Ricky Taylor had mixed feelings on taking Cadillac’s 100th podium in IMSA prototype racing since 2017 after missing out on the Detroit GP win.
Wayne Taylor Racing’s #10 Cadillac V-Series.R fought for outright victory in the dramatic 100-minute sprint round at the Detroit Street Course.
In the vicinity of the General Motors Renaissance Center, the headquarters for the Detroit-based manufacturer, R. Taylor asserted form with the team eager to overcome their recent slump in results.
After his co-driver, Filipe Albuquerque, began the race in eighth position around the tight, narrow and bumpy circuit, keeping out front longer than their rivals to overcut during the pit stop cycle into second place, when R. Taylor took over.
R. Taylor made a key move on the inside of Felipe Nasr’s #7 Porsche Penske and pushed him offline as Nasr then lost three places after #93 Meyer Shank Acura ARX-06 driver Renger van der Zande passed Nasr, who then challenged Taylor’s lead.
R. Taylor said: “A little sadness from me because we were so close to our first win with Cadillac in the GM race with everybody here.
“To get the 100th Cadillac podium in IMSA prototype competition feels amazing, but that one step would have been nice.
“It was a great fight, the team did an amazing job, the strategy was incredible, Filipe [Albuquerque] did a great start.
“I think everything for our race went perfectly for us to go from eighth to first and almost winning.
“I can’t say enough about the team and the execution. It’s nice to take this solid result into Le Mans.”
Wayne Taylor Racing thus carries its positive momentum towards their highly-anticipated 24 Hours of Le Mans event debut next week on 14-15 June.
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