Wayne Taylor Racing means business in 2025 with its new-look Cadillac program in IMSA’s GTP class.
One year after upping the ante with Acura and HRC by adding a second car to its program, WTR packed its bags and signed a deal to return to General Motors. It was a big move, which is at the heart of Cadillac’s renewed push for glory in North America.
After a four-year partnership with Acura, this move promises to inject fresh energy into the Indiana-based team. Following a successful stint with the ARX-05, the team amassed just two race wins in two seasons with the ARX-06. They began craving change, and when the opportunity arose following Chip Ganassi Racing’s split with GM, they pounced.
For the start of this new chapter, Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing is bringing two cars and a set of star drivers to the field. The No. 10 sees Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque pair up for the campaign. The sister No. 40, meanwhile, will be steered by Louis Deletraz and Jordan Taylor throughout the year. JOTA WEC drivers Will Stevens and Alex Lynn (who pulled out of the Rolex 24 with a virus) are in for the long races and Toyota Hypercar drivers Brendon Hartley and Kamui Kobayashi add further firepower for Daytona.
“The team has always had a reputation of hiring some great drivers, especially for the long races. We’re lucky we have that attractive nature,” Ricky Taylor told RACER.
“People want to drive with WTR and because of the relationship between the three Cadillac teams, we wanted to share drivers. That’s why we’ve got Alex and Will.”
How long will it take for the team to hit its stride again? History tells us it won’t be long. Back in 2021 when WTR transitioned from Cadillac to Acura it won the Rolex 24 on debut with the ARX-05.
Testing opportunities were limited over the short off-season, though, and the level in GTP is sky-high these days, with 12 cars in for Daytona and Aston Martin set to make it 13 for Sebring.
Good news is that, while the V-Series.R may be new to the team, the car is a known quantity. It was the same situation back ’21 when WTR paired with Acura after Penske campaigned the ARX-05 for three seasons.
Caddilac’s V-Series.R is a proven winner, claiming the 2023 IMSA GTP titles with Action Express and received its first “joker” update in the form of an electronics upgrade ahead of the new season.
There’s also plenty of track time for the team to make use of in the build-up to the Rolex for WTR’s staff to play around with setup options and familiarize themselves with the car’s finer details.
“It’s all quite new, and considering it’s the same rules package for everybody, the different manufacturers have definitely gone about attacking the hybrid approach differently,” Taylor continues.