Henry Payne » From Corvette to Cadillac to Penske, Motown flags flew high at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

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From Corvette to Cadillac to Penske, Motown flags flew high at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Posted by Talbot Payne on June 13, 2023

France had a decidedly American accent last weekend.

Detroit brands descended on the world’s most famous endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Corvette dominating the GT class, Cadillac taking third place overall, and a special Camaro NASCAR bringing V-8 thunder to 325,000 fans at the bucolic French circuit 130 miles west of Paris. The race was not as kind to Bloomfield Hills-based Team Penske as its trio of Porsche hypercars struggled with mechanical difficulties.

Auto racing is an international currency trading in excellence, and motorsports has taken on a high profile as performance brands compete in global markets. On Le Mans’ 100th anniversary, Detroit automakers were front and center selling everything from Cadillac elegance to NASCAR muscle.

“This is a really special time in racing. We have so many manufacturers with this new hybrid platform (that) are going to be able to race together,” said General Motors Co. vice president for performance and motorsports Jim Campbell, referencing new regulations that allow North American and European race cars to compete in the same so-called “hypercar” class for the first time in decades. “We have, I think, 14 different manufacturers racing together. The crowds that came out are incredible.”

The new, top-shelf hypercar class was powered, for the first time, by hybrid powertrains as manufacturers use the harsh demands of endurance racing to explore the limits of batteries that global governments are forcing on automakers. Still, given the limitations of battery endurance at high speeds, hybrid components were a small part of drivetrains powered by V-8 and V-6 gas engines. Outside of the hypercar class, entries in the LMP2 prototype and GT classes were powered almost exclusively by normally-aspirated V-8s.

Pre-race. Cadillac V-Series.R No. 311 driven by Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims, and Jack Aitken is swamped by French fans.

For NASCAR, the 2023 Le Mans entry was a first, while Cadillac was returning to Le Mans for the first time in 21 years and Penske for the first time in 52. But Corvette has made the grueling French race a regular stop since 2000, winning the race for the ninth time on Sunday.

It was the first time that Chevy’s mid-engine C8.R car was in victory circle — a strong advertisement for a car that has ben sold internationally since 2021, including as a right-hand-drive car in markets like England and Japan.

Competing in the so-called GTE Am class against formidable, production-based marque’s like Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin, the yellow #33 Corvette started from pole after an extraordinary lap by Ben Keating, a 51-year-old Texas auto dealer who has made his mark as a racer in a sport dominated by hungry 20-somethings.

But the team would have to spend the 24 hours clawing back from a seemingly insurmountable deficit after a shock absorber failure put them down two laps in the first hour.

The #24 NASCAR Next Gen Chevrolet ZL1 driven by Jimmie Johnson, Jenson Button and Mike Rockenfeller gets lapped by one of the leading Ferrari at the 2023 Le Mans.

“I thought there was no chance,” said Keating afterwards. “Everything got turned on its head. To feel like it was out of reach and then watch this team claw back and get victory out of defeat’s grasp was really special.”

Cadillac’s podium finish was the brand’s first at Le Mans. Cadillac had previously entered the race in 1950, 2000, 2001 and 2002 with mixed results.

But for 2023, Cadillac came with loaded for bear with three competitive cars and years of success in North America behind them, including three IMSA championships. The #2 and #3 Caddy V-Series.R race cars, fielded by Ganassi Racing of IndyCar fame, finished 3^rd and 4^th with the #2 car even leading some laps. Ultimately, hybrid hypercars from Ferrari (first overall) and Toyota proved too quick, but the Cadillacs’ thundering, 5.5-liter V-8 engines thrilled. The #31 Caddy finished 10^th after sustaining damage.

“I couldn’t be more proud of all three Cadillacs crossing the finish line, which I think is a huge feat at this race especially considering everything that happened,” said GM sports car racing program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser.

The Corvette C8.R No. 33 driven by Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating, and Nicolas Varrone came back from two laps down to beat a strong GT field.

Each year, Le Mans’ “Garage 56” class features a special entry to show off a different form of racing than the sports cars familiar to endurance fans. This year, a modified NASCAR Chevy Camaro got the Garage 56 nod. It became an instant fan favorite, wowing French crowds with its earth-shaking sound — and lap times that were quicker than the GTE Am Corvette.

“It’s pretty special. We partnered up with NASCAR, Rick Hendrick Motorsports, Goodyear and Chevy to run a NASCAR in a very credible way,” a smiling Campbell said. “The reaction by the fans at the track with the Camaro ZL1 has been unbelievable.”

America’s most popular form of motorsport, the NASCAR Cup Series got a Le Mans showcase for a whole new global audience.

“To put the Camaro — an iconic muscle car and our Cup Series entry — in front of an international collection of fans that hasn’t seen it before is going to change some minds and thrill a lot of people,” said Chevy Motorsports director of marketing Todd Christensen.

Le Mans pit stop: #24 NASCAR Next Gen Chevrolet ZL1.

Roger “The Captain” Penske first visited Le Mans as a driver in 1963, but — except for a 1971 appearance with Ferrari in 1971 — has concentrated as a team owner on winning IndyCar, NASCAR and sportscar championship in North America and Australia.

With Penske teamed with Porsche for the 2023 season in both North America’s IMSA series and the World Endurance Championship (that hosts Le Mans), hopes ran high that he would add a Le Mans victory 19 Indy 500 conquests. He’ll have to wait another year.

The trio of Porsche 963 cars showed good pace early on Saturday with the #75 car (celebrating Porsche ‘s 75 years) pacing the field. But mechanical and electronic gremlins — and a slew of shunts — ultimately plagued all three cars. The #6 car was the best Penske result, finishing ninth overall.

“That was a piece of hard work for the team,” says Jonathan Diuguid, managing director of Porsche Penske Motorsport. “We may have suffered blows, but we also take positives with us.”

Tough race for the Porsche-Penske team and their trio of 963 hypercars.

Hypercar-class racers’ complicated hybrid-electric systems proved problematic across multiple teams with even the winning Ferrari having a nerve-racking moment at its last pit stop when the car wouldn’t start.

On to the 2024 Le Mans, when Detroit’s presence will grow again. Ford unveiled a Mustang that will compete in the 2024 GT class to try to dethrone crosstown rival Corvette.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne

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