Cadillac to Leave Pirelli World Challenge
Cadillac Racing has announced today that they are pulling the plug on their decade long competition in the Pirelli World Challenge. Cadillac reaffirmed their commitment to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship where it continues to support Cadillac Dpi-V.R entries in the Prototype class.
The Cadillac PWC effort was a fan’s delight as the Pratt & Miller-led team demonstrated track dominance in their decade long competition and laid the groundwork that Cadillac is a force in the sportscar world. The team claimed five manufactures’ titles, 33 wins, 121 podium finishes and 25 pole positions. This effort included an incredible stable of some of the best sportscar drivers in the racing world including Johnny O’Connell, Michael Cooper, Ricky and Jordan Taylor, Andy Pilgrim, Max Angelelli, Ron Fellows, John Heinricy, Olivier Beretta and Lawson Aschenbach, with Cooper and Jordan Taylor.
It’s sad to see them leave, but they do leave behind a top tier resume that others will hope to equal. They will go out on top, as they swept the GT class in the season–finale double header at Sonoma Raceway.
“Throughout 11 years of competition with Cadillac Racing in the Pirelli World Challenge Series, we have taken tremendous pride in our successes, including 33 wins, 121 podium finishes and multiple manufacturer and driver’s championships,” said Mark Kent, Director of Motorsports Competition for Cadillac Racing. “We also have taken tremendous pride in the level of technology transfer that has occurred between the Cadillacs competing on track and their showroom counterparts. This technology transfer has helped make the Cadillac ATS-V and CTS-V production models very track-capable and athletic.”
“Cadillac road cars are better than ever thanks to racing with World Challenge,” said Rich Brekus, Global Director of Product Strategy for Cadillac. “Equally importantly, the Cadillac Racing GT Team has earned the enthusiasm of thousands of fans around the world. You will see Cadillac Racing t-shirts in the crowd at LeMans each year, thanks to the GT program. The team has provided excellent representation on and off the track, and perfectly reflects the core of passion in our brand. The drivers and crew have been true ambassadors as we introduced Cadillac V-Performance to the marketplace. In 2018, we will take a pause in Pirelli World Challenge as we focus completely on our effort in prototype sports car racing. However, we maintain a regular and open communication with Greg Gill, the World Challenge CEO, and hope to one day return to the Series in some form.”
