In its first competitive outing, Cadillac’s DPi-V.R has walked away with victory at the Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona.
The No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R of Wayne Taylor Racing claimed top honors with drivers Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor, Max Angelelli and Jeff Gordon. Second place was secured by the No. 5 DPi-V.R of Action Express Racing
Coming into the final four laps of the endurance race, it was the #5 car that had the lead with Filipe Albuquerque behind the wheel. However, in the closing stages, Ricky Taylor went for an overtake into the apex of Turn 1, hitting Albuquerque in the process and sending the #5 Cadillac spinning.
Speaking after the race about the win, president of Cadillac Johan de Nysschen said “Victory at the renowned Rolex 24 At Daytona is never easy. To do so in our debut, with a new car dominating the race, is a tribute to the efforts of our engineers, teams and drivers.
“Cadillac’s return to endurance racing represents a tangible expression of our new product philosophy, in which technology and superlative engineering meet to challenge conventions and end the trade-off between luxury and performance.”
A delighted Jeff Gordon told reporters after the race, “This is unbelievable! I haven’t been this emotional for a win and an experience like this for a very long time. The reason is because I know what this means to this team, Wayne [Taylor], these kids [Ricky and Jordan] – Max. Oh my gosh! This is amazing! Daytona has always been special, but this one sent me over the top. I’m just blown away right now.”
Beyond the Prototype class, it was the #66 Ford GT of Joey Hand and Sebastien Bourdais that claimed victory in the GTLM class. The GTD class was then won by the #28 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Alegra Motorsports Porsche.
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