Bamber Now “Disappointed” With Second Place in AXR Turnaround

Photo: Action Express Racing

Earl Bamber said he’s now disappointed by finishing second in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races following a turnaround in performance from Action Express Racing that has put the team into prime GTP title contention.

The Cadillac squad, which won the final two races of the 2025 season, narrowly missed out on victory in January’s season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona to the No. 7 Penske Porsche 963 of Felipe Nasr, Julien Andlauer and Laurin Heinrich.

Bamber and co-drivers Jack Aitken and Fred Vesti head into this weekend’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with renewed focus on the season-long championship after two up-and-down seasons for the No. 31 Whelen-sponsored Cadillac crew.

“When I joined last year we hadn’t had a podium for a while as a team,” Bamber told Sportscar365. “Now we’re disappointed that we finished second at Daytona.

“I think it just shows the level. Gary [Nelson, team manager] always tells us to expect to go out and win and I think that’s really embedded in the culture right now.

“We know we’ve got the tools from Cadillac. We’ve got the people in the garage and the pit lane. I think we’ve got the drivers behind the wheel that we can always turn up and expect that we’re going to have some chance of winning if we can execute.”

Bamber said the chemistry between he and Aitken, as well as Michelin Endurance Cup pilot Vesti, has also been key to their recent form.

“There’s a really good vibe between me and Jack and Fred is also doing an amazing job as well,” he said. “It’s just a good team dynamic.

“When we started in the beginning of 2025, that’s what we tried to build, that whole dynamic of the team, the drivers, everything.

“I feel it’s really gelled, even from Watkins Glen [last year] onwards.”

The Kiwi, who along with Aitken are undertaking dual series programs with Cadillac by also competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Hertz Team JOTA, believes the updated V-Series.R for this year will help their title quest on both championships.

“We mainly did it to help us in the traffic,” he explained. “At the end of the day we have performance windows, so it’s not like you’re going to bring something and go one-and-a-half seconds quicker.

“For us, it’s about the raceability because that was always a real hard thing for us. We’d get stalled out in traffic.

“The other bit is just making it a bit more rigid and strong for 24-racing. Those were the two main targets.

“Obviously the brake stuff as well, making it a bit more easier and usable.

“I don’t expect us to make a big jump forward, but at the same time, we were really strong at Sebring last year. We had an issue with the fuel collector and then we broke a diff. We sort of fizzled out.

“I think we can be in the mix [at Sebring]. But from what I saw in Daytona, there were three cars that could win a race, which were the 7, the 6 and the 31. Those were sort of the three cars that were fighting each other.

“It’s nice to fight those guys. Porsche Penske Motorsport won the championship but they’ve taken it to such a level now.

“The whole year we were chasing and catching up. I feel like we’re now in that same window now with them.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John