Cadillac Still Fighting to Prove Itself at Le Mans, 74 Years Since Its First Race

Following a nerve-racking qualifying run that saw the No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R sit in provisional pole position until the final seconds of the session, the yellow machine of Sebastien Bourdais, Scott Dixon, and Renger van der Zande represented hope. Hope that 2024 would earn the American automaker the win it narrowly missed out on in 2023. Hope that the GM’s multi-million-dollar investment would pay better dividends. And lastly, hope that hundreds of people from General Motors, Chip Ganassi Racing, Action Express Racing, and Dallara would feel vindicated after years of grueling work.

But racing—and specifically the 24 Hours of Le Mans—is a cruel mistress. After an entire day of racing, the highest-finishing Cadillac, the No. 2 car of Alex Palou, Alex Lynn, and Earl Bamber, finished seventh place. The No. 3 retired with a mechanical failure, and the No. 311 of Pipo Derani, Jack Aitken, and Felipe Drugovich finished 31 laps behind after a crash ruined its race with just five hours to go. It was far from the showing everyone had hoped for, especially for the automaker’s sophomore year. But despite the heartbreak, Cadillac can leave La Sarthe with its head held high, knowing that all three cars and nine drivers performed as expected—and in many ways—better than the year before.

Cadillac isn’t new to the highs and heartbreaks of Le Mans. While the brand isn’t as immediately linked to the French race like Audi, Porsche, or even Ford, it’s no stranger either. With GM actively pushing to showcase Cadillac as the pinnacle of luxury and technology, its involvement in world-class racing will continue in various forms throughout the next few years—whether it be IMSA, WEC, or even Formula 1.

America’s Luxury Automaker at Le Mans

Cadillac has a rich history at Le Mans. Its first outing was in 1950 with the famous Le Monstre (The Monster) driven by Briggs Cunningham and Sam Walters, as well as the Petit Pataud (Little Clumsy) piloted by brothers Miles and Sam Collier. And while nowadays it’s common to see a Chevy or Ford racing at the iconic endurance event, back in 1950, it had been 15 years since the last American car raced there—a Duesenberg in 1935. Despite being the oddball Americans, the Petit Pataud went on to finish 10th with an average speed of 81.5 mph. Le Monstre followed in 11th. It was a success for all involved, especially given the roster of manufacturers: Ferrari, Talbot-Lago, Aston Martin, Bentley, and Jaguar. Behind the wheel of those machines were legends like Juan Manuel Fangio, Jose Froilan Gonzalez, Luigi Chinetti, Amédée Gordini, and many more.

The automaker’s involvement in world-class racing continued five decades later with an open-cockpit prototype dubbed the Cadillac Northstar LMP. Like nowadays, Cadillac chose to work with two teams to develop its race car back in 2000; one followed the North American circuit and the other, the European one. Both would meet twice a season, once at Sebring and again at Le Mans. The original Northstar LMP was designed by Riley & Scott in North Carolina, featuring a bespoke carbon monocoque and body. The engine powering Cadillac’s return to Le Mans was a modified version of the 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V8 previously used in the Indy Racing League.

Four cars started the endurance race in 2000. Two of them belonged to the factory Team Cadillac: the No. 1, driven by French racing driver Franck Lagorce, American Butch Leitzinger, and Brit Andy Wallace; and the No. 2, piloted by none other than South African racing driver-turned-team-owner Wayne Taylor, joined by Italian Max Angelelli, and Belgian Eric van de Poele. The third and fourth Cadillacs were fielded by the French privateer team DAMS. There was the No. 3 of Éric Bernard, Emmanuel Collard, and eventual Champ Car racer and Le Mans winner Frank Montagny. The No. 4 was driven by Marc Goossens, Christophe Tinseau, and Kristian Kolby, though it only managed to complete four laps before retiring. The No. 3 DAMS beat both Team Cadillac cars coming in 19th place. The factory racers finished in 21st and 22nd, more than 70 laps behind the winning Audi R8.

Cadillac returned to Le Mans in 2001 with an improved version of the Northstar LMP, now called the LMP01. The LMP01’s body was overhauled by designer and racer Nigel Stroud, improving its top speed on the long straights and enhancing engine cooling. The top-performing car qualified eighth for the 2001 race, giving Cadillac and DAMS some hope of a better result, but things didn’t improve much over the previous year come race day. One LMP01 finished 15th, while the other retired after 56 laps.

The best and final year for Cadillac at Le Mans was 2002, when it competed with an all-new prototype called the Northstar LMP02. With DAMS out of the picture that year, it was Team Cadillac who had to deliver, and so they did. Both cars qualified eighth and tenth, beating Bentley and Audi around La Sarthe. After 24 hours, Taylor, Angelelli, and Tinseau finished 9th place, exactly 30 laps behind the leader, while the sister car came in 12th, a further 10 laps back. After three years of racing, GM pulled the plug on its Cadillac Northstar LMP program. It wasn’t until 2023 that another Cadillac would challenge Le Mans.

After a 21-year hiatus, three Cadillac V-Series.Rs turned up at Le Mans. A new team, a new mindset, and renewed hope. Like in decades prior, GM chose to run two teams to speed up the development of its car and satisfy every requirement for a Le Mans “invitation.” Chip Ganassi Racing ran two cars in North America’s IMSA series and two in the World Endurance Championship. A third V-Series.R from Action Express Racing from IMSA would also compete across the pond. Both teams brought serious muscle to France in 2023, with a combination of all-star staffers on both sides of the pit wall.

The CGR No. 2 was piloted by New Zealander Earl Bamber and Brits Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook. The No. 3 included some of IndyCar’s biggest names like New Zealander Scott Dixon, French racing legend Sebastien Bourdais, and Dutch racer Renger van der Zande. The driver lineup for the No. 311 included Brazilian endurance racing veteran Pipo Derani and British drivers Jack Aitken and Alex Sims. A valiant challenge by the three cars yielded incredible results for the Cadillac despite hellacious weather and a fair share of teething problems. After a day of racing, the No. 2 car secured a podium position, finishing an impressive third place for Cadillac. It was the brand’s first-ever podium at Le Mans. The No. 3 car also put on a strong performance, finishing fourth place just a lap behind its sister car.

2024: A Decisive Year

“It is important to stay focused and get everything right. Only the team that does everything right from the green to the checkers is going to be the one that contends for the win,” GM’s Sports Car Racing Program Manager Laura Klauser told me ahead of this year’s race. “This year, compared to last year, has been an interesting experience. Everyone in the garage is a lot calmer. We’ve done this and we know what we’re getting into but the pressure is higher.”

Klauser and her team from GM will tell you that preparations for the 2024 race began the day after the 2023 race. They may have taken the remainder of the day after the podium ceremony to have a few drinks and celebrate their accomplishments, but it was back to business on Monday.

“We left here with over 24 hours of driving data for three cars, and we reviewed every minute of it so we could come prepared and have a better strategy for this year,” Klauser added. “Each lead engineer has likely adjusted their approach, as we have two more spots to go [on the podium] and we’re always chasing the top step.”

I tagged along with Cadillac for the 2023 race as well as this year’s, and the improvements for 2024 were visible the moment I walked into their environment. The pits were rearranged, their extended paddock behind the pits was organized differently from the previous year, there were some new faces within the team, and there was an air of confidence. They were no longer first-timers—they were Le Mans podium finishers.

“It’s the second year, you know the systems better, the engines better, the strategies,” Bourdais told me the day before the race. “We know how to set the car up better and optimize it, whether it’s hardware or software, it’s all the little improvements that make our jobs easier.”

This showed on the track, too, not just in how the team prepared off of it. The No. 2 and No. 3 cars qualified second and third for the big day, besting everyone but a lone Penske Porsche around the 8.47-mile circuit. Compared to 2023, when Bourdais’ car caught on fire during qualifying and the squad managed to qualify just sixth, eighth, and 13th, this was a big year-over-year improvement.

Come race day, all three cars showed a strong pace, and each crew performed as expected. Weather plays a major role every year, but it seemed especially influential this year. At some point, I counted 17 intermittent rain showers in about 90 minutes—and that was just from the spot where I was watching. Torrential rains hammered various sectors of the track despite it being bone-dry in other areas.

Mayhem ensued in the wee hours of the morning when a series of crashes triggered a yellow flag that kept the safety car out for nearly five hours. Heavy rain and consecutive, minor wrecks during the yellow flag period did not allow racing to resume until after sunrise. By this point, the Cadillacs were in strong positions in the Hypercar class, though it was the No. 2 that had the strongest pace. With little under six hours left, that car suffered a punctured oil tank and was forced to retire. Shortly thereafter, the No. 311 crashed at Indianapolis but was able to limp back to the pits for repairs. Meanwhile, the No. 3 made its way to the lead and showed promising pace—until poor weather and shuffling caution periods and pit strategies knocked it down the order. By this point, it was evident that it would be very difficult to match the Ferraris and Toyotas on pace alone.

“We led the race for long periods of time. Ultimately, didn’t swing in our favor with the weather at the end,” Bamber said after the race. “But that’s sort of Le Mans and racing. We can be proud as a program about what we’ve achieved, how much we’ve gone forward. Now we just need a result to show for it. Other than that, I think we’ve made big leaps and bounds forward.”

Two-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou had his first showing at Le Mans, ultimately driving the final stint in the No. 2 car, which he shared with Bamber and Lynn. He put on a hell of a show, especially for someone with extremely limited experience in the Cadillac Hypercar.

“It was a lot of fun till the end just because of that hope of trying to get the win but failing at the end,” said Palou. “It was a great experience the first time doing Le Mans with Cadillac. I learned a lot and looking forward to the next [night stint]. It was actually the first time I drove in the rain at night. It was a first time for many things this year.”

Le Mans is a marathon, not a sprint. Cadillac, like every other team, races to win. Anything less just isn’t enough.

“Of course, this is not the result we had hoped for, but finishing Le Mans is an accomplishment, and we had two cars finish,” Klauser told me after the race. “This year’s race was less chaotic behind the scenes and we were pleased with how much more comfortable everyone was with the car and process now that it was our second attempt. It was exciting to lead the race for a bit in the morning. Plans for 2025 started the second the checkered flag fell in 2024.”

The only way to shake that “not enough” feeling is by winning, and even then, the pressure to defend the crown becomes even greater the following year. For Cadillac, specifically, it’s still a job well done. To go toe-to-toe with Ferrari, Porsche, Toyota, Alpine, Peugeot, and Lamborghini is a massive accomplishment that almost fulfills its racing ambitions and nearly all of its marketing goals.

The Battle Continues on the Track and in Showrooms

Behind every track outing there’s a big company writing a big check. GM’s support of Cadillac in its many racing endeavors has been bullish in recent years, but make no mistake. Behind every check there’s an expectation to win. If that doesn’t happen, meetings take place, and decisions are made. At the end of the day, it’s all about winning on Sunday and selling on Monday.

As Cadillac fights to become a Le Mans winner, it’s simultaneously fighting to be seen as a top-tier luxury brand—not just in the U.S., but also worldwide. There’s even a swanky new Cadillac House in Paris where well-off Parisians can learn about the brand and test drive a Lyriq EV. In order to really penetrate those global markets, Cadillac must go head-to-head with its biggest European and Asian rivals on the track and beat them. And according to Cadillac VP John Roth, it’s the surefire way to beat them in the showrooms, too.

“For more than a century, racing has provided a testbed for Cadillac to transfer knowledge and technology between race cars and production vehicles, and a way to build a fanbase for the brand around the world,” Roth told me after Le Mans. “This comes to life via V-Series, which offers performance production vehicles for customers, which are influenced by our racing program.”

Despite this year’s setbacks, Roth believes that just finishing Le Mans is an accomplishment to be proud of. He’s not wrong. He and his team deeply believe that “racing inspires fans and builds credibility for the brand, which can convert to vehicle sales.” Will Cadillac still be racing at Le Mans in 25 or 50 years’ time? No one knows. But it will be there in 2025, and as long as the big bosses keep signing the checks, folks like Roth, Klauser, and the racing teams involved will be working like hell to win it all.

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