The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is heading to upstate New York to Watkins Glen International Raceway for the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, June 24-27.
After missing the 2020 Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen due to Covid restrictions, the IMSA series returns for the first of two races at the famed upstate New York track. Following the traditional six-hours, the series will return in one week for a night race on Friday, July 2. The race is a traditional two-hour-and-forty-minute event that replaces the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park date.
Coming off of their first win with Cadillac in Detroit two weeks ago, Chip Ganassi Racing comes into Watkins Glen looking for a second victory. The team has chosen to go with just two drivers, van der Zande and Magnussen are motivated to keep the wins coming in the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R.
“Watkins Glen is always a special event as it is one of our long endurance races,” van der Zande said. “The Cadillac is built for these races, it is solid, reliable, and always goes the distance. We are doing it with two drivers only. It makes it a little harder as the track is very demanding on the driver. The track has a lot of grip thanks to the new tarmac that has been there a couple of years now. We didn’t go there last year so t is cool to be going back to The Glen.”
The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R of Felipe Nasr and Pipo Derani had their second consecutive second place finish at Detroit. Mike Conway comes back for The Glen and the team is looking to get to the next step on the podium with a win this weekend.
“I’m looking forward to going back to The Glen,” Derani said. “It’s such an important and classic race on our calendar. Last year, we didn’t have the Six Hours of The Glen. So, to be coming back and enjoying this traditional race with fans, it will be fantastic. The team and I know the track well. I was on the pole in 2017 and the team has had great success there in the past. We’re looking for another crack at the podium. Hopefully we’ll get the win this time around.
“It’s not an easy track. I think our competitors have been testing there in the past couple of weeks. But it’s an endurance race. It’s a different mindset than we’ve had the past two races where it was a sprint. Anything can happen in six hours. I think we have a good package. But it’s not going to be easy. I’m looking forward to hitting the track. It’s a superfast and challenging racetrack for the driver, and it’s amazing to drive. We’re only going to have two hours to practice. We’re going to have a second car [Ally Racing] with the team as well. So, we are looking forward to a 1-2 finish. Hopefully this will be the first win for the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac, and we can bring all of our sponsors to the top step of the podium for the first time this year.”
JDC-Miller Motorsports will reunite the French Connection drivers with Tristan Vautier, Loic Duval, and Sebastien Bourdais. The last time the trio drove together they stood on the top step of the podium in Sebring accepting the winner’s trophy.
“Looking forward to going back to Watkins after missing last year due to Covid,” Vautier said. “It is one of my favorite tracks in America. It is made to enjoy our Cadillac DPi-V.R with its sweeping high-speed turns we can really use the downforce. It is cool to get back to an endurance with our French trio. The last time Seb was with us we won Sebring, so happy to have him back. We had a lot of performance in Detroit that didn’t translate into a result. Hopefully we can do that this weekend and get back up on the podium. It is going to be a tight battle and it seems like anyone can win on any given weekend. We will try to be bring a good result for the team and Cadillac.”
The No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R returns to competition with Jimmie Johnson, Simon Pagenaud and Kamui Kobayashi behind the wheel. They will be looking to get the podium finish they lost out at Sebring due to a drive time infraction.
“I am looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the No. 48 Ally Cadillac,” said Johnson, who will make his second six-hour race at The Glen start. “I was able to run the six-hour event at The Glen a few years back, so looking forward to the challenge and getting back competing in the IMSA Series with Action Express. There is no question we have a strong team and showed some really good speed in the previous two Endurance Cup races. Simon (Pagenaud) and Kamui (Kobayashi) continue to show why they’re world class drivers and it’s great to be back working with Chad (Knaus) and the crews from Action Express and Hendrick Motorsports. Watkins Glen is an incredible racetrack and we’re looking forward to getting the No. 48 Ally Cadillac upfront and competing for the win.”
In the IMSA WeatherTech DPi Points Championship, Whelen Engineering Cadillac moved to third and Cadillac has taken over the top spot in the manufacturer points standings.
Cadillac IMSA Watkins Glen Driver Line-up and IMSA DPi Points Standings:
3. No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, Felipe Nasr, Pipo Derani, Mike Conway
4. No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing DPi-V.R, Renger Van Der Zande and Kevin Magnussen
5. No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R, Tristan Vautier, Loic Duval, Sebastien Bourdais
1. Cadillac in manufacturer championship
Source. Kyle Chura/Cadillac Racing
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