24h Le Mans
Having locked out the front of the grid last year, Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA are back with the same goal, to start from the front and be first across the line.
A year on from Cadillac’s first 24 Hours of Le Mans Hyperpole win – 75 afters the manufacturer’s first time at Le Mans – the team continues its progress. The alterations to the V-Series.R are subtle, yet they correspond to a particularity of the 24 Hours of Le Mans: the devil is in the details. With gaps of only tenths of a second separating the Hypercar competitors, aerodynamics, traffic management and simulator preparation can make all the difference.
At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, pure speed is never enough. A Hypercar must navigate dense traffic, like a swimmer who sustains her pace in a swirl. Cadillac have worked to improve this aspect. “For this year we redesigned the aero package to improve our ability to follow cars closely with less loss of downforce than the previous aero package”, explains Moore.
The rear wing is lower than the 2025 version of the Cadillac V-Series.R, to retain efficient aerodynamics when the car is in a slipstream and improve overtaking performance. “We should be more competitive in traffic and so lap times should be improved from last year as we have traffic every lap [at Le Mans]. We hope to be more competitive in top speeds also.”
It is particularly difficult to strike a balance on the unique circuit. Le Mans is a very drag-sensitive track with the long straights and high top speeds, but downforce is important in the high-speed Porsche Curves for example.
Contrary to other classes where teams can change aerodynamics settings according to the track, Hypercars are only allowed one configuration for the whole season. Le Mans is therefore uppermost in engineers’ minds. "As we have just one aero configuration for the whole season what we choose affects all tracks. We targeted to have an aero config that can be competitive at all tracks but of course Le Mans has a high priority,” says Moore.
The homologation window set by the FIA/ ACO/ IMSA is quite small, such that there are no big compromises from one track to the next. As the competition is tight, small details make a big difference.
Preparation for a race like the 24 Hours of Le Mans takes place on simulators as much as on track. Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA did a test session at Silverstone in May in preparation for Le Mans.
However, even the most sophisticated simulators cannot replicate the unique race conditions. “It is hard to fully simulate what we get during the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” admits Moore. The track changes throughout the event with grip building up as the road is cleaned and rubber is put down from the cars."
Drivers and engineers spent four full days on the simulator to tweak settings and prepare for every possible scenario. A necessity given the strict regulations applied to track tests.
Yet despite the technological advances, one thing is still true. "The simulator is a vital tool for preparation but nothing can match testing and racing on the real circuit.”
There lies one of the greatest strengths of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Despite the algorithms, data sets, and digital models, the circuit always has a surprise in store. Just like the journey home that you think you know by heart, until you drive it at sunrise.
Cadillac will be attempting to overcome the unknown elements in the race on 13/14 June, and turn qualifying session speed into sustained performance.
