{"id":31580,"date":"2023-10-12T18:13:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-12T22:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=31580"},"modified":"2023-10-12T18:13:00","modified_gmt":"2023-10-12T22:13:00","slug":"payne-penske-cadillac-vie-for-title-this-weekend-in-new-era-of-hybrid-sportscar-racing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2023\/10\/payne-penske-cadillac-vie-for-title-this-weekend-in-new-era-of-hybrid-sportscar-racing","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Penske, Cadillac vie for title this weekend in new era of hybrid sportscar racing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Two of Metro Detroit\u2019s highest-profile business brands will be vying this weekend to bring home America\u2019s most prestigious sportscar trophy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Bloomfield Hills-based Team Penske (aligned with its manufacturing partner and European racing legend, Porsche AG) and General Motors Co.\u2019s Cadillac division go into the final race of the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship at Road Atlanta race track neck-and-neck to win the top-drawer GTP prototype class.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The championship has more significance than just a trophy for both Motor City players.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/12\/PDTN\/71160292007-imsa-petit-le-mans-67.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The #6 (foreground) and #7 Porsche Penske entries pit during practice for the season finale IMSA Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.\" width=\"486\" height=\"274\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/12\/PDTN\/71160292007-imsa-petit-le-mans-67.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/12\/PDTN\/71160292007-imsa-petit-le-mans-67.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=744&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" alt=\"The #6 (foreground) and #7 Porsche Penske entries pit during practice for the season finale IMSA Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"The #6 (foreground) and #7 Porsche Penske entries pit during practice for the season finale IMSA Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.\" data-c-credit=\"Henry Payne, The Detroit News\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">For Penske, the IMSA quest is part of a journey to win its founder, Roger \u201cThe Captain\u201d Penske, one of the few titles that has eluded him in his illustrious career: the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In an up-and-down season, the team fell short of its Le Mans goal last summer, but a season-ending championship at the prestigious, 26<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0annual Petit Le Mans in Atlanta would be a feather in The Captain\u2019s cap and a strong signal from the team heading into the 2024 campaign.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-mi-detroit-C1561-native-article_link-money-autos-2\" class=\"gnt_x_sl gnt_x_al\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"lazyLoadX\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cThe program has taken some punches this year,\u201d said Porsche Penske Managing Director Jonathan Duiguid, reflecting on a year when the team struggled out of the box with mechanical issues at the Daytona 24 Hours and a race-altering crash at the Sebring 12-Hour in Florida. \u201cAfter Daytona and Sebring, you would have thought we would be a long shot. Now here we are fighting for a championship like we all wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/12\/PDTN\/71160412007-imsa-petit-le-mans-cadillacpitderani.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Cadillac ace Pipo Derani of Brazil gets ready to jump into his GTP racing entry at practice Thursday for the IMSA Petit Le Mans. Derani leads in points going into the final race.\" width=\"509\" height=\"287\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/12\/PDTN\/71160412007-imsa-petit-le-mans-cadillacpitderani.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/12\/PDTN\/71160412007-imsa-petit-le-mans-cadillacpitderani.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=744&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" alt=\"Cadillac ace Pipo Derani of Brazil gets ready to jump into his GTP racing entry at practice Thursday for the IMSA Petit Le Mans. Derani leads in points going into the final race.\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"Cadillac ace Pipo Derani of Brazil gets ready to jump into his GTP racing entry at practice Thursday for the IMSA Petit Le Mans. Derani leads in points going into the final race.\" data-c-credit=\"Henry Payne, The Detroit News\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">For Cadillac (as well as Porsche), the win would be hugely significant in the inaugural year of the hybrid sportscar era. Global manufacturers including Cadillac, Porsche, BMW AG and Ferrari S.p.A. are all investing heavily in sportscar racing as part of the industry\u2019s shift to government-mandated electrification. A motorsports championship is bragging rights for technological prowess in the new age.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-mi-detroit-C1561-native-article_link-money-autos-3\" class=\"gnt_x_sl gnt_x_al\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"lazyLoadX\" data-x-c=\"2\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Porsche Penske\u2019s shot at the title lies with the driving team of Nicky Tandy and Mathieu Jaminet in the #6 Porsche 963, who lies just five points behind the points leader \u2014 the Cadillac Action Express Racing duo of Pipo Derani and Alexander Sims. The two teams make up a four-team dogfight for the championship that includes Acura Wayne Taylor Racing\u2019s Ricky Taylor\/Filipe Albuquerque (three points behind the leader) and the long-shot BMW M Team Rahal Lanigan Letterman team of Connor De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly (38 points behind).<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cTo have the four manufacturers fighting for the championship in the first year of GTP is fantastic,\u201d said Derani, who won the IMSA championship in 2021. \u201cThere has been a massive amount of effort from all the manufacturers in such a short period of time to build and develop the GTP cars that are very complex and so much learning in just a few months before we went racing. You want to make sure you were the first one to bring a championship home.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/01\/26\/PDTN\/6046964f-0a91-4c5a-8665-b2bdfa36040b-DaytonaPenske_Porsche963.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Bucket list. At 86, Roger Penske has teamed with Porsche in an attempt to win the IMSA sportscar title.\" width=\"507\" height=\"286\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/01\/26\/PDTN\/6046964f-0a91-4c5a-8665-b2bdfa36040b-DaytonaPenske_Porsche963.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/01\/26\/PDTN\/6046964f-0a91-4c5a-8665-b2bdfa36040b-DaytonaPenske_Porsche963.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=744&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" alt=\"Bucket list. At 86, Roger Penske has teamed with Porsche in an attempt to win the IMSA sportscar title.\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"Bucket list. At 86, Roger Penske has teamed with Porsche in an attempt to win the IMSA sportscar title.\" data-c-credit=\"Henry Payne, The Detroit News\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Even if Porsche Penske takes the checked flag at 9.40 p.m. Friday after a grueling 10-hour race, the team is always looking toward the big prize: the 24 Hours of Le Mans next June in France.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Though one of its three entries led at Le Mans this year in the Porsche 963\u2019s inaugural run at the prestigious race, technical issues and accidents befell the team and no car finished better than ninth.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"gnt_atomsnc\" class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_anc\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadAnc\" aria-label=\"Newsletter signup form\">\n<div class=\"label\" hidden=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"message\">\n<div class=\"title\">Get the\u00a0<span class=\"highlight\">Michigan Politics<\/span>\u00a0newsletter in your inbox.<\/div>\n<p class=\"description\">Washington and Lansing, red and blue, we&#8217;ve got your government covered.<\/p>\n<div class=\"frequency\">Delivery: Daily<\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"input-container populated\"><input autocomplete=\"off\" name=\"email\" required=\"\" type=\"email\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"clickable\"><\/div>\n<p><label>Your Email<\/label><\/div>\n<div id=\"bar\">\n<div class=\"highlight\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"progress-primary\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"progress-secondary\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Team Penske knows what a Le Mans victory means to their 86-year-young Captain and to Porsche (going for a record 20<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0win), and Josef Newgarden wants to be part of the effort. Determined to gain endurance-racing experience ahead of Porsche Penske\u2019s assault on the French race next year, the 2023 Indy 500 winner and two-time IndyCar champ will be in the driver\u2019s seat this weekend of the #7 Porsche 963 \u2014 sharing driving duties with Matt Campbell and Felipe Nasr.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cThere is no doubt he brings a higher profile to the sport. But the major reason he is with the team this weekend is because he is a qualified driver,\u201d deadpanned Duiguid ahead of the race. \u201cThere is a long list of people who want to drive these cars.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/12\/PDTN\/71160387007-imsa-petit-le-mans-teamtrailers.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Cadillac and Porsche brands are heavily invested in the 2023 IMSA sportscar championship as the series has electrified in tandem with the companies future production plans.\" width=\"509\" height=\"287\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/12\/PDTN\/71160387007-imsa-petit-le-mans-teamtrailers.jpg?width=660&amp;height=372&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/12\/PDTN\/71160387007-imsa-petit-le-mans-teamtrailers.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=744&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" alt=\"Cadillac and Porsche brands are heavily invested in the 2023 IMSA sportscar championship as the series has electrified in tandem with the companies future production plans.\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"Cadillac and Porsche brands are heavily invested in the 2023 IMSA sportscar championship as the series has electrified in tandem with the companies future production plans.\" data-c-credit=\"Henry Payne, The Detroit News\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The field of electrified racers will only grow in the next two years as Porsche, Cadillac, BMW, Ferrari, Toyota and Acura are joined by Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Peugot, and Alpine in the hunt for Le Mans immortality.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Motorsports is moving to hybrid racing as the most severe government regulations since the 1970s roil the auto industry. Oil crisis politics in the 1970s led to unprecedented government interference in motorsports, leading to the cancellation of the 1973 Daytona 24 Hour and restrictions on the amount of fuel NASCAR used. Determined to avoid disruptions amidst current government calls to ban gas engines, open-wheel Formula One racing added electric motors to its powertrains in 2014, and international sportscar racing followed this year. IndyCar and NASCAR racing are poised to follow in coming years.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-mi-detroit-C1561-native-article_link-money-autos-4\" class=\"gnt_x_sl gnt_x_al\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"lazyLoadX\" data-x-c=\"3\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">To avoid the massive costs that hybrid systems have brought to Formula One, sportscar racing has adopted a spec racing formula whereby teams share hybrid systems to reduce costs. While automakers like Cadillac (5.5-liter V-8) and Porsche (4.6-liter twin-turbo V-8) showcase their own internal combustion engine technology, engines must be married to the same battery-electric components developed by Bosch, XTrac and Williams Engineering.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/07\/23\/PDTN\/890fdc87-fd5d-4981-8521-20ff5f026cde-AP23204763278989.jpeg?crop=7610,4745,x0,y130&amp;width=660&amp;height=412&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden will compete in a Porsche 963 at Road Atlanta this weekend.\" width=\"498\" height=\"311\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/07\/23\/PDTN\/890fdc87-fd5d-4981-8521-20ff5f026cde-AP23204763278989.jpeg?crop=7610,4745,x0,y130&amp;width=660&amp;height=412&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"\/gcdn\/presto\/2023\/07\/23\/PDTN\/890fdc87-fd5d-4981-8521-20ff5f026cde-AP23204763278989.jpeg?crop=7610,4745,x0,y130&amp;width=1320&amp;height=824&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" alt=\"Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden will compete in a Porsche 963 at Road Atlanta this weekend.\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden will compete in a Porsche 963 at Road Atlanta this weekend.\" data-c-credit=\"Charlie Neibergall, AP\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cThat\u2019s the right way to do it for the future financial sustainability of the sport,\u201d said Porsche Motorsport racing programs chief Urs Kuratle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The hybrid effort has been a work in progress as teams have integrated the new electric technologies with gas engines in a crash program that began just a year before the first race in Daytona in January. The effort has included extensive safety measures put in place to protect corner workers \u2014 and drivers \u2014 from the high-voltage electric systems on board in case of failure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cWe\u2019ve made a lot of improvements in the hybrid system,\u201d said Porsche\u2019s Kuratle. \u201cThere is still a lot of work to do. Failure is an open book \u2014 all teams have access to each other\u2019s data. The focus is on reliability.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/12\/PDTN\/71160410007-imsa-petit-le-mans-cadillac-31-ontrack.jpg?width=660&amp;height=502&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The #31 Cadillac GTP driven by Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims, and Jack Aitken are leading in points heading into the Petit Le Mans season finale.\" width=\"483\" height=\"367\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" src=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/12\/PDTN\/71160410007-imsa-petit-le-mans-cadillac-31-ontrack.jpg?width=660&amp;height=502&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/10\/12\/PDTN\/71160410007-imsa-petit-le-mans-cadillac-31-ontrack.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=1004&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" alt=\"The #31 Cadillac GTP driven by Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims, and Jack Aitken are leading in points heading into the Petit Le Mans season finale.\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"gnt_em_img_ccw gnt_em_img_ccw__cap gnt_em_img_ccw__crd\" data-c-caption=\"The #31 Cadillac GTP driven by Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims, and Jack Aitken are leading in points heading into the Petit Le Mans season finale.\" data-c-credit=\"Richard Prince Richard@rprincephoto.com 516-459-2894, Richard Prince\/Chevrolet\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The coordinated effort has inspired the most competitive, most automaker-supported sportscar racing in decades. This weekend\u2019s event will have 54 entries across five classes, with the 10-car GTP car field \u00a0(and its title dogfight) headlining the field.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cI think everyone would have liked more testing,\u201d said Cadillac driver Derani of the ongoing development of the 700-horsepower hybrid rocket ships. \u201cBut the more we go the more we understand, the more we come to grips with those software integrations. It\u2019s something to keep an eye on in this race that starts in the day and finishes in the night. Those little tweaks could end up making a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<div id=\"ad-slot-7103-mi-detroit-C1561-native-article_link-money-autos-5\" class=\"gnt_x_sl gnt_x_al\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"lazyLoadX\" data-x-c=\"4\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two of Metro Detroit\u2019s highest-profile business brands will be vying this weekend to bring home America\u2019s most prestigious sportscar trophy. Bloomfield Hills-based Team Penske (aligned with its manufacturing partner and European racing legend, Porsche AG) and General Motors Co.\u2019s Cadillac division go into the final race of the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship at Road Atlanta [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31580"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31580"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31580\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31581,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31580\/revisions\/31581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}