On November 6, 1813, by way of the Solemn Act of the Declaration of Independence of Northern America, which would not be ratified until 1821, Mexico declared its independence from Spain. On September 29, 1968, Pedro Rodriguez became the first, and only to-date, Mexican driver to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Lucien Bianchi in the John Wyer team's Ford GT40.

24H Le Mans

Le Mans Legendes

24 Heures du Mans

Historique

Hypercars under the microscope | Eight illustrious manufacturers will line up in the top class at the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans (11-15 June 2025). One of those is Cadillac who typifies the American outlook of performance, design and technological innovation with the V-Series.R. Focus on a Hypercar with a distinct style, a unique engine and lofty ambitions.

No fewer than four Cadillac V-Series.R entries will be on the grid for the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans. This Hypercar is the result of a far-reaching collaboration between Cadillac Design, Cadillac Racing and chassis manufacturer Dallara. Inspired by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/24-hours-of-le-mans-cadillac-shows-off-new-hypercar-56383" target="_blank">Project GTP Hypercar</a> concept unveiled in June 2022, it incorporates emblematic characteristics of the Cadillac&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cadillac.com/performance/v-series?srsltid=AfmBOoo3PxXxFtcVrgneXzdWushxkxp8cn5eTi5pawAyeDgc6-ko1u-N" target="_blank">V-Series</a>&nbsp;range, such as vertical&nbsp;lighting, floating blades and a body that is sculpted like an aerodynamic work of art.

The car&rsquo;s bodylines are the outcome of in-depth engineering work undertaken to optimise airflows with side channels guiding the air around the car. The V-Series.R is a successful union of form and function designed to perform in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

<h2>A one-of-a-kind engine</h2>

The Cadillac V-Series.R is powered by a naturally aspirated engine &ndash; the LMC55R V8 &ndash; developed from a blank page by the General Motors teams in Pontiac (Michigan). The result is a muscular V8 block that sings loud and proud and stands out from the crowd! 
Over a century of Cadillac V8 expertise has gone into building this 5.5-litre engine, comprising 1911 different parts. It also forms a structural element of the chassis guaranteeing rigidity and light weight.

The American Hypercar fielded by Hertz Team JOTA, Cadillac WTR and Cadillac Whelen also carries a standardised hybrid drivetrain&nbsp;consisting of a Bosch motor generator unit (MGU) integrated into the Xtrac gearbox, and WAE batteries. The MGU recovers kinetic energy on braking, transforms it into electricity and stores it in a battery. It then uses this electricity on accelerating to provide a power boost to the car.

<h2>V for victory</h2>

The Cadillac V-Series.R made its competitive d&eacute;but at the 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona and has since covered over 20,000 kilometres in development, showing reliability and consistency. The car put in a fine performance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary in 2023, finishing third overall.

For this 93rd running of the French endurance classic, Cadillac is clearly gunning for its maiden outright victory in the race and, to achieve this dream, is relying on the backing of Hertz Team JOTA and their decades of technical and racing expertise.

Here are five goods reasons for following and supporting the Cadillac V-Series:

1. A naturally aspirated V8 engine&nbsp;with distinct character, the only one of its kind in the Hypercar class. 
2.A strong design combining elegance and aerodynamic efficiency. 
3. Fully mastered hybrid technology. 
4. A 100% Cadillac project from the engine to the design. 
5. A clearly defined objective: winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Don&rsquo;t miss the next episode in our &ldquo;Hypercars under the microscope&rdquo; series in which we shall continue our analysis of the prototypes in the high-quality field.

Next up: the Alpine A424 entered by Alpine Endurance Team.

<a href="https://fiawec.tv/page/679a56921229db49627128a6" target="_blank">Watch all the action from the FIA World Endurance Championship</a>, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, live or on demand with the FIA WEC TV official app! Don&rsquo;t miss a thing! Check out the app for further information.

The Cadillac V-Series.R under the microscope: ready to roar for America at Le Mans

As Porsche Penske Motorsport’s adds the finishing touches to its preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans next week, the German manufacturer has revealed a new model, the 963 RSP. The car is the road version of the Hypercar fielded in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The Porsche 963 RSP is an adaptation of its racing counterpart, which has already claimedpodiums in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the North American IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. If you were in or around Le Mans today, you may have spotted the beauty gliding through villages or in the streets of the old town.

The car is the result of collaboration between Porsche Penske Motorsport, Porsche Cars North America, and Roger Penske, whose initials are included in the name. The 963 RSP is inspired by the legendary 917 that belonged to Italian aristrocrat Count Rossi &ndash; well-known to classic car enthusiasts. Derived from the model that won the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans, the count&rsquo;s road-legal 917 was built in 1975. Registered in Switzerland, the car was regularly driven by the count, heir to Martini &amp; Rossi, of Martini Racing fame. Who has never seen that livery?

<h2>Horn and cupholder</h2>

The Porsche 963 RSP is somewhat different to its elder sister. It sports the &lsquo;Martini&rsquo; silver paint, a reworked body and a tan leather and Alcantara interior to mirror the one chosen by Count Rossi fifty years ago. 
Indicators and brake lights, a higher suspension, less extreme wet-weather tyres, a slight tweaking of the bodywork, and a horn make the model worthy of a temporary license plate from French authorities. There&rsquo;s even a detachable cupholder.

&ldquo;That was an experience that will stay with me for a lifetime,&rdquo; said Timo Bernhard, who was at the wheel of the 963 RSP for its first miles on the road. &ldquo;Driving down a public road with a 917 beside me &ndash; it felt unreal. The car behaved perfectly &ndash; it felt a little friendlier and more forgiving than the normal 963 &ndash; and felt super special and a lot more comfortable, especially as I was not needing all my safety gear.&rdquo;

The Porsche 963 RSP will be presented at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (11-15 juin 2025) before returning to Stuttgart to be displayed in the Porsche museum. In July it will head to the UK with the Porsche 917 for the Goodwood Festival of Speed. 
Feast your eyes on our photos of today&rsquo;s outing!

Porsche introduces a road-legal version of the 963 Hypercar

The administrative and technical checks for the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans begin today on Place de la République in Le Mans city centre. Follow the proceedings live on our YouTube channel.

The administrative and technical checks &ndash; more commonly known as Scrutineering &ndash; is much more than a simple formality for the teams involved. They mark the real starting point in the countdown to the race itself and offer fans a unique glimpse into the world of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. If you can&rsquo;t be there, watch our live broadcast to get a close-up view of the checks in every detail and see some of the brand new liveries adopted for the showcase event of the season!

Bruno Vandestick, the official 24 Hours of Le Mans track commentator, will be in the Place with his microphone to capture the drivers&rsquo; first impressions, dig up some clues about each teams&rsquo; objectives and find out more about their preparations before they take to the track for the fourth round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship season.

&gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/2025-24-hours-of-le-mans-scrutineering-schedule-59592" target="_blank">Check out the full scrutineering schedule</a>&nbsp;&lt;&lt;&lt;

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&nbsp;

Day 1 of 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans scrutineering live!

The administrative and technical checks, first major event of the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans, gets underway today in the Le mans city centre. Here is the official schedule.

Get ready, set, go! In keeping with tradition, the 24 Hours kicks off&nbsp;in the heart of Le&nbsp;Mans with the famous administrative&nbsp;and&nbsp;technical checks,&nbsp;also known as Scrutineering. Today and tomorrow, the&nbsp;62 cars entered in the&nbsp;93rd running of the race will take their turns at the place de la R&eacute;publique submitting to the marshals. Each car is inspected&nbsp;down to the tiniest detail to ensure it completely respects&nbsp;the regulations, while drivers&#39; equipment and licences are fully examined.

This event is a tremendous&nbsp;fan favourite every year! Scrutineering&nbsp;is the perfect opportunity to see the cars up close, meet the 186 drivers and be immersed in the magic of the 24 Hours&hellip;all for free!

Today, 39 cars are on the books, with Proton Competition&#39;s #99&nbsp;Porche 963 opening the festivities and Alpine Endurance Team&#39;s #36 Alpine A424 closing out the day. In the interim, the&nbsp;Hypercars entered by&nbsp;BMW, Peugeot, Cadillac and&nbsp;Aston Martin will have made their appearances to&nbsp;massive cheers from the crowd. The Iron&nbsp;Dames &ndash;&nbsp;Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting and&nbsp;C&eacute;lia Martin &ndash; are expected at&nbsp;13:00. Mercedes-AMG is marking its return to Le&nbsp;Mans with Iron Lynx&#39;s three&nbsp;Mercedes-AMG LMGT3s between&nbsp;14:20 and&nbsp;14:40.

<h4>Scrutineering | Friday 6 June programme</h4>

10:00&nbsp;: Porsche 963 #99 Proton Competition 
10:10&nbsp;: Ford Mustang LMGT3 #77 Proton Competition 
10:20&nbsp;: Ford Mustang LMGT3 #88 Proton Competition 
10:30&nbsp;: ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson #34 Inter Europol Competition 
10:40&nbsp;: ORECA 07-Gibson #43 Inter Europol Competition 
10:50&nbsp;: Ferrari 296 LMGT3 #150 Richard Mille AF Corse 
11:00&nbsp;: Ferrari 296 LMGT3 #196 Ziggo Sport Tempesta 
11:10&nbsp;: ORECA 07-Gibson #24 Nielsen Racing 
11:20&nbsp;: ORECA 07-Gibson #37 Cool Racing 
11:30&nbsp;: BMW M Hybrid V8 #15 BMW M Team WRT 
11:40&nbsp;: BMW M Hybrid V8 #20 BMW M Team WRT 
11:50&nbsp;: ORECA 07-Gibson #14 AO by TF 
12:00&nbsp;: Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R #13 Awa Racing 
12:10&nbsp;: Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R #33 TF Sport 
12:20&nbsp;: Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R #81 TF Sport 
13:30&nbsp;: Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 #91 Manthey 
13:40&nbsp;: Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 #92 Manthey 1ST Phorm 
13:50&nbsp;: Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 #85 Iron Dames 
14:00&nbsp;: Peugeot 9X8 #93 Peugeot TotalEnergies 
14:10&nbsp;: Peugeot 9X8 #94 Peugeot TotalEnergies 
14:20&nbsp;: Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 #60 Iron Lynx 
14:30&nbsp;: Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 #61 Iron Lynx 
14:40&nbsp;: Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 #63 Iron Lynx 
14:50&nbsp;: Cadillac V-Series.R #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA 
15:00&nbsp;: Cadillac V-Series.R #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA 
15:10&nbsp;: Cadillac V-Series.R #101 Cadillac WTR 
15:20&nbsp;: Cadillac V-Series.R #311 Cadillac Whelen 
15:30&nbsp;: ORECA 07-Gibson #29 TDS Racing 
15:40&nbsp;: ORECA 07-Gibson #48 Panis Racing 
15:50&nbsp;: Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 #10 Racing Spirit Of Leman 
16:00&nbsp;: Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 #27 Heart Of Racing 
16:10&nbsp;: Aston Martin Valkyrie #007 Aston Martin THOR Team 
16:20&nbsp;: Aston Martin Valkyrie #009 Aston Martin THOR Team 
16:30&nbsp;: McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo #59 United Autosports 
16:40&nbsp;: McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo #95 United Autosports 
16:50&nbsp;: ORECA 07-Gibson #22 United Autosports 
17:00&nbsp;: ORECA 07-Gibson #23 United Autosports 
17:10&nbsp;: Alpine A424 #35 Alpine Endurance Team 
17:20&nbsp;: Alpine A424 #36 Alpine Endurance Team

Follow day 1 of Scrutineering on the official&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@24heuresdumans/streams" target="_blank">24 Hours of Le Mans&nbsp;YouTube channel</a>.

2025 24 Hours of Le Mans Scrutineering – Friday 6 June programme

24 Heures du Mans 1968

The two winners would meet a tragic end, as did&nbsp;Ricardo, the young brother of&nbsp;Pedro, who passed away during the free practice at the Grand Prix of&nbsp;Mexico in 1962. Pedro Rodiguez (seated&nbsp;on the car) died during a race in Norisring, Germany, and&nbsp;Lucien Bianchi was killed during the preliminary free practice at the&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans in 1969. The first was 31, the second 34&hellip;

24H LE MANS

Today in History - Mexican driver Pedro Rodriguez wins Le Mans in 1968

Related News

The Cadillac V-Series.R under the microscope: ready to roar for America at Le Mans

Porsche introduces a road-legal version of the 963 Hypercar

Day 1 of 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans scrutineering live!

2025 24 Hours of Le Mans Scrutineering – Friday 6 June programme

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