Meet the Cadillac LMDh-V.R.
After a flurry of speculation, Cadillac announced its program to compete in both the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023. The brand has successfully ran in IMSA’s DPi category in the past, snagging Daytona 24 wins from 2017 through 2020, and the overall championship title in both 2017 and 2018. Now, this new car will compete in the LMDh (Le Mans-Daytona hybrid) class alongside other manufacturers that committed so far, including Acura, Audi, BMW and Porsche.
Overall, the class incorporates standardized hybrid components, fitted to a manufacturer-sourced engine and a chassis built by one of four constructors. Cadillac went with Italian firm Dallara in this case, and will partner with Chip Ganassi Racing and Action Express Racing to make it all happen. “We have had a great relationship across three different racing disciplines with GM and we are looking forward to developing the car with Cadillac and Dallara over the next year-and-a-half,” said Ganassi.
To that end, Cadillac revealed Tuesday a sketch of the prototype it aims to race on both sides of the Atlantic. It eschews the conventional wing seen in its current DPi-V.R, and altogether looks far more futuristic. We’ll have to wait and see how that shakes out in the 2023 season, while Cadillac will continue to race in the DPi class in the meantime.
Cadillac also took the opportunity to express the LMDh-V.R as an expansive of its V-Series portfolio, to include cars you’ll actually be able to drive on the road. Pro racing driver Paul Gerrard recently tested out both the Cadillac CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing on the track, both of which you can check out on our TFLnow channel:
