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.”