Jota and WTR look certain to move over from Porsche and Acura respectively to replace Chip Ganassi Racing in the General Motors brand’s roster of teams.
Motorsport.com has learned that each has a deal in place to run two V-Series.R LMDhs in 2025, Jota in WEC and WTR in the North American IMSA series.
There has been no confirmation of the 2025 programmes from either team or from Cadillac, but it is understood that the contracts have at the least been agreed if not signed.
Laura Wontrop Klauser, who heads up GM’s sportscar racing programmes, refused to be drawn on its plans for next year in the wake of Ganassi’s announcement in March that it would be parting company with Cadillac after four seasons at the conclusion of this season.
«We do not have a timeline set for an announcement,» she told Motorsport.com. «It’s a TBD for both programmes at the moment.»
A new regulation exclusively revealed by Motorsport.com in March demanding that each manufacturer competing in the Hypercar class of the WEC must run two cars means that Cadillac will have to expand its programme for 2025.
#12 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963: William Stevens, Norman Nato, Callum Ilott
Photo by: Marc Fleury
Ganassi has represented the marque in WEC under the Cadillac Racing banner since 2023 with a single V-Series.R.
Klauser explained that Cadillac «will react to the regulations as they come».
Confirmation of the two-car rule in WEC next year is expected on Friday at the annual press conference hosted by Le Mans 24 Hours organiser and WEC co-organiser the Automobile Club de l’Ouest.
Jota team principal Sam Hignett said that «the focus for now is our 2024 campaign» when asked about the prospect of a move from a two-car customer programme with the Porsche 963 LMDh to a factory deal with Cadillac.
WTR boss Wayne Taylor, whose team linked up with the Andretti organisation for last season, insisted that a deal has yet to be done for his operation to move back to Cadillac after four years with Honda brand Acura.
«All I can say is that we have not signed anything and there is a simple reason for that: we remain under contract with Honda Performance Development [which masterminds the Acura ARX-06 LMDh programme].
«There are no contracts signed, but hopefully after Le Mans we can all get together and work things out for next year.»
#10 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06: Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque
Photo by: Art Fleischmann
Cadillac has so far been represented in IMSA by two cars in the LMDh era that started last year.
A two-car deal for WTR would mean an expanded programme for Cadillac because Action Express Racing is expected to continue to run a solo V-Series.R.
Taylor has longstanding links with GM in sportscar racing.
WTR ran the Cadillac DPi-V.R in IMSA in 2017-2020 and before that a Dallara-Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype in Grand-Am and then the unified IMSA series.
As a driver, he raced Cadillac’s line of Northstar LMPs in 2000-02 and was one of the three key partners in the 3GR squad that ran the programme in its final two years.
#40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06: Jordan Taylor, Louis Deletraz
Photo by: Art Fleischmann
Meyer Shank Racing, meanwhile, appears to be moving towards a return to sportscar racing with Acura for a pair of ARX-06s run on a factory basis next year.
Shank fielded a solo Acura in IMSA in 2021-23, first a ARX-05 DPi and then an ARX-06 LMDh.
It won the championship in 2022 and then took a controversial win for the ARX-06 on debut at last year’s Daytona 24 Hours.
It was found to be manipulating tyre pressure data, but was only fined and lost manufacturers’ points for the infringement.
Its contract with Honda Racing Corporation USA and Acura was not renewed at the end of the season when WTR expanded to two cars.