Paul Jeffrey
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Cadillac Europe have announced they are to return to the famous Daytona 24 Hour event in 2017, sporting a brand-new prototype race car for the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series.
If a brand spanking new Cadillac Prototype wasn't news enough on its own, Cadillac have also confirmed they have secured the services of legendary four time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon to lead the American manufacturer charge at the showpiece Rolex 24 hours of Daytona event in January.
Gordon, winner of 93 NASCAR events and recently retired from racing has been signed up to compete at the legendary 24 hour event following his emotional exit from Stockcar racing, partnering Jordan and Ricky Taylor alongside veteran Italian Max Angelelli in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R
"I really enjoyed racing in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2007 with Max, Wayne and Jan,” said Gordon, now an analyst during NASCAR on FOX broadcasts. “When I announced I would no longer be competing full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, my hope was that I would get an opportunity like this to compete again in such a prestigious event – with Konica Minolta and Wayne Taylor Racing – with the hopes of winning it this time. I know that Ricky and Jordan are super-fast, and I believe it will be a very strong combination.”
For his part, Taylor was understandably delighted to secure the services of the multiple champion and veteran of the NASCAR racing scene:
“We are excited to have Jeff back in the lineup with us for the 2017 Rolex 24,” Taylor said. “He was with us when we started this race team back in 2007 and he helped us finish on the podium. We have kept in close touch ever since and have always been looking for another opportunity to have him join our driver lineup. That opportunity is finally here after his retirement from full-time competition in NASCAR and we are very much looking forward to working with him again.”
“It’s really exciting to have Jeff Gordon coming on board with us for Daytona next year,” said Jordan Taylor, who co-drove the No. 10 prototype to the 2013 Rolex Series driver championship with Angelelli in 2013. “It used to be common to have NASCAR guys joining teams for the Rolex but, over recent years, it’s become less and less frequent. Jeff Gordon is a name that everyone knows worldwide. He is one of the biggest names in motorsports. He drove with my dad and Max at the Rolex back in 2007, so it’ll be cool to have a 10-year reunion with him and the team. Sportscar racing offers a unique perspective for drivers, where we have to share the same car. I can’t wait to compare notes and feedback with such a legend of our sport. It’s going to be an experience of a lifetime.”
Angelelli, one of the winningest drivers in sportscar racing history with 27 career victories and 72 podiums, was particularly ecstatic to co-drive once again with Gordon.
“I think it is exceptional to have Jeff back with us after 10 years, In a way, I’m such a fan of his, but I look forward to sharing our new Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R racecar with him, discussing our setup and race strategy. It was great the first time – we might have won that race if some things would have gone our way. Now that it’s happening again, with the new car, it’s going to be absolutely great.”
“It’s really exciting to have Jeff Gordon coming on board with us for Daytona next year,” said Jordan Taylor, who co-drove the No. 10 prototype to the 2013 Rolex Series driver championship with Angelelli in 2013. “It used to be common to have NASCAR guys joining teams for the Rolex but, over recent years, it’s become less and less frequent. Jeff Gordon is a name that everyone knows worldwide. He is one of the biggest names in motorsports. He drove with my dad and Max at the Rolex back in 2007, so it’ll be cool to have a 10-year reunion with him and the team. Sportscar racing offers a unique perspective for drivers, where we have to share the same car. I can’t wait to compare notes and feedback with such a legend of our sport. It’s going to be an experience of a lifetime.”
Angelelli, one of the winningest drivers in sportscar racing history with 27 career victories and 72 podiums, was particularly ecstatic to co-drive once again with Gordon.
“I think it is exceptional to have Jeff back with us after 10 years, In a way, I’m such a fan of his, but I look forward to sharing our new Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R racecar with him, discussing our setup and race strategy. It was great the first time – we might have won that race if some things would have gone our way. Now that it’s happening again, with the new car, it’s going to be absolutely great.”
The deal to contest the 55th running of the Rolex 24 will see Gordon return to the event for the first time since making his debut with Wayne and Jordan Taylor alongside Kevin Magnussen's father Jan back in 2007, where the car finished on the podium in third position.
Making the signing of Gordon possible is the return of a works Cadillac effort, a first for the manufacturer since the 2002 racing season. The all new DPi-V.R will be a 6.2-litre V8 prototype race car capable of producing 600 horsepower at 7,600 RPM (artificially reduced in order to meet with strict championship regulations). Tipping the scales at just under 930kg minus driver, the RWD high downforce prototype is sure to be head turner when the championship kicks of on the 28th January.
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Are you happy to see the return of a works Cadillac effort at Daytona? Do you think Gordon can do the business now he's finished full time in NASCAR? Let us know in the comments section below!
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