The Cadillac V-Series.R gives its drivers confidence on the brakes and is better on the bumps at Sebring, Wayne Taylor Racing's Louis Deletraz said.
'I would say the Cadillac is very good on bumps, especially the exit Turn 1 or in Turn 17 it gives you confidence, allows you to brake late and just rides better', the Swiss driver told reporters, in response to a question from Only Endurance about comparing the Cadillac with WTR's previous car, the Acura ARX-06.
The 27-year-old likely has fond memories of the Acura; he won Sebring last year for WTR, alongside Jordan Taylor and Indycar star Colton Herta.
'Last year’s Sebring was fantastic,' he said.
'With the victory, I have very good memories from it. It was one of the best victories in my career.'
Regarding further differences, or similarities, with the Acura, Deletraz was able to further expand in response to Only Endurance.
Last year, WTR raced with Acura (left). This year, they've switched to Cadillac (right). Images: Wayne Taylor Racing (L) / Kevin Dejewski (R)
'It's definitely interesting to have been in both cars because you can see where both have strong parts. I would say it's not that different, but definitely the way the Cadillac rides over bumps is slightly different.'
'But we did not really drive by night in the test. I think we learned a lot about the car, had made a good race setup, so I'm quite excited to see how we get along there.
'But until the night comes, actually bring at the end of the race, I think that's when we'll have real answers and hopefully we're in a similar position to last year to win it,' he finished.
Taylor: Cadillac 'stronger on tyre deg'
Deletraz's WTR teammate, Jordan Taylor, further expanded on Deletraz's answer, going into how the Cadillac treats its tyres better than the Acura.
Jordan Taylor: 'The last couple of years were obviously against the Cadillac and you come up with these ideas of strengths and weaknesses, and I think when you race around each other, you kind of get an idea of it.
'We always knew the Cadillac was a little bit stronger on tyre deg and just naturally the way probably the geometry of the car is, the way it works, the tire is a little bit different.
'That felt a little bit realistic at Daytona. I think Sebring will be a whole different animal now. It looks very hot on the weekend, so that's going to be interesting.'
The weather at Sebring tends to be hot, with temperatures in the 30°C (86°F) range a regular occurance. This affects the tyre life on the cars, as if the track temperature is hot, the tyres will warm up faster and thus thermally degrade at a quicker rate.
So, a car the treats its tyres may be at an advantage.
'I've been re-watching last year's race to get an idea,' Taylor continued.
'It seemed like tyre deg was a big part of it and the Cadillacs did seem strong last year over the long runs. So, I think it's interesting.'
Deletraz's 2024 late-race send
Cadillac led the race late on with Sebastien Bourdais at the wheel of the Chip Ganassi Racing-run #01 Cadillac, but in the cooler temperatures cat night, the Acura was working well. Deletraz hunted the Frenchman down and took the lead with an audacious, brave move at the hairpin with six minutes to go.
He'd go on to win the race by 0.891 over Bourdais. In the pre-race interviews for this year's race, Deletraz reflected on the move for the win last year.
'We're quite good friends,' he said, in response to being asked if he and Bourdais had spoken about the move for the win and the subsequent contact.
'I think in the heat of the moment without seeing TV it's always different, and I'm sure he was frustrated because we both wanted to win. But we were both very respectful to each other. Hard, but respectful.
'It's so easy to push each other out, not give each other room. and cause the yellow. I think we're fine. He was not personally angry at me. It was more just, I think, frustration.'
WTR 'still learning'
Despite making progress in understanding the Cadillac, Taylor said Wayne Taylor Racing are still finding new things about the car and its nuances.
'Obviously, we're still learning,' said the American.
'I think the setups that the teams decide on have a huge influence on so many factors. We did a lot of big swings at our Sebring test to get an idea of what works in the day versus night and long run versus short runs.
'So, hopefully we can make the right decisions this week that will benefit us,' he concluded.
Because Sebring is a day-to-night race, over a concrete surface which heats up and cools down differently to regular tarmac track surfaces, setting a car up for Sebring is often a compromise between being fast in the day, or fast at night.
Due to the way IMSA's caution periods work, many teams focus on being fast at night, at the sharp end of the race, and sacrificing race pace in the day as a result.
We'll have to see how Wayne Taylor Racing approaches its first Sebring with Cadillac, a race notoriously tough on drivers and cars. As two-time winners of the race, though, in 2017, the first year of the DPi regulations, and in 2024, WTR certainly knows how to win this race.
This year's 12 Hours of Sebring begins at 10:10am local time, or 2:10pm UTC.
Feature image: Kevin Dejewski
