Cadillac to Launch All-New Le Mans Prototype in 2002
FOR RELEASE: October 7, 2001Cadillac to Launch All-New Le Mans Prototype in 2002
ATLANTA - Even as the engines are cooling and the drivers resting after 10 hours of racing in the season finale of the 2001 American Le Mans Series at Road Atlanta, Team Cadillac is already gearing up for the start of the next racing season. An all-new Cadillac Northstar Le Mans Prototype (LMP) will take to the track as Cadillac celebrates its centennial in 2002.
Team Cadillac to introduce new chassis
In the first two years of the LMP effort, Team Cadillac laid the foundation for its first comprehensive motorsports program in international endurance racing. Now the team is assembling the essential elements for its 2002 campaign: an aerodynamic new chassis, an efficient and reliable powertrain, and a culture that is focused on performance.
"Constructing an entirely new car and creating a totally new team to campaign it is a complex undertaking," said Herb Fishel, GM Racing executive director. "We are competing against teams that have decades of experience and deep financial and technical resources. The performance standard has been raised considerably in the two years since Cadillac launched its endurance racing program, but we are quietly confident that the 2002 Cadillac LMP will be a credible contender."
New Cadillac LMP to be assembled and tested in U.S.
Designed and fabricated in England, the new chassis will be assembled at Team Cadillac's U.S. base near Atlanta. Initial testing will take place on American soil.
"We have applied all of the hard lessons we learned in the last two years to the new Cadillac LMP," said GM Racing LMP program manager Jeff Kettman. "It really is a clean-sheet-of-paper approach."
The cornerstone of the 2002 Cadillac program is a new carbon fiber chassis design - designed not on blank paper, but on a clean computer screen.
New Cadillac LMP has improved aero package
"It is a matter of form following function to make the car as aerodynamically efficient as possible within the framework of the series' rules," Kettman explained. "The design of Le Mans Prototypes has changed significantly since the first Cadillac LMP was penned in 1999. Wind tunnel tests of the new aerodynamic package have shown substantial improvements in both lift and drag. We expect these gains to produce an overall improvement in performance while enhancing our ability to tune the Cadillac LMP to track conditions."
Northstar V8 racing engine revised for 2002
Power for the new Cadillac LMP will come from an updated version of the twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter Northstar V8 racing engine. A revised induction system and redesigned cylinder heads will complement the 180-degree crankshaft and upgraded engine management system that were introduced in 2001.
"The Northstar engine program has made impressive progress over the last two seasons, and we fully expect this steady improvement to continue," said Kettman. "Working with our development partner McLaren Performance Technology, GM Racing project engineer Ed Keating and his group have produced an extremely reliable engine package. With the enhancements that will be introduced next year, we anticipate improvements in outright speed while maintaining the reliability and fuel efficiency that are absolutely essential in endurance racing."
New semi-automatic gearbox
The proven Northstar LMP engine will be paired with a new sequential gearbox. This transmission permits semi-automatic gear changes with paddles mounted on the steering wheel.
Cadillac LMP to compete in Le Mans, five ALMS races
Team Cadillac will compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the third consecutive year and will enter five ALMS races in North America. The 2002 Cadillac LMP will make its competition debut at the 12-hour race in Sebring, Fla., in March.
Cadillac motorsports program is key element in centennial celebration
"Cadillac's endurance racing program is a fundamental part of the brand's aggressive strategy to grow its business internationally and to influence global perception of Cadillac toward technology and performance," said Cadillac General Manager Mark LaNeve. "Through motor racing, we will be able to accelerate Cadillac's inclusion into the group of the world's premier brands."
For the designers, engineers, technicians and drivers of Team Cadillac, the race to get ready for the 2002 season has already begun.