IMSA: Cadillac GT3 possible for 2016 GTD campaign

Cadillac Racing's championship-winning GT3-spec ATS-V.R could race in IMSA's revised GT Daytona category next year. RACER has learned the twin-turbo V6-powered platform that powered Johnny O'Connell to the Pirelli World Challenge GT championship earlier this month is being considered by Stevenson Motorsports as a vehicle to make its WeatherTech SportsCar Championship debut in 2016. Endurance tests for the Pratt & Miller Engineering-built ATS-V.R are also planned in October and November.

"John Stevenson's been running GM products since before I joined in 2007 and that relationship is very important," said Stevenson Motorsports team manager Mike Johnson. "We've had an excellent working relationship with Pratt & Miller that started in 2008 – we're very happy with our relationship with them and we want to see that continue for years to come. If we go into the WeatherTech series, the only car they have available is a Cadillac. Those conversations have been going on for a while."

Stevenson Motorsports served as one of the premier teams in Grand-Am's Rolex GT class (RIGHT) prior to the merger between Grand-Am and the ALMS in 2014 under the TUDOR Championship banner. Stevenson elected to move down to IMSA's Continental Tire Series as a GM partner team, and has had considerable success fielding the Camaro Z/28.R. Their role as a longtime works-affiliated GM entrant makes a move to the all-GT3 WeatherTech Championship GTD class with the impressive Cadillac ATS-V.R a logical development in their alliance.

As Johnson explains, Stevenson has the desire to race customer Cadillacs in GTD, but needs GM's luxury brand to back the initiative.

"It's the obvious choice that Stevenson would run the ATS-V, and I imagine if an ATS-V runs in GTD next year it would probably be the Stevenson-run program," he added. "But Cadillac has to to determine what they want to do. Right now we're just in a holding pattern waiting for a decision."

Running the ATS-V.R through a series of endurance tests is expected to take place in October at Sebring, and again in November at the official IMSA test at Daytona. Johnson and members of the Stevenson team will likely attend those tests, and a decision on whether the car will race in GTD would then follow.

"It's all the normal things of testing the motor and everything else for a 12-hour or 24-hour period," Johnson explained. "You'd want to get ready for Daytona or Sebring as soon as possible, and obviously we will be as involved as we can be because if it happens, we'll want to make use of all the time we have."

Johnson also says the team has been looking at other marques for GTD consideration if they are unable to run Cadillacs, and that continuing with the Camaro Z/28.R is also an option.

"If we don't run that car, then we might stay in GS, or we might go to another brand," he noted. "There's a lot of moving pieces right now. Like I said; if General Motors and Cadillac decide they want that car to race in the GTD class, it would be with Stevenson next year. If they choose they don't, then we won't be running that car. I know we'd like to, so we're waiting to hear what our options are."