WTR secures Cadillac's 100th prototype podium in Detroit
- Ghazlan Atqiya Firmansyah
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Written by Ghazlan Atqiya Firmansyah, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
Wayne Taylor Racing (WTR) took their GTP Cadillac V-Series R’s to eighth and ninth on Friday’s qualifying session. A podium finish was not on the cards until an opportunistic strategy allowed the No.10 car to take Cadillac’s 100th podium for their prototype program.
Red flag on practice sessions led to qualifying heartbreak
Fellow Cadillac entrant Whelen Cadillac (Action Express Racing (AXR)) dictated early proceedings by going fastest in FP1, suggesting promising pace for the Cadillac cars. The No.10 car took fourth with the No.40 in eighth.
In the FP2, the WTR cars took seventh and ninth before heading to the qualifying session. Unfortunately, both cars lost their fastest qualifying laps due to causing red flags: No.40 in FP1 and the No.10 in FP2, starting down in eighth and ninth, as a result.
While both cars had a challenging road to the podium, the Detroit street circuit holds a special significance for the Taylor brothers, Jordan and Ricky. They've collectively won nine sports car races in Detroit. Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque even took top honours here with Acura in 2024.
The opening to the middle stages of the race
WTR put their qualifying woes away as the 100-minute race kicked off at 3:30 PM ET. Albuquerque was immediately on a roll, taking the No.10 car to fifth by the end of the first lap.
The Portuguese driver was confident with the pace of his car, opting to overcut his rivals, a risky move for the team. He pitted from the lead near the halfway point of the race. A fast stop for driver switch and fuel allowed Ricky Taylor to rejoin the race in second.
Louis Delétraz started the race for the No.40 car. An intense battle at the start, combined with the narrow nature of the track, limited his opportunities to regain lost places he wanted on the early stages. Unlike their No.10 teammates, the No.40 car opted to undercut instead.
A classic dramatic Detroit finish
Under green flag conditions, Ricky Taylor gradually closed the gap to the leading No.7 Porsche before a caution forced the cars to slow down, and the gap in the pack began to diminish.
Jordan Taylor piloted the No.40 car until the end of the race after his teammate pitted only for fuel and a driver switch. However, the 34-year-old’s progress was halted again due to traffic and a lack of caution. He would go on to finish the race in ninth.
Up in front with 15 minutes left, Ricky Taylor pulled an overtake for the lead on the No.7 Porsche at Turn 3, a move reminiscent of last year. The No.93 Acura took the lead near the end, and Taylor finished in second.
By finishing second, Taylor took Cadillac’s first podium finish of the year, surpassing their best result of fourth in Sebring and Long Beach with AXR. The podium was even sweeter for General Motors, being Cadillac’s 100th prototype podium, a feat achieved in their home race, at that.
Ricky Taylor initially expressed disappointment after missing out on the win, but remained elated with the results: “A little sadness from me because we were so close to our first win with Cadillac in the GM race with everybody here.”
“To get the 100th Cadillac podium in IMSA prototype competition feels amazing”, Taylor continued. “But that one step would have been nice.”
“It was a great fight, the WTR team did an amazing job. The strategy was incredible. Filipe did a great start. I think everything for our race went perfectly for us to go from eighth to second and almost win. I can’t say enough about the team and the execution. It’s nice to take this solid result into Le Mans”, Taylor concluded.
Albuquerque, too, was pleased with the results and credited Taylor’s heroics: “Starting from eighth, we didn’t know what to expect. A podium was brilliant. The race start came out brilliant, moving up three positions to fifth in the first turn.”
“And the strategy to leave me out for so long paid off, and we lined up P2. Ricky [Taylor] held up really well on the out lap with everyone hot already. Then it was Ricky stuff, chasing the leaders, and then he dived in for P1.”
“There is no shame in getting passed later on in traffic. I think we are happy with the result because we did a perfect race. The other car was just a little faster in the last phase of the race. I’m happy for the WTR team, the evolution we are doing with the team and Cadillac. I’m happy with today.”
Jordan Taylor was happy for No.10’s success and already looking forward to the next rounds: “It was great that the 10 car got a podium to have a positive leaving here.”
“Hopefully, we can have a good weekend at Le Mans, reset and go from there”, Taylor said. “It’s a lot of track time to keep learning, so hopefully we can come back to Watkins Glen stronger.”
Delétraz found the race difficult due to traffic and hopes for better results next time: “A difficult race. I got boxed in at the start, couldn’t move anywhere and lost position and then we were stuck.”
“Overall, we lacked some pace, so it’s hard to make things happen”, Delétraz continued. “I’m happy for the sister car that got a podium and for Cadillac at home. Good points, and we’ll come back stronger at Watkins Glen.”
