That is how you put on a show at home. Cadillac kept its mid-season FIA World Endurance Championship momentum rolling during the weekend of 4-6 September in the United States, dominating both the racing action and the paddock buzz at the Circuit of The Americas.
Coming straight off their first podium finish in 12 months in Brazil during the summer break, Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA laid down an immediate marker. In Hyperpole, Jack Aitken piloted the #38 V-Series.R straight onto the front row of the grid, matching pole-sitter Antonio Giovinazzi of Ferrari AF Corse to literally the thousandth-of-a-second in a wild dead-heat.
The Cadillac V-ONE Concept is the ultimate manifestation of a customer performance concept and is a clear sign of our ambition for the Cadillac V-Series brand in the future,
When race day arrived, Aitken teamed up with Sébastien Bourdais and Earl Bamber to keep that ferocious pace alive. The #38 Hypercar was right in the thick of the fight for honours throughout the race, anchored by an absolute masterclass in defending from the New Zealander on aging tyres midway through the distance. The trio crossed the line to scoop runner-up spoils—marking their best result to-date—finishing less than five seconds shy of victory to climb higher in the Drivers’ championship table and lock down fourth place in the Manufacturers’ standings.
"That was a really spectacular day, and it was great to get second place in our home race," enthused Bamber. "I think the team executed perfectly; we were leading at one stage and we managed to fight back through a strategy disadvantage twice due to Virtual Safety Cars, so to come away with second, everyone is really happy."
Cadillac Racing Programme Manager Keely Bosn added, "What a race and an incredible effort from the entire team. Our drivers fought hard to hold off the competition and maintain position throughout. An unfortunate bit of luck with the Safety Car erased the gap we had built, but the team stayed focused and recovered."
Away from the track, Cadillac used the weekend to unveil the V-ONE Concept—a bold, pioneering machine inspired directly by the V-Series.R. Co-developed by Cadillac Design, Cadillac Racing, and chassis constructor Dallara, this competition-bred beast shares vital foundations and architecture with the race-winning machine across its suspension, transmission, electronics, and aerodynamics. At its heart roars a V8 hybrid powertrain pumping out 830 combined horsepower, designed to deliver a true factory-level prototype experience.
"The Cadillac V-ONE Concept is the ultimate manifestation of a customer performance concept and is a clear sign of our ambition for the Cadillac V-Series brand in the future," remarked Global Cadillac Executive Design Director Dominic Najafi.
GM Motorsports also hosted 'Driven to Explore', a two-day hands-on STEM outreach program for 78 ninth-grade students from nearby Del Valle High School, run alongside the FIA WEC and the Austin Community College Make It Center, with backing from Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA, Corvette Racing partner TF Sport, and Michelin. The teenagers tackled structured modules on tyres, scrutineering, and media, built a competitive car within a strict ruleset, executed a pit-stop challenge, and pitched business plans to GM leadership while touring the garages.
"At COTA, 78 local high school students stepped beyond the classroom to see first-hand how world-class engineers, technicians and business leaders apply STEM principles in a high-pressure racing environment," commented Robert Binns, GM Motorsports K-12 STEM IMPACT Co-Lead.
