BOURDAIS-VAN DER ZANDE’S CHIP GANASSI’S CADILLAC WIN, AT IMSA, IN LONG BEACH.

*The team made up of Frenchman Sébastien Bourdais and Dutchman Renger van der Zande, wins this Saturday, April 20, 2024, in the third race of the US IMSA Weather Championship Endurance Championship, which was in contention. in the streets of Long Beach south of Los Angeles

At the wheel of their Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac V-Series.RN°01, they won after fully resisting their sister car, another Cadillac, the one provided by Team Whelen Action Express, number 31 driven by pole-holder Brazilian Pipo Derani and American Jack Aitken, two of whom Bourdais-van der Zande is ahead of…0.564 of a second !

Chip Crews’ sixth Cadillac Championship win at Long Beach and 30th overall since joining the IMSA prototype class in 2017.

This victory is the fifth for Sébastien Bourdais in Long Beach, on a local circuit of 1,968 miles.

Whelen’s second Cadillac V-Series.R, No. 31, recorded its second-place finish, having qualified on the pole in the three races contested since the start of the season.

Mark Stielow, director of motorsport at GM, was quoted at the end:

“Congratulations to the Cadillac V-Series.RN#01 team and drivers Sébastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande for winning a hard-fought race on the streets of Long Beach. It was a great effort to hold off our other Cad and pole sitter Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken in the Whelen Cadillac V-Series.RN#31 who took their second place in three races. It’s a great day for the Cadillac Racing in Long Beach”

WORDS OF PILOTS

Sébastien Bourdais: “It’s special. This is my fifth win here in Long Beach. I’m very happy. We’ve had a lot of struggles and things don’t always go our way. Our last win was at Laguna Seca last year, so it’s been almost a year. I’m very happy for Cadillac, for Chip Ganassi Racing and all the mechanics. They work hard and often feel like we deserve more. Hopefully this is the start of a new cycle for us, so I’m a little disappointed that we couldn’t get a better cycle in qualifying, but the strategy was good at the pit stop. The team did a great job to put us in front and Renger did the rest to get the car back to victory lane. It was great to get this win for everyone in the shop and for everyone at GM . »

Renger van der Zande: “We are very happy right now with the biggest trophy we can win – the first place trophy. Chip Ganassi Racing once again did a great job. Leading half the race and making the right strategic choice. We only used one set of tires and that was the key to winning this race. Our car has been fast all year, so I’m glad we finally got the win. Our tires were really worn out but the win was there at the end. Chip asked me on the radio how the tires were, I was hanging on The end. This team is amazing. Thanks to Chip, Mike O’Gara and my mate Seb… that’s how you win the race.”

In the GT3 category victory went to the Lexus RC F GT3 of the VasserSullivan team, the car started from pole, of the crew of Parker Thompson and Ben Barnicoat.

Peter GRISWOLD

Photo : IMSA – TEAM