For Sébastien Bourdais, the Cadillac LMDh was “well born”

Sébastien Bourdais was able to sit behind the wheel of the Cadillac LMDh during a joint test session with Porsche in Sebring, not far from St. Petersburg, where he resides. Le Manceau had the opportunity to give his first impressions and they are more than positive.

“It was really exciting because it’s the start of a new era, enthused Sébastien Bourdais. The car is truly exhilarating to drive. The new engine, the powertrain and everything we have in the new regulations are a different package. The whole thing creates a different balance between downforce, grip level and power. It's pretty cool, I was really excited to get in the car and pretty happy to see what it offered. »

Bourdais is “eager to continue testing”

Even without adjustment, the American Hypercar was already behaving very well according to the Frenchman, one of the four development drivers in the program with Alex Lynn, Earl Bamber and Renger van der Zande. “The car came together really well: I just hit the track, we hadn't done any work on the settings, it was already quite fun to drive and the times were already quite interesting, shares Sébastien Bourdais. We're all pretty excited and looking forward to what's next. I expected it to be quite different from the DPi and it's not that much, at least in terms of feel. I can't wait to continue testing and rack up the miles in this car. »

Due to his enormous experience, the four-time ChampCar champion is a significant asset for the General Motors company. Particularly through its involvement in other development programs in the past. Enough to allow him to see the changes that have taken place since then. “I have already been involved in development phases, especially with Peugeot . It was really rudimentary and raw and there was a lot of work, tons of changes had to be made. It's completely different [on the Cadillac]. The car was good and handled well, I had a lot of fun and I can't wait to get back behind the wheel. »

“Every new car is different, but I feel like we have a lot more tools today, like having a complete car with the gearbox and the engine, and really being ready to go, adds the adopted Floridian. We put the car on the track and it was already usable. »  On the agenda for the coming months will be tests in Atlanta, from October 3 to 5, as well as at Daytona on December 6 and 7 for competition debuts expected at the Florida double-clock (January 26-29, 2023).

Contrary to rumor, the LMDh should not be at the start of the 8 Hours of Bahrain, the final round of the WEC (November 10-12). “ I know there is talk of our presence, but it's still too early for this car », Laura Wontrop Klauser denied us. A minimum of three cars will be fielded in 2023 with Chip Ganassi Racing and Action Express Racing, two in IMSA and one in WEC. For now, an intensive testing program awaits the entire Cadillac team.

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