Bamber Believes Double Program Will Benefit Cadillac

Photo: Cadillac

Cadillac driver Earl Bamber believes his dual program with the V-Series.R in the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship this year will only be of benefit to the GM marque.

Bamber is going into his third WEC season as a Cadillac driver, having been part of the crew for the Chip Ganassi Racing-run V-Series.R for the past two seasons, making the transition to the new-look Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA squad.

The New Zealander was also chosen as Pipo Derani’s full-time replacement at Action Express Racing in the WeatherTech Championship, and shared the team’s No. 31 car in last month’s Rolex 24 at Daytona with Jack Aitken, Felipe Drugovich and Frederik Vesti.

His campaign will continue in this month’s WEC-opening Qatar 1812km, where the new-look Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA squad will make its debut.

Despite the business of his dual campaign, which includes a clash between the WEC’s Spa round and the Laguna Seca round of the WeatherTech Championship in May, Bamber expects the additional mileage to be a boost for both campaigns.

“I think it’s really good to be part of both series,” Bamber told Sportscar365. “It should be beneficial for the program in general.

“We’ve had some great exchanges already between the Action Express and the JOTA guys, we’ve had engineers from both sides present at the tests. From that side there’s a real positivity around the whole thing.

“I think JOTA is going to add some good knowledge and information to the project; they are really pushing hard. But same with these [AXR] guys.”

Bamber is not the only driver taking on full seasons in both WEC and the WeatherTech Championship this season, as BMW pair Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde are also both embarking on similar programs.

Likewise, Porsche Penske Motorsport is going into 2025 with a condensed driver pool with considerable crossover, with Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet set to contest the majority of the WEC season together with their IMSA commitments.

“There are a lot of BMW drivers doing the same thing, Porsche as well,” added Bamber, who is set to skip the Laguna Seca round of the WeatherTech Championship to compete in the WEC at Spa. “It helps us hone in as drivers.

“Because testing is so limited now, it helps doing more miles. Hopefully at the race weekends in the WEC I can give a bit more track time to my teammates because I have been driving here [in IMSA] so much.”

Bamber added he is looking forward to getting the feedback from JOTA incumbents Stevens, Nato and Button about the customer Porsche 963 they campaigned last season, and feels this will be another benefit in Cadillac’s quest for a first WEC victory.

“There are three drivers that have come from Cadillac teams, which will be a big help, but it’s also interesting to have three drivers that have driven the Porsche,” he said.

“Across the board there are drivers that have moved around manufacturers so that information will be shared pretty quickly. It will raise the level, as you have to every year because everyone is pushing the envelope and getting better.

“It’s exciting times in LMDh because there are so many competitive teams and drivers, it’s a real worldwide benchmark.”

Bamber clarified that he will be racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with JOTA, regardless of whether Action Express is successful in its bid for an entry slot in the French endurance classic as part of a potential four-car Cadillac effort.

John Dagys contributed to this report