18th November, 2005
With a total of four victories, two pole positions and nine podium finishes, the
black CTS-V racers of America's Team Cadillac claimed a clean sweep of both the drivers’
and manufacturers’ championships in the 2005 SCCA SPEED World Challenge GT
series for production-based models. In addition to jubilation for driver Andy
Pilgrim, the manufacturer’s title made history as Cadillac’s first-ever racing
championship crown.
The combination of the Cadillac CTS-V chassis with the race-prepared GM LS2
small-block V8 engines gave Team Cadillac the best possible equipment for the
season-long battle against predominantly two-seat sports car opposition on road
courses and street circuits across North America. Along the way, the Team
Cadillac CTS-Vs claimed three double victories and has made Cadillac history
with its first 1-2-3 podium sweep at Road Atlanta in Georgia. In this hotly
contested competition, the titles were only settled in the closing laps of the
final round of the championship.
Pilgrim's progress
Cadillac’s champion driver Andy Pilgrim was the model of consistency
throughout the season, finishing in the top 10 of every round in the 11-race
series. After second-place finishes in Sebring, Florida and Road Atlanta and a
third-place result in Cleveland, Ohio, SCCA rules dictated that Pilgrim's
success be ‘rewarded’ with 100 kg of ballast. He countered this burden with
careful strategy which delivered three fourth-place finishes from the final
three races, plus the title.
Team Cadillac's second full-time driver was Max Papis, who brought his
special mix of style, charisma and excitement to the SPEED GT series. Whilst
securing his victory in Laguna Seca, the popular Italian clinched the
manufacturers’ title for Cadillac and secured fifth place in the drivers'
standings.
Team Cadillac's third car, raced by a trio of accomplished guest drivers,
also contributed significantly to the team’s success with two victories. Max
Angelelli posted a pole and four podium finishes in five appearances, including
a win at Lime Rock, Connecticut. GM Performance Division director John Heinricy
was runner-up at Mid-Ohio, and Ron Fellows won the Mosport round in Canada for
the second successive year.
The production connection
The SPEED GT series pitted Cadillac's four-door performance luxury saloon
against a field of predominantly two-seat sports cars. The championship-winning
Cadillac CTS-Vs were originally built on the production line at GM's assembly
plant in Lansing, Michigan. Although modified for competition, the race cars
retained 58 per cent production content by weight. Moreover, the racing
programme maintained strong links with the engineering team that designed the
production version.
"The ability to take such a high level of hardware directly from the street
car to the race car speaks volumes about the performance potential of the street
version of the Cadillac CTS-V," said GM Racing director Mark Kent. "By using GM
facilities and personnel, we were able to draw upon GM's expertise to optimise
the performance of the race car," Kent noted. "With exposure to the race car,
the GM engineers and technicians gained valuable insight into race car structure
and dynamics. The technology transfer was truly a two-way street."
Other news:
Holden Barina Ushers in New Era
7th November, 2005
Holden is set to shift the balance in Australia ’s light car market with a
new Barina starting below $13,000 with air conditioning as standard .....
more
Industry Gears up for End of Year Sales Push
6th November, 2005
Australian motor vehicle sales dropped slightly in October, interrupting a
run of record monthly results that have pushed the market to new heights this year .....
more
China Will Be World's No.1
5th November, 2005
Dr. Feng Fei, an economist at the Development Research Centre of China’s
State Council, has forecast that China will become the world's largest vehicle manufacturer by 2020 .....
more
GM Moves to Speed Pontiac Solstice Production
3rd November, 2005
General Motors has announced that it plans to add a third shift at its
Wilmington, Delaware (USA), car assembly plant which currently manufacturers the Pontiac Solstice roadster .....
more
Sales of Daewoo-Sourced Vehicles Rise 41%
2nd November, 2005
GM Daewoo Auto & Technology (GM Daewoo) announced
yesterday that 112,631 of the Incheon-based car maker's vehicles were sold globally in October .....
more
Hummer To Sponsor Team Dakar USA
2nd November, 2005
Hummer and Robby Gordon Motorsports have joined together to take on the
Dakar Rally, widely considered to be the most grueling off-road race in the world .....
more
GM'S 2005 SEMA Showcase
2nd November, 2005
GM will make a big impact at this year's Specialty Equipment Market Association
(SEMA) show, proving that with the right combination of technology, great products and accessories, it's possible to pack
performance, style and fuel economy into one exciting package .....
more
GM's Global Growth Continues
27th October, 2005
General Motors reported calendar year-to-date sales (January - September) of
7,066,774 vehicles around the world – a 3.7 percent increase over 2004 .....
more
GM Opens Russian R&D Science Office
26th October, 2005
General Motors will open a new R&D science office in Moscow in order to
leverage Russian science institutes and universities on a broad array of technologies .....
more
S3X From Daewoo For Holden
16th October, 2005
Holden is showing the striking S3X concept SUV at Sydney's Australian
International Motor Show, as the preview for a Daewoo-sourced seven-seater Holden destined for Australia next year
..... more
Holden's Wild Hot Rod Brings FJ Back to Life
13th October, 2005
A wild 21st Century hot rod reinventing one of Australia ’s most famous
cars, the FJ Holden, was unveiled today at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney .....
more
Historical Brazilian Truck's Driving Odyssey
12th October, 2005
An intrepid group of eight passionate Brazilian adventurers
traveled nearly 19,312 kms (12,000 miles), crossing two continents, eleven countries and the Amazon River .....
more
Record Month As Small Car Sales Boom
10th October, 2005
The Australian motor vehicle market continues to head towards a new annual
record, driven by a big increase in demand for smaller cars and light trucks .....
more
Viva is Holden's Big News
10th October, 2005
Holden has launched Viva – a new nameplate, for the Holden brand .....
more
Subaru and GM Walk Away From Each Other
7th October, 2005
Fuji Heavy Industries, the maker of Subaru cars, released its plan of their
alliance changes .....
more
2005 Special Edition VZ Commodore Lumina
28th September, 2005
Holden is delivering more than $6,000 of extra features in the new
special edition VZ Commodore Lumina sedan and wagon .....
more
|
|
ROAD TEST Holden Monaro CV8 - VZ series As the Monaro heads for retirement
we recognise it is still an enjoyable and lazy drive
25th September, 2005
Larger image
|
Holden's New Tigra Hardtop Convertible
23rd September, 2005
Holden is stepping up its focus on the small car market with the pending
launch of the Tigra hardtop convertible
..... more
Extra Temptation For Holden's SS Models
13th September, 2005
Holden’s SS model performance heroes will deliver extra temptation in SSZ
special editions to be released on Commodore, Ute and Crewman
..... more
Holden Launches Dual-fuel Commodore
9th September, 2005
The success of Australia ’s most popular car range will be enhanced with the
launch of a dual-fuel Commodore, featuring a newly-developed version of GM Holden’s 3.6 litre Alloytec V6
..... more
Cadillac BLS
31st August, 2005
Where does the 2006 Cadillac BLS, which is set for its world premiere at the
2005 Frankfurt Motor Show, sit in Holden's plans for the future?
..... more
Holden Workforce Restructure
26th August, 2005
GM Holden Ltd has made a decision to reduce the workforce size of its
South Australian operations
..... more
150 Holdens Crushed for Emergency's Sake
19th August, 2005
A total of 150 Monaros, Commodores, Rodeos and other Holdens with a retail
value of more than $5 million have been shipped to New Zealand to become scrap metal in the name of emergency safety .....
more
The New Astra Twin Top For 2006
2nd August, 2005
Last year, we reported the new Astra would be a coupe/cabriolet. Now we discover
General Motors has lifted the lid on the latest version of its new Astra – the stunning TwinTop .....
more
Hummer H3 Now Arriving In Europe
28th July, 2005
General Motors continues its global expansion with the announcement
yesterday it will sell the all-new 2006 Hummer H3 in Europe. The H3 will come to Australia in early 2007 .....
more
Last Hurrah for Holden's Legendary Monaro
26th July, 2005
Holden will next month release a striking special edition, Monaro CV8-Z, as
the final chapter in a remarkable success story in Australian automotive history .....
more
Holden Expands The Astra Line-Up
18th July, 2005 Additional details added 21st July, 2005
Holden has extended its popular Astra small car range with a sporty new
three-door coupe and a versatile compact wagon
..... more
Holden Hits Record First Half Sales
6th July, 2005
Holden has achieved its highest first half sales in history and reached the
half year mark with Australia's best selling passenger and light truck ranges
..... more
Hummer H3 deliveries begin in USA
23rd May, 2005
Deliveries of the midsize sport utilities to US dealers is now underway.
Assembly of this new model will begin late next year in South Africa. It is this South African built version which
will come to Australia in 2007 .....
more
Hummer H3 Ready For Its US Release
28th April, 2005
America sees the new Hummer H3 next month, ahead of its 2007 Australian release
..... more
Saab To Be Built In Germany, Cadillac To Be Built In Sweden!
10th March, 2005
The 1st of April is still weeks away! But in support of the theory we
should never be surprised what happens next .... along comes the story that GM will build a new Cadillac model in
Sweden and a new Saab model in Germany! .....
more
|