Cadillac Pair Braced for Tough Physical Challenge at COTA

Cadillac drivers Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber are both braced for a “very challenging” Lone Star Le Mans from a physical standpoint, with the high temperatures and G-forces at the Circuit of The Americas set to push the pair to their limits.

Lynn and Bamber have shared the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R as a duo for every FIA World Endurance Championship race so far this season except the season-opening Qatar 1812km and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

But this weekend’s sixth round of the season at COTA promises to be a much tougher test physically owing to the nature of the circuit, with its many high-speed corners, and ambient temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).

Both drivers expressed confidence that they will be able to handle the physical demands, but are under no illusions as to the scale of the challenge ahead of them.

“It’s definitely going to be very challenging,” Bamber told Sportscar365. “It will be hot.

“We got some good preparation when we did the test [last month], but we know what we are getting ourselves into. It’s going to be a long, hot day on Sunday.”

Lynn revealed that he has been undertaking special training this year to try and prepare himself for the challenges of sharing a car with only one other driver, not only at COTA.

“To be honest, I’ve been training ever since we knew we were going to run two drivers, which was around Bahrain last year,” Lynn told Sportscar365. “What I’ve been doing over the winter has been with these races in mind.

“I put in a lot of extra effort to be ready for these events. It’s a mix between cardio and weights, to be strong enough to handle the car and also to be cardio-fit enough to be handle two hours on the limit in the heat with the G-forces.

“By the end of the race, we’ll be very tired. But at the end of the day, we are physically ready to give 120 percent every lap for our success.”

By contrast, Bamber said he hadn’t been doing any special preparations for COTA.

“I was quite sick last week, so I was just making sure I was able to recover rather than doing any specific training,” said the Kiwi. “But I lived in Malaysia for many years, so I don’t mind the heat! So I think it should be ok.”

Cadillac’s sports car program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser told Sportscar365 that there is no specific reserve driver on-site for the GM brand, but that one of its wider pool of drivers could be called upon in an emergency.

“In general, we have our driver fleet, and that goes for any race, not just this one,” Klauser said. “We don’t have someone physically here, but especially when we are in the States, it’s only a plane ride away, so we can get them here if need be.”

Bamber is hoping that Cadillac’s home race offers the chance for the U.S. brand to score a breakthrough result, with the No. 2 car’s best result of the season so far having been seventh place at Le Mans, where Alex Palou joined the full-time drivers.

“We’ve been knocking on the door of a big result,” said Bamber. “We are always in that fourth to seventh bracket, maybe challenging for a podium if things go well, and I would say we are the same here. But Ferrari looks very strong.”

Lynn added: “The reality is we haven’t put a full weekend together in the way that we wanted to for multiple reasons. But I think we do have a fast car and a strong package. It’s a shame we haven’t put it on paper.

“That’s the goal for the end of the season, to have a complete race weekend and race day that we can proud of.”

Davey Euwema contributed to this report