Cadillac led the morning session of the official test day for the 94th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans at Circuit de la Sarthe on Sunday, with Filipe Albuquerque posting a time of 3 minutes and 27.011 seconds in the No. 101 Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R.
The No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R driven by Norman Nato turned a 3:26.853 in the afternoon to finish third overall in that session. The No. 38 Hertz Team JOTA entry piloted by Sebastien Bourdais was 12th in the afternoon with a 3:27.261. All three cars ran the full test program without mechanical problems.
Test day times are typically low-stakes positioning, with teams focused on data collection rather than outright pace. Cadillac’s Jeromy Moore made that point explicit: “We’re looking reasonably competitive, but we know our competitors are strong and really we won’t know for sure what they have in their pocket until next week.” The afternoon session saw better track conditions after a morning interrupted by red flags and slow zones, most notably when the No. 8 Toyota triggered a stoppage at the Dunlop Chicane.
Cadillac arrived at Le Mans with an updated evo package for the V-Series.R. Bourdais noted “a positive change in the new car since last year which will hopefully allow us to fight for a podium and maybe a win.” The team spent the test working through tire behavior across varying track conditions and confirming driver-change procedures. Louis Deletraz, making his first test-day appearance at Le Mans with Cadillac, logged laps to learn the circuit and the new tire compound.
The field appears compressed. Earl Bamber observed that “the field’s super close at the moment. It’s really, really tight.” Ricky Taylor said the test had gone “much smoother” than last year and that “all three Cadillacs are looking good,” though he emphasized the need to focus on race setup rather than outright speed. Wayne Taylor noted he was “not sure if anybody was going to try and set any times out there today,” suggesting that the test-day leaderboard may not reflect the actual competitive order heading into race week.
Cadillac finished third at Le Mans in 2023, its first appearance in the race since 2002 and the highest finish in the brand’s history at the event. The V-Series.R took the Teams’, Drivers’, and Manufacturers’ Championships in the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship season, entering this year’s Le Mans campaign with established momentum and technical experience. Free Practice 1 begins at 2 pm CEST on Wednesday, June 10.
Source: Cadillac. Images courtesy of Cadillac.
