Cadillac Racing Fifth and Sixth at Sonoma

O’Connell fifth, Pilgrim sixth

SONOMA, Calif. – Cadillac Racing drivers Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim finished the first of a double race weekend in the Pirelli World Challenge GT Series at Sonoma Raceway in the fifth and sixth positions.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) and Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) finished in the same positions as they started. O’Connell was able to make-up a position on one of his championship contenders when he got by Oliver Beretta’s Ferrari at the start. On lap two Beretta came back with an aggressive move and made the position back.

“I may have a lost a gap to Olivier by six or seven points in the standings,” O’Connell said. “When he put his move on me I could have battled a little harder. But that early in the race you have to look at the war, not the battles. I had a good car in the early laps, I could have been a little more aggressive. I used to love coming to Sonoma. They’ve made a lot of changes to the circuit and it just doesn’t have the flow it used to have. All of the cars that finished in front of us were rear or mid-engine race cars, which have an advantage at tracks with really tight slow corners. I am proud of the team. To come home fifth and sixth that is a good result.”

Pilgrim is running in full team mode.

“I had a good start,” Pilgrim said. “As the race went on the Cadillac ATS-V.R got a little tail happy. Everyone at the end of the race was drifting their cars around. Johnny is in the championship hunt and I am here to support him as much as possible. I had a good car. The last couple of races have been really good for the No. 8 Cadillac guys after a tough first two-thirds of the season. Tomorrow is a standing start we will be looking for another good run.”

The Pirelli World Challenge Series race from Sonoma Raceway will be televised on CBS Sports Network, Sunday, September 6 at 5 p.m. ET. Lives streaming can be viewed at world-challengetv.com.

The Pirelli World Challenge Series race from Miller Motorsport Park, last weekend, will be televised on CBS Sports Network Sunday, August 30, 4 p.m. ET.