Renger van der Zande wins in Long Beach: Champagne! + VIDEOS

Is the saying third time’s the charm applied to motorsport? Cadillac Race, which finished second after setting the pace in two marathons IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championshiptook advantage of a third pole start to win Saturday’s race on the streets of Long Beach.

Renger van der Zande and Sébastien Bourdais winners in Long Beach: Champagne! #imsa #ranger #kadilaki https://t.co/W4vn9c5L9y

– RaceXpress (@RaceXpress) April 21, 2024

Renger van der Zande and Sébastien Bourdais, driving the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, beat the sister No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, driven by polesitter Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken, by 0.564 seconds. This is Cadillac Racing’s sixth win at Long Beach and 30th overall since entering the IMSA Prototype class in 2017.

The victory is the fifth for Bourdais at Long Beach, who together with Van der Zande won in 2022 at the road circuit of 3.968 kilometers and 11 turns. Every Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) race winner this season has started from three on the grid.

The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, which finished second for the second time, has qualified on the pole in all three races. In addition to the race win, leading 60 of 68 laps and taking the pole position, Cadillac Racing’s hybrid cars swept the GTP field in both practice sessions.

“Congratulations to the team No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R with drivers Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande for winning a hard-fought race on the streets of Long Beach. It was a good performance overall, with Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R finishing second in the three races. Great day for Cadillac Racing in Long Beach,” Mark Stielow, GM’s director of motorsports.

Derani took the lead for the first time in the 100-minute race with 63 minutes remaining before power and tires on the left made way for Aitken, who was making his debut on the track. Bourdais took the lead from Derani and one lap later brought the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R to the pit stop and handed the wheel to Van der Zande. The Chip Ganassi Racing Team decided not to switch to Michelin tires and Renger managed to gain an advantage over Aitken during the transition. They kept the score 1-2 in the last 48 minutes.

“Our tires were so old at the end I held on,” said Van der Zande, who increased his IMSA win total to 20 and has at least one win in each of his 11 seasons. “This team is amazing. Thanks to Chip, guys, Mike O’Gara, my teammate Seb… this is the way to win races, and I enjoy it.”

Bourdais and Van der Zande, who along with six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon finished second in the 12 Hours of Sebring last month, moved to 58 points ahead of the GTP points standings. The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R is third.

The Cadillac DPi won five consecutive races at Long Beach through 2022 (no event in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), including podium finishes in ’22 and ’21, to extend GM’s winning streak to seven at the event. The Chevrolet Corvette DP won the 2015 and 2016 races.