Bamber: ‘One Cadillac’ Approach Has “Ramped Up Performance”

Photo: Julien Delfosse/DPPI

Earl Bamber believes Cadillac’s ‘one team’ approach between its cars in the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is paying dividends, but feels they’re just “warming up” in terms of the collaboration involving drivers, engineers and teams.

Bamber, who has undertaken a full season WEC program with Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA alongside competing in all but one WeatherTech Championship race with Action Express Racing, is coming off victory in last month’s Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, one week before qualifying second for the 6 Hours of Fuji race, both at the wheel of Cadillac V-Series.Rs.

The Kiwi has been the only season-long driver in both programs this year, although Jack Aitken is understood to be in contention for a similar role next year, in potentially taking Jenson Button’s seat in the WEC program while continuing with Action Express in the IMSA GTP ranks.

“Everyone brings something unique,” said Bamber. “The openness and a great exchange between all the Cadillac teams, sharing data, sim work, everything, has really ramped up performance.

“With JOTA, we can reference what’s worked in IMSA, where the car’s been incredibly quick. But I would say we’re not finished yet. Maybe we’re just warming up, so I feel there’s a great momentum from everyone at Cadillac Racing within the teams as well.

“We want to finish strong this year and be a force at Daytona in ’26.”

Two other JOTA regulars will complete Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing’s lineup in this weekend’s Motul Petit Le Mans, with Will Stevens back in the No. 10 entry alongside Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque after contesting the Rolex 24 at Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, and Norman Nato making his first start with the team in its No. 40 Cadillac.

“Obviously, I think the good thing is for when we can do both programs from WEC to IMSA is coming here when you step back in the car – I have done Daytona and Sebring, but it’s five, six months out of the IMSA car – so the fact you’ve got the WEC races in between means when you jump back in it’s not strange,” said Stevens.

“You’re getting back into a familiar car, which then it’s just useful to get up to speed quickly. So, at the end of the day, the more laps you do as a driver, it’s better.

“I think as drivers, it’s great for us just to be driving as much as we possibly can. And then obviously you’ve got more experience, more knowledge of the car.

“Doing multiple different tracks is always good also for the teams to have feedback and opinions from different drivers. I think it works super well to be able to do both programs.”

While being new to the team, and only making one previous WeatherTech Championship start, in the 2018 Petit Le Mans in Tequila Patron ESM’s Nissan DPi, Nato is looking forward to gaining more experience of the Dallara-chassied LMDh car this weekend.

“It’s good for me to do more laps in the car because I’m still new to this car,” he said. “It’s my first season with Cadillac. As a car, it’s pretty much the same as what I know with JOTA in WEC.

“It’s more about adapting to the IMSA style, which is pretty different than Europe, to the team as well, to the method of the team, to the engineer on the radio.

“Obviously, when I see like Wayne Taylor Racing has been a successful team for so many years, so I’m here to help give them feedback, to set up the car and bring what I can bring to push I would say the team to go on the right direction. But at the end it’s up to me to adapt to the team. It’s not them to have to adapt to me.”

The Frenchman took part in a two-day test with the team at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta prior to last month’s Lone Star Le Mans WEC race at Circuit of The Americas.

“These two days for me, it’s not so much adapting to the car because I kind of start to get used to it, but it’s more like to get ready for Petit for the race where driver change, radio communication, some rules are different and two new teammates as well. It’s something in terms of setup, we have to walk together, to try to find the best compromise,” said Nato. “So that’s why these two days are important.

“My last time in the Petit Le Mans was 2018, so it’s been a long time and it was my first time in IMSA and my last time. So, I’m really happy to be back and hopefully we can fight for the win.”

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