Meet the V8-powered racers that will make their competition debut this year.
These are three examples of the Cadillac V-LMDh, packing different liveries that the automaker revealed to the world Thursday. The endurance racers will compete in two series: Namely the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship, with the latter including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
More specifically, V-LMDh race cars Nos. 01 (gold) and 31 (red) will compete at home. Blue No. 2 will be the contender to take on European rivals like BMW, Lamborghini and Porsche at Le Mans. Though that will be the only one competing in the FIA championship, it will join the other two at the 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona, with Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook co-driving.
Each car packs a naturally aspirated, hybridized 5.5-liter V8 engine making up to 670 horsepower, per series regulations. Each powerplant is backed by a 7-speed sequential transmission.
Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande will drive the No. 01 Cadillac LMDh in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Six-time IndyCar and four-time Rolex 24 at Daytona champion Scott Dixon will join them when the car makes its competition debut at Daytona later this month. Pipo Derani and Alexander Sims will drive the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-LMDh in that event.
These cars’ competition debut will kick off on January 26 at Daytona International Speedway, with the Rolex 24 running through January 29. V-LMDh No. 2, an homage to Briggs Cunningham’s 1950 “Le Monstre” racer, will participate in the 1,000 Miles of Sebring on March 17, 2023.
