Yahoo Autos Cadillac to continue WEC Hypercar program for 2024
General Motors’ two-track involvement in the FIA World Endurance Championship looks set to continue in 2024, with Cadillac Racing’s program in the Hypercar class fielding the V-Series.R running in parallel with Corvette’s planned customer Z06 GT3.R program in LMGT3.
“We (Cadillac) intend to be in the FIA WEC next year,” Laura Wontrop Klauser, GM’s sports car racing manager, told RACER. “How many cars and all that stuff hasn’t been announced, but the intent is to continue.”
This extended commitment to the FIA WEC is a significant part of GM’s ongoing motorsports expansion in Europe. In addition to securing a base for Cadillac Racing’s WEC program earlier this year in Stuttgart, Germany, GM is also planning to set up a permanent base in Europe for its customer GT3 operation. The location and scale of this new base have yet to be decided.
“We’re still exploring what we want to do in Europe,” Wontrop Klauser added. “For the WEC we are going to have a specifically 2024-only support that we are working with our (LMGT3) team on. But in Europe, we want to do a proper job — we want to make sure we have a setup that will likely include some type of headquarters that we can run parts in and out of.”
By competing in what is set to be an even bigger Hypercar category in 2024 with additional factory entries from Alpine, BMW and Lamborghini, the benefits for Cadillac are twofold.
Firstly, it allows GM to have a second shot at an overall Le Mans victory, and a world championship title. Cadillac Racing’s three-car effort this year tasted success at La Sarthe, when its No. 2 WEC full-season V-Series.R finished on the podium. The brand will hope it can push for a victory in year two.
Secondly, this will help ensure that Corvette is awarded space for two customer cars in the new LMGT3 class. Having a presence for the Z06 GT3.R in the FIA WEC is a priority for the new-look Corvette Racing going forward, as it moves from operating as a factory team to managing a global customer program.
“The ACO knows our interest to bring a two-car effort to WEC to make sure Corvette is represented,” Wontrop Klauser continued. “Having Cadillac here (in the FIA WEC) is helpful for that.
“They (the WEC selection committee) are considering history and heritage. Corvette has been coming to Le Mans for 20-plus years, and we’ve been coming to WEC for full seasons now. We know there are no guarantees so we want to ensure the risk is low.”
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Cadillac continuing all but guarantees LMGT3 entries for Corvette. Following the ACO’s annual Le Mans press conference earlier this month, FIA WEC CEO Frederic Lequien said, “I do not see how it’s possible to refuse the entry of a GT3” for manufacturers running a program in Hypercar.
The customer team for Corvette’s FIA WEC LMGT3 effort has not yet been named, though it is expected to be a significant player in the current GT racing marketplace.
“You can expect official announcements to come in the next couple of months,” Christie Bagne, the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program manager told RACER. “We’re looking forward to doing that when it is the right time for everyone.”
Beyond the Cadillac Hypercar program and the two-car customer effort in LMGT3, Wontrop Klauser also revealed to RACER that Corvette is unlikely to file for additional GT3 entries for Le Mans and continue Corvette Racing’s factory racing tradition at the French endurance classic.
“I don’t think we will have the additional entries (at Le Mans) — I think we will be grateful to have two cars in the FIA WEC for the full season,” she said. “They are pushing traditional factory support into Hypercar and that’s where they want to see that type of backing. I foresee just the two cars at Le Mans that we have in the full season.”
