Deletraz Targeting Future Dual WEC, IMSA Programs

Photo: Brandon Badraoui/IMSA

Louis Deletraz says he’s hoping to one day end up with a dual FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship campaign ahead of his WEC Hypercar debut this weekend at Spa.

The Cadillac factory driver has been drafted into the No. 12 Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac V-Series.R this weekend, in the place of Alex Lynn, who has missed the opening two rounds due to undergoing neck surgery.

While Will Stevens and Norman Nato raced as a duo in last month’s season-opening 6 Hours of Imola, Deletraz, and fellow full-time WeatherTech Championship driver Jack Aitken complete the two-car factory lineups this weekend.

“I’m really excited for WEC, first of all, because I’ve always enjoyed racing in Europe too,” the four-time European Le Mans Series LMP2 champion told Sportscar365. “I think being able to do both is very lucky.

“I hope in the future, that’s the goal of mine, being able to do both WEC and IMSA, if they don’t clash.

“I’m looking forward to working with Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA. It’s a team that has a lot of experience. Whenever I’ve raced against them, they’ve always been strong.”

Deletraz believes he, as well as Aitken and Earl Bamber, can all bring experience over from last weekend’s WeatherTech Championship race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

“I think that’s the great part of Cadillac having a double program,” said Deletraz. “We can learn from each other all the time.

“I’m feeling more and more comfortable in the Cadillac. Every time I get in, I just understand things better and go faster.

“Coming from Laguna, it’s going to be very helpful.

“There’s a lot of software things that we constantly talk about. It’s not three different teams, it’s a five-car team, I think, in Cadillac right now.

“We’re constantly trying to talk to each other, be in the same page, push the systems to something we all agree with.

“We drove some things at Laguna that they were testing in Imola and we’ll probably be in Spa with something we drove last weekend.

“It’s just carrying over a lot of experience and it’s super helpful.”

Aitken added: “We always want to try and promote cross-pollinating between the teams as much as possible, whether it’s IMSA and WEC or the teams themselves.

“It’s good now that we’ve got someone from the Wayne Taylor group coming over to JOTA as well. It just gives another perspective on it.

“Louis, I’m sure, is going to do a good job. He’s been really strong in the ELMS, where it’s a lot of the same tracks.”

Aitken Set for Belated Regular-Season WEC Debut

While Aitken was always set to miss Imola due to Cadillac prioritizing his WeatherTech Championship campaign, he was due to start the WEC season in the No. 38 car alongside Bamber and Sebastien Bourdais in Qatar.

“We’ve done a roll-out (at Varnao) and I actually did a proper test with them in Qatar before everything got postponed,” he told Sportscar365. “We have done some proper work together, just not on a race weekend yet.

“I’m going to be interested just to see the flow of a normal WEC weekend, away from Le Mans. I’ve never done a WEC weekend apart from Le Mans. I’m interested to see what it’s like.

“Obviously getting some pointers and preview of it from Earl, because we’ve talked about it a lot.

“I’m feeling pretty relaxed and good going into it. I’m just keen to get started.”

While Deletraz is currently only confirmed for Spa, Aitken is set to complete the remainder of the WEC season aboard the No. 38 car.

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