{"id":33280,"date":"2024-08-31T10:50:46","date_gmt":"2024-08-31T14:50:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=33280"},"modified":"2024-08-31T10:50:46","modified_gmt":"2024-08-31T14:50:46","slug":"motown-in-texas-penske-mustang-corvette-headline-wec-race-on-pink-cadillac-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/motown-in-texas-penske-mustang-corvette-headline-wec-race-on-pink-cadillac-day","title":{"rendered":"Motown in Texas: Penske, Mustang, Corvette headline WEC race on Pink Cadillac Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Woodward Dream Cruise is in the books for 2024, but pink Cadillacs continue to roll across America. General Motors Co. celebrates \u201cPink Cadillac Day\u201d this Sunday with an international show of American pop culture at the Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas. There may even be an Elvis sighting.<\/p>\n

The six-hour sportscar race is the only U.S. stop on the World Endurance Championship\u2019s calendar. The event is a showcase for Detroit racing brands \u2014 Cadillac, Team Penske, Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Corvette \u2014 that have been taking on the world\u2019s best across the globe including at the storied 24 Hours of Le Lans in France in June.<\/p>\n

While Team Penske and its partner Porsche come into the event as the favorite in the top Hypercar class, Cadillac will headline the circus with its Pink Cadillac display that includes a wrapped, pink V-Series.R prototype race car, and the launch of a special, pink V-Series.R-liveried race car for the popular Forza Motorsport game series.<\/p>\n

\"Earl<\/figure>\n
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Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn will take turns behind the wheel of the pink livery, No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R at the Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday. Eric Klauser, GM<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI love the fact that we have such passionate fans in America, and I think they\u2019ll enjoy seeing the WEC there again,\u201d said Cadillac racer Earl Bamber, a New Zealand native who lives in Atlanta. \u201cI think there is going to be a lot of America at the event. It\u2019s some of the best racing in the world right now, especially in Hypercar and I think for fans going to COTA, seeing this field will be a great spectacle.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the Pink Caddy gets eyeballs in the paddock, Bamber and Alex Lynn will pilot the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R, which is the only Hypercar entry to qualify in the top four in each of the past three races. Eighteen Hypercars are entered.<\/p>\n

A lot has changed since the WEC last raced at COTA in February 2020.<\/p>\n

Sportscar racing was struggling for relevance on a crowded world racing stage. But the sport has been transformed in the last two years as manufacturers have embraced the WEC series \u2014 and sister IMSA in North America \u2014 with its competitive class rules for hybrid-powered Hypercars and production-based GT cars. At the center of this transformation are Detroit automakers who have embraced sportscar racing as an opportunity to show off their thundering, V8-powered brands’ performance chops on the global stage.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/figure>\n
This isn’t your father’s Pink Cadillac. GM<\/em><\/div>\n

The #2 Pink Cadillac prototype driven by Bamber and co-driver Alex Lynn will compete against Ferrari, Lamborghini, Alpine, Toyota, BMW, Peugeot and Porsche for the overall win.<\/p>\n

Two of the five Porsche 963 Hypercar entries are fielded by Bloomfield Hills-based Team Penske, which has taken the lead in the WEC championship since its 4th<\/sup>, 6th<\/sup>, and 52nd<\/sup>\u00a0place showing at Le Mans in June. With consistent podium finishes, Porsche Penske leads the series with 126 points \u2014 four ahead of Toyota (which won the last race in Brazil) with 122 points and Le Mans-winning Ferrari with 109 points.<\/p>\n