Team Cadillac partners with iRacing to build virtual racer

DETROIT – Team Cadillac Racing is partnering with iRacing.com, a premier online motorsports simulation gaming service, to put virtual racing fans behind the wheel of one of the team’s CTS-V race cars on iRacing.com’s multitude of tracks.

The virtual race car, based on the CTS-V Coupe race cars driven by Team Cadillac’s Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim, will be designed and based on the actual race cars by iRacing.com engineers.

Team Cadillac Racing announces Thursday, February 9, 2012 it has partnered with iRacing.com, an online motorsports simulation gaming service, to offer virtual racing fans CTS-V race cars on iRacing.com’s many tracks. The virtual race car, based on the CTS-V Coupe race cars driven by Team Cadillac’s Andy Pilgrim and Johnny O’Connell, will be designed and based on the actual race cars. iRacing allows members to compete with other drivers in an online series of racing challenges that mirror the actual racing season. The Cadillac CTS-V Coupe will be among the race teams for participants to choose from in the 2012 racing season and will be released this spring. Pictured here is Andy Pilgrim on the racing simulator in the Cadillac exhibit at the North American International Auto Show Friday, January 20, 2012 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Jeffrey Sauger for Cadillac)

iRacing engineers visited the Team Cadillac race team, Pratt& Miller Engineering, near Detroit recently to begin creating the digital version of the CTS-V race car. Precise measurements of the racing cars will be made to ensure authenticity in both appearance and performance. They’ll also record the sounds of the Cadillac engine to provide an added dimension to the user experience.

“Having more than 30,000 virtual racers drive a Cadillac CTS-V Coupe race car on some of the most challenging tracks in the world is great opportunity to demonstrate Cadillac’s world-class performance credentials,” said Cadillac Global Marketing Director Jim Vurpillat. “When they climb in, flip the switch on the 520-horsepower race engine and hear that rumble for the first time, they’ll remember the experience.”

The Cadillac CTS-V Coupe is a member of the world’s fastest family of production cars. The racing version took the first place podium twice last year, with O’Connell driving in its return to competition in the Pirelli World Challenge GTS Series.

“The V-Series is Cadillac’s most exciting car, and the Coupe really drives that point home,” said John Kraemer, Cadillac V-Series marketing manager. “The virtual experience of iRacing.com will combine the technical expertise they have in the digital world with our technical excellence over the road, and the results should be spectacular.”

iRacing allows members to compete with other drivers in an online series of racing challenges that mirror the actual racing season. The Cadillac CTS-V Coupe will be among an exclusive number of race teams for participants to choose from in the 2012 racing season and will be released this spring.

“This is great news for iRacing and the online racing community,” said Tony Gardner, president of iRacing.com. “The performance of the real-world Cadillac CTS-V race car is truly astonishing. I’m sure the iRacers around the world will be eager to get their hands on our digital version of this world-class machine.”

Woot — Cadillac Returns To Racing With CTS-V Coupe

Very good news today — Cadillac to return to racing with the CTS-V Coupe.
Racing improves car design, durability, and performance.  Manufacturers learn more about what breaks when on the track than they can in the lab where cars are not under the same stress levels.
Showing the cars on the track also helps consideration levels and subsequently sales especially to people who don’t realize that modern Cadillacs are among the fastest cars in the world.
Press Release:
  • Racecar based on award-winning CTS-V Series line
  • Program designed to validate, enhance Cadillac performance
  • Andy Pilgrim, Johnny O’Connell signed as Cadillac drivers

DETROIT – Cadillac announced today it will return to racing in 2011 with a race-prepared version of its CTS-V Coupe competing in the Sports Car Club of America World Challenge, North America’s top production-based racecar series.

The move returns Cadillac to a series where it competed from 2004 to 2007. Competing in the GT Class with the CTS-V Sport Sedan, Cadillac captured the Manufacturer’s Championship in 2005 and 2007 and the Driver’s Championship in 2005.

Cadillac will field two teams in the upcoming SCCA World Challenge GT Class with a racecar based on the CTS-V Coupe. The CTS-V line, which also includes the CTS-V Sedan and CTS-V Wagon, was recently named to Car and Driver magazine’s 10 Best list for 2011.

“Returning to racing in the SCCA World Challenge is a great way to demonstrate the performance and capability of the CTS-V Coupe,” said Don Butler, vice president for Cadillac marketing.   “The racecars in this series are production based, which allows us to validate our performance against the best of our competitors on the track, and not just the showroom.”

Cadillac is working with Pratt & Miller, a New Hudson, Mich., engineering firm which specializes in motorsports, to develop the CTS-V Coupe racecar. While some of the production CTS-V components will be modified due to the unique demands of racing or to meet the SCCA series’ technical rules, every effort is taken to maintain as much production content as possible.

“The SCCA World Challenge lends itself well to a natural transfer of knowledge,” said Jim Campbell, GM vice president for Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “The series will become a key test-bed for Cadillac. We anticipate using what we learn on the racetrack to ensure the V-Series stays on the cutting-edge of performance.”

The first event in the SCCA World Challenge is March 25-27 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Johnny O’Connell, a three-time GT1 champion in the America Le Mans Series, and Andy Pilgrim, who won the 2005 SCCA World Challenge GT class in a Cadillac, will be behind the wheel of the CTS-V racecars.

Introduced for the 2003 model year, the CTS-V has quickly earned a reputation among luxury sports car buyers. For the 2011 model year, Cadillac added the CTS-V Coupe and the CTS-V Sport Wagon to the CTS-V Sport Sedan, creating an impressive family of performance vehicles. The CTS-Vs feature Brembo brakes, a supercharged 6.2L V8 delivering 556 horsepower and a Magnetic Ride Control suspension system that can read and react to the road 1,000 times a second.

Started in 1944, the SCCA organizes and supports racing at all levels from amateur to professional. The World Challenge series is designed to provide teams, manufacturers and aftermarket suppliers a competitive production-based race series in which to prove their products. The races follow a 50-minute maximum time limit, with the number of laps and total distance determined by track configuration, lap times and race conditions.

What do you love about Cadillac?

What first drew you to the Cadillac brand?

Cadillac V-16 (left) and Sixteen Concept (right)

Was it the Styling? The Cadillac Design Team’s goal is to give Cadillacs a look all their own – a look that’s uniquely American.

Was it the Power? Cadillacs tend to be a wolf in sheep’s clothes when it comes to engine output.  Old school Cadillacs got the largest, most powerful engines available at GM.  Modern Cadillacs tend to have the most powerful & efficient engines available (most HP/Liter).

Was it the Exclusivity? Did you want a Cadillac because it was more exclusive — helped you to stand out more from the crowd?

Was it the Racing Heritage? Cadillac engines and Cadillac vehicles have been racing almost since the marque began in 1902.  A lot of what gives Cadillacs great performance as a luxury car on the road are the same attributes that make great racing cars.

Cadillac LMP 2001-2

What do YOU love about Cadillacs?

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