still wondering how the car will perform in this heat.
“That being said, I think we have improved, and we are eager for a good result this weekend.”
