Bamber on Cadillac's Indianapolis win: "We've been knocking on the door... Today it opened"

The No.31 crew celebrating their victory in the victory circle | Credit: Dominic Loyer

It has been a long time coming, and that day finally arrived at long last. Cadillac took the win in the Battle of the Bricks race at Indianapolis and their first IMSA victory of the year. This time, it was the No.31 Action Express Racing (AXR) that took them to the top.

Cadillac dominates Indianapolis with a strong win from the No.31 car

After qualifying on pole following the disqualification of the No.60 Acura, Jack Aitken led the field with his red V-Series.R car for the first time since the 2024 Petit Le Mans.

Aitken held the lead as the race got underway, which did not take long to be neutralised with a full course yellow (FCY). The No.10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac moved to the lead of the race afterwards. Aitken completed a move up to second from the No.6 Porsche.

The No.31 car defending from the No.93 and No.60 Acura cars | Credit: Dominic Loyer

The 29-year-old took the lead of the race from the two Acura cars before he handed over to co-driver Frederik Vesti. Earl Bamber did the next stint with two hours and 22 minutes left on the clock, before Aitken closed things out with an instruction to save as much energy as possible.

There were more reasons to celebrate, as behind them was the No.10 car, which successfully overtook the No.60 Acura for second with just 13 minutes left. The AXR crew exclaimed, "We have a friend behind."

The door finally opened

The mood at the team's camp immediately improved after the victory since this was AXR's first win since the 2023 12 Hours of Sebring. The celebrations continued for an hour after the race by kissing the Yard of Bricks.

John Roth, Vice President of Global Cadillac, congratulated the team for their achievement, as it shows the deep capabilities and determination of a Cadillac team.

"Congratulations to the Cadillac Racing team and the No.31 car on their win in the Battle on the Bricks.

"The overall win showcases the deep capabilities and determination of the Cadillac Racing team. Every team member can be proud of their efforts in helping to prepare the race car for today’s win, from both a technology and durability perspective."

Aitken was jubilant with the victory and said it was a great team effort. He mentioned how the team doubted they could make it to the end with limited fuel. The fuel conservation was massive, but it paid off nicely at the end.

"We’ve got a great team from A to Z, and that includes my teammates.

"Anyone of us could have finished it off. With the length of the race and how it was going, it was better to get a fresh one in. It was intense, so I’m glad we did.

"With about an hour to go, we looked like we weren't going to be able to make it on fuel. But there were some cars in the same position behind us. And I just went on a real big save to see what I could do."

The No.31 car after the race | Credit: Dominic Loyer

He praised the No.10's overtake on the No.60 Acura car as the other Cadillac could help support AXR's chances by playing defence. The final yellow flag at the end saved them from further trouble.

"And we managed to hold the lead and actually start saving what we needed, which was massive.

"It was working out. The [No.]10 came through and was a sight for sore eyes, so they helped play a bit of defence. And then with the yellow at the end, it saved us as well from any further troubles."

Bamber was relieved with the result, as the team often knocked on the doors of victory this season. The New Zealander was glad that the door finally opened for them, and undoubtedly, he would enter the next FIA World Endurance Championship round in Fuji with a good mood.

"It’s been an amazing weekend for the AXR Cadillac.

"We were talking this week, and we’ve been knocking on the door a lot. We were knocking on the door at Road America. We knocked on the door at Watkins Glen, and we said, 'Soon it’s going to open for us.' Today it opened.

"Jack did an amazing job. Everyone on the team did great pit stops. We’ve been the best on the pit lane this year, and now, finally, everything went our way. It’s awesome. We’ve got Petit in two weeks and Fuji next week, so let’s go."

This was Vesti's first-ever IMSA SportsCar Championship victory, and he was "super proud" with the result.

"This is huge for the team and for me.

"I’m super proud of everybody at Cadillac and AXR. It’s been a hard year so far, but to step on the top step of the podium is massive for us. It's been a strong, amazing weekend from the AXR Cadillac.

"The team worked together, and this result proves that it was a team effort. My stint I am extremely happy. I led every single [time] I was out there and pulled gaps multiple times. I'm proud and happy of the whole team. We’re ready for more."