October 1st will see the end of an era for many things in IMSA. With the introduction of the Hypercar, what is now known as the DPi class will become the GTP class. With the new era comes internal change within the teams to adjust and try and capitalize off a newly leveled playing field and fight for the championship.
Cadillac has made headlines the last few days by not only confirming their full-time GTP lineups for 2023 but also making two key additions to their 2022 teams for the season finale on October 1st at Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.
The Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac #01 entry will add six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon to their roster for the 10-hour endurance race. Dixon will join 2022 and newly announced 2023 full-time drivers, Sebastian Bourdais and Renger van der Zande in the car as they fight for the final win in DPi history.
The #02 entry sees Ryan Hunter-Reay jumping in for some laps in support of full-time drivers Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn. Bamber and Lynn will be saying goodbye to the #02 when the checkered flag flies as the pair is being replaced come 2023. Alexander Sims returns to the ISMA series after a less than spectacular four-year stint in Formula E to drive the #02 alongside current Whelen driver Pipo Derani.
I’m so excited to be back racing in @IMSA full time and to be driving the @CadillacVSeries V-LMDh. Having raced for Corvette over the last two seasons, to be stepping across within the GM family to Cadillac in the top tier of racing with Action Express is so exciting for me. pic.twitter.com/9fTW70N5ab
— Alexander Sims (@AlexanderSims) September 20, 2022
Derani has spent four seasons with Whelen and netted a DPi championship in 2021 on top of 11 total wins in the series since 2016. Sims and Derani will undoubtedly make an exciting pairing for the often mid-pack running #02 entry and elevate the team to higher accolades to ring in the GTP class.
These announcements also included an announcement of the #01 entry’s drivers as well. Bourdais and van der Zande will stay behind the wheel of the #01 CGR machine come 2023 and hope to continue the success they have seen in 2022.
IMSA sends the DPi class to the history books on October 1st at Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta on NBC to close out the season.
Featured Image Credit: Chip Ganassi Racing
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