Can you be the greatest driver of all time if you've only raced in F1?
Modern F1 drivers rarely race outside their series, so can any claim to be the greatest driver of all time? asks Morgan Holiday
Cadillac has unveiled its LMDh Hypercar that will race in the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar series next year.
Announced ahead of this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, the V8-powered hybrid is set to make its race debut at the Daytona 24 Hours in 2023.
It will go on to compete for overall victory in the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours against the likes of Peugeot, Toyota and Ferrari.
The Project GTP Hypercar uses an LMDh chassis from Dallara with an all-new 5.5-litre engine alongside the spec hybrid system. Its vertical lights and horizontal strakes mirror the design of its road cars.
The images show the current look of the car, but work is still to be done for the final specification of the Project GTP.
Rory Harvey, Cadillac Vice President, said: “By competing in both the 2023 IMSA and World Endurance Championships, Cadillac racing has the opportunity to showcase its capabilities, craftsmanship and technology.
“As Cadillac moves towards an all-electric future, the LMDh regulations offer a unique opportunity to gather key learnings from these propulsion systems.
“The Project GTP Hypercar captures the spirit of Cadillac Racing and previews the design of the car racing next year.”
Cadillac last raced at Le Mans in 2002 with its doomed Northstar LMP which was no match for Audi’s R8s.
It has had much more success with its IMSA DPi car, winning the SportsCar Championship three times, including last year.
The rules convergence between IMSA and WEC means that the LMDh Hypercar is eligible for both series.
Testing is due to commence this summer, with the car said to be on schedule for next year’s end of January season-opener at Daytona.
“It’s a great opportunity for us,” Harvey added. “We have a fantastic relationship with IMSA, we have had a huge period of success in the US and we want to be able to build upon that.
“We want to take some of those iconic races that are here [in the USA] and we want to complement that with iconic races in Europe to showcase our talents.
“We believe that we’re going to be very competitive when we enter Le Mans.”
However, considering the recent dominance of Toyota in WEC, Cadillac is still aware much work ahead is needed in order to dethrone the Japanese outfit.
Currently racing for the American team in IMSA is Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande, but it is yet to be announced if either of those drivers will compete in WEC alongside.
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