Cadillac looks to keep momentum rolling on home ground at Lone Star Le Mans

Riding the wave of momentum from winning the last two FIA World Endurance Championship pole positions and leading Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA’s first 1-2 finish in São Paulo, Alex Lynn looks forward to continuing the good form at this weekend’s Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of The Americas – the home race for Cadillac.

“This is the team that wants to deliver the biggest results possible on the biggest stage. And we roll into COTA, which is our home race, with a lot of momentum and we expect to perform,” Lynn said. “Honestly, we expect to be to be competitive and to solidify what we've done.”

Lynn, Will Stevens and Norman Nato won last month’s 6 Hours of São Paulo in the gold No. 12 V-Series.R. That was Cadillac’s first WEC race win, but it was around this point in the 2024 season that Cadillac’s fortunes in the series as a manufacturer started to take a positive turn.

During the final races of Chip Ganassi Racing’s time as Cadillac’s WEC service partner, Lynn qualified third for last year’s Lone Star Le Mans, and finished fourth alongside then co-driver Earl Bamber. That was Cadillac’s best WEC result since finishing third and fourth at the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours, in the V-Series.R’s debut there.

It’s no coincidence: Lynn loves COTA and feels that he and the car are a great fit for all of the track’s unique challenges.

“The circuit itself is a unique challenge. It's always very hot, which makes it an even bigger challenge for being in the cockpit," he said. "But the circuit itself is very physical, very bumpy, high speed, high commitment – and I think one where if you're having a really good day behind the wheel, you can make the difference. Which, I think for any driver, is the kind of circuit that you want to be at, where you feel like you can make the difference on any given day.

“That’s how I'd describe the COTA circuit. It's a great place to be and I'm super happy it's back on the calendar.”

With its breakthrough win in the bank, Lynn is keen to make the most of things on home soil for Cadillac. James Moy Photography/Getty Images

Lynn also likes the fan vibe at the American race, which he hopes can capitalize on the burgeoning interest stateside in international racing.

“I think racing as a whole is in a really great moment. Certainly, American racing is in a great moment as well," Lynn said. "So, if we can try and draw into that and bring the crowd to the circuit, that's what we want as drivers. We want to be performing in front of the biggest crowd we can, representing our brands and to put on a show.

“So, we need to do our part and make sure that it's a spectacular race, to make sure the crowds keep coming and get bigger. Certainly the more we can do to help that, the better it's going to be for everyone involved. But certainly, it's a growing event and it's great to be a part of.”

Capacity crowds at the Formula 1 races in the U.S. in recent years have shown what was possible, and last year, the Lone Star Le Mans event finally began to attract a healthy in-person audience after struggling to do so in previous years.

Not unlike how Cadillac and JOTA expect to be fighting for wins and championships every round, now that the first WEC win is in the ledger.

“I think it was a big moment for all of us, really a big moment for the program for many reasons," Lynn said of the Brazilian win. "Obviously, we've been competing in WEC for a little bit of a while now and [it’s] the first time we got a really great result.

“So many times we've been close. So many times we've been fast. But I think it was just the first time that finally we showed what we can do – and with a one-two finish as well. I think it just made it even sweeter so that we can put that to bed now and just focus on achieving what we know we can achieve as a team.”

Horsepower and weight handicaps in the recent round of Balance of Performance adjustments might have made it a bit more challenging to accomplish, but in a car whose traits suit COTA’s layout well, Lynn feels there's every reason the party will roll on in Texas.

“When you look through the manufacturers that have won races in the World Endurance Championship in this Hypercar era, there aren't many and we are now one of them," he said. "So, I think that puts us now in this category of the team that wants to fight for wins every weekend, to try and fight to win the championship and everything that comes with that.”