O’Connell takes second win from pole

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada – Cadillac Racing driver Johnny O’Connell swept the Pirelli World Challenge Series weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park with a second win this afternoon. Teammate Andy Pilgrim was classified in 26th.

Johnny O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) took the second win of the weekend from pole position in his No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R. O’Connell was able to get a good start from a standing position to lead the race with a battle ensuing behind him. Prior to the first and only race caution on lap five the Ferrari of Olivier Beretta and the McLaren of Kevin Estre had some contact. That allowed O’Connell to get a slight gap, but the Bentley of Butch Leitzinger was coming fast. O’Connell was able to hold off the hard charging Bentley for win number two.

“I had a pretty good start. Good enough to get the lead,” O’Connell said. “Then I wanted to really push to see if I could get a gap to second place. They started really racing back there and I think they had some contact. I was hoping for some shenanigans that would allow me to get a little lead and that is what happened. I had a small gap, but that big bad Bentley was coming. Those guys are fast. Butch was coming and I just had to study his car versus mine and maximize my strong track points and it worked. I am proud of this team. We have two wins. Great weekend!”

Teammate Andy Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) continued his streak of bad luck. Contact and engine issues sidelined him after 18-laps.

“I got hit at the start when I came together with Bill Zeigler’s BMW,” Pilgrim said. “It turned me sideways and I almost crashed. Coming down the back straight the hood came up. We don’t know why and I had to pit and that put me down a lap. On the restart I am a lap down but still passing cars. I wanted to be careful because you are in the middle of other people’s race and you want to be respectful. A few laps later I got an engine light and the engine started to lose power. I smelled a hint of smoke, I pulled off and pulled the extinguisher.”

The Pirelli World Challenge Series will travel to Detroit for a double race weekend May 29-31. This weekend’s races will be televised on CBS Sports Network Sunday, May 24 at 5 p.m. ET.

O’Connell and Pilgrim 22nd and 23rd

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Cadillac Racing drivers Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim had a tough outing in their Cadillac ATS-V.R’s in this afternoon’s running of the Pirelli World Challenge Long Beach Grand Prix. After a caution filled race, O’Connell was classified in 22nd and Pilgrim in 23rd.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) was able to get a good start from his second row grid position. By the first turn he had his No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R in second position. The first of five full course caution flags flew on lap one. On the restart on lap eight, Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) was taken out in the final Hair Pin Turn and had to pit for repairs putting him down two laps to the GT field. Following two more caution periods, O’Connell was able to get by the leading Ferrari of Olivier Beretta on lap 15 with a great move into Turn Seven. As he led into the next turn, Beretta and McLaren driver Kevin Estre pulled to the inside of O’Connell making it three wide and forcing the Cadillac into the wall at the exit of Turn Eight. O’Connell had to pit for repairs putting him down two laps.

“Really disappointing,” O’Connell said. “I stuck Beretta with a great move into Turn Seven. I was headed into eight leading the race. There is no way any sane person in the world should have tried to put a move on me there, but they did. It was too early in the race for that type of driving. We should have been able to win or least get on the podium. I am proud of the team. We were running this new car at the front. You are never happy to get taken out of a race like that, especially leading.”

Pilgrim was passed under yellow putting him in a vulnerable positon in the middle of the field.

“I had a good start and then we immediately went to yellow,” Pilgrim said. “I was good in seventh. As we drove around under the yellow I was a little slow coming out of the final turn and then three cars passed me, under caution! Next thing I know I am in tenth, a very vulnerable position. On the next restart I got turned in the Hair Pin and into the wall. I shouldn’t have been in that position. We appealed to the officials, but they didn’t put the field back in order. I don’t understand it. Tough day on Ocean Boulevard.”

The Pirelli World Challenge Series will travel to Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama next weekend, Apr. 24-26, for a double race weekend.

Today’s Grand Prix of Long Beach race will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network Sunday, April 26 at 3:30 p.m. ET.

O’Connell ok following fire

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Cadillac Racing driver Andy Pilgrim finished seventh in the second of two races in the Pirelli World Challenge Series GT race this morning at Barber Motorsport Park. Teammate Johnny O’Connell had a fire erupt in his Cadillac ATS-V.R and was classified 30th.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) and Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) started today’s race from ninth and 12th respectively. The duo were able to improve their positions on the start. By lap three O’Connell was running in sixth with Pilgrim close behind in seventh. On lap 18 O’Connell was headed into Turn Five when his No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R caught on fire. O’Connell bailed out and assisted the fire crew in extinguishing the flames. He was evaluated at the Barber Motorsports Park infield medical center and released. Pilgrim went onto race his No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R to a seventh place finish.

“It was a good race, much better than yesterday,” Pilgrim said. “I am glad that Johnny is alright. It was terrible to see the car on fire, but I am glad he is ok. I had a good race car. I started in 13th and made my way up to seventh. I got together a little bit with Mike Lewis’ Porsche going into Turn One, just three wide and nowhere to go. We came together a little bit, but we both continued, just hard racing. It is so close in lap times here you just have to wait for the guy in front to make a mistake. I was behind Ryan Eversley and his Acura, until he made a slight mistake in the last section of turns and I was able to get by him. I just ran out of laps to catch Lewis in front of me.”

O’Connell was happy with the car running in sixth before the fire.

“I couldn’t have been happier with the way the Cadillac ATS-V.R was driving,” O’Connell said. “I was having a great battle with friend and Audi driver Mike Skeen. I was just waiting for the right time to get by him. It was a great battle. I was just being patient. Then I was going into Turn Five and the car just erupted. I didn’t want to take Mike with me so I released the brake and went into the gravel and bailed out. You wonder how long it will take to undo the belts and things to get out of the car if something happens, well fire is a pretty good motivator. I then had to go back in and shut off the power and hit the fire extinguisher. The fire team pulled up and I helped them out. Lot of work ahead of the Cadillac Racing guys before we go to Canada, but I am sure they will be on it first thing tomorrow morning and we will be back.”

The Pirelli World Challenge Series will travel to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park north of Toronto for a double header weekend to run May 15-17.

The races from Barber will be aired on CBS Sports Network, Sunday, May 3, 2 p.m. ET.

National Robotics Week adopted a broader definition of robotics

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From Design News

Written by –

Charles Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics & Test

National Robotics Week adopted a broader definition of robotics Thursday, as it shifted its focus from factory floor robots to autonomous vehicles and drones.

Robotics Day in Ann Arbor, Mich. (outside Detroit) featured a keynote speech from an expert at Google’s autonomous vehicle project, as well as demonstrations of image processing, artificial intelligence, and control systems for self-driving cars and drones.

”When we started doing this event a few years ago, there were a lot of people in automated vehicles who really didn’t consider themselves roboticists,” Phil Callihan, executive director for the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), told Design News. “We’d tell them, ‘We have a very wide definition of robotics and you’re part of it.’”

To be sure, the event featured its usual emphasis on manufacturing technology, including demonstrations of robots that lift, walk, run, and even swim. But the inclusion of automated vehicles and drones distinguished it from the public’s traditional view of robotics. Pratt Miller Engineering, for example, showed off an autonomous vehicle called AVeTar that acts as robotic target system for military training exercises. The vehicle, which carries a truck silhouette atop it, uses global positioning technology and complex software to enable it to drive an unpredictable path during target practice. Pratt Miller teamed with Quantum Signal LLC, which created the signal and image processing system for the vehicle. Also at the event, SkySpecs Inc., demoed obstacle avoidance technologies for drones.

A keynote speech from Lawrence Burns, who works with Google’s autonomous vehicle project, added to the event’s autonomous vehicle theme. Burns discussed autonomous vehicles, transportation energy, and connectivity.

Callihan said one of the goals of the event was to awaken potential talent, not only among automotive engineers and suppliers, but of college and high school students, as well. The Detroit area, he said, could offer a wealth of opportunity for such talent because suppliers of sensors, controllers, electronics, and various other robotic components are already located in the area to serve the big automakers.

He added that the recognition of autonomous vehicles as a branch of robotics is critical, not only in attracting talent, but in the development of technologies that go beyond the factory floor. “It all comes down to your definition of a robot,” he told us. “We consider it a robot if it’s a rolling or flying automated device that has onboard intelligence.”

O’Connell fourth, Pilgrim has shift issues

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Cadillac Racing driver Johnny O’Connell finished fourth in the first of two races in the Pirelli World Challenge Series GT race this afternoon at Barber Motorsport Park. Teammate Andy Pilgrim had shifting issues and was classified 26th.

In qualifying this morning, the changing conditions of wet to dry challenged the Pirelli World Challenge competitors. O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) and Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) both went out on wet tires and were running in the top five early in the session. With about 10-minutes remaining, O’Connell brought the No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R into the pits with a data anomaly that resulted in the Cadillac Racing crew changing the LF4.R engine. Pilgrim remained on track on wet tires and posted a time of 1:31.416 that had him start from the fifth row in 10th. O’Connell took the green flag from the last place on the grid in 27th due to the engine change.

The World Challenge officials decided to have a rolling start for the first race. O’Connell started from the 13th row on the grid and steadily made his way through the field. On the last restart with just one lap remaining he took the green in seventh. Going into Turn One the GT competitors in front took to the inside to defend their positions. O’Connell drove his Cadillac ATS-V.R around the outside and exited Turn One three places ahead in fourth.

“It is a team sport,” O’Connell said. “When the guys dig deep and do a four hour engine change in 90-minutes so you can make it to the grid you want to reward them with a good run. We were very lucky. The guys gave me a great car and I was able to seize on opportunity. Barber is a place where they say you can’t pass, well I managed to pass 23 cars. This team is strong. I am very proud of them. On the last restart the Porsche in front of me had a flat tire. I knew he would have issues. Guys instinctively go to the inside to protect, when we got to Turn One I felt like Moses, the sea just parted, everyone boxed up and I went right. People think your best races are the ones you win, well this was the best race we ran where we didn’t win. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.”

Pilgrim’s gearbox started to act up around lap 20. On the final restart the car was locked in third gear. As opposed to trying to take the restart the Cadillac Racing team brought him to pit lane.

“The Cadillac ATS-V.R was pretty good in the early running,” Pilgrim said. “I was racing with Chris Dyson in the Bentley and Ryan Eversley in the Acura. Then later in the race when I would shift gears I would hear a sound from the gearbox. As the race went on I wasn’t able to shift at all and I had to come in as opposed to being in the way on the restart. The car was handling good, so I am optimistic for tomorrow’s race.”

Based upon their fast laps in the first race, O’Connell with start tomorrow’s race in ninth with Pilgrim in 12th. The race will take the standing start at 10:55 a.m. CT.

The Pirelli World Challenge Series will travel to Barber Motorsports Park this weekend, Apr. 24-26 for a double race weekend. The races from Barber will be aired on CBS Sports Network, Sunday, May 3, 2 p.m. ET.

O’Connell finishes fifth, Pilgrim sixth

St. Petersburg, Fla. – Cadillac Racing drivers Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim finished the second race of the Pirelli World Challenge St. Petersburg Cadillac Grand Prix weekend in fifth and sixth this morning.

Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) had the pole for the race start. The Floridian experienced some wheel spin from the standing start and watched as five competitors raced by him into Turn One. No sooner did the race start than it was stopped on lap three for a track blocking incident. At this point in the race Pilgrim and teammate O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga) were classified in positions sixth and eighth. O’Connell in sixth. When the 50-minute race restarted with 19-minutes remaining the Cadillac duo settled into their positions and circulated the 1.4-mile, 14-turn St. Pete temporary street circuit as part of the FIA GT3 parade of cars. On lap 19 Audi driver Mike Skeen and Nissan driver J.D. Davison got together and that vaulted O’Connell into fifth and Pilgrim into sixth, which is where they crossed the finish line.

“Even if I got paid by the lap I earned every dollar today,” O’Connell said. “The Cadillac Racing guys have done a great job tweaking and tuning on the ATS-V.R. It was a hard race. You have every guy pushing each other so hard. Some have a pretty high level of aggression and we used that to our advantage today. We are working hard on this new car. You have a relationship with your car. You really have to get to know her. We are still in the dating period heading to the honeymoon. I have a few rub marks on the left side. I was using every inch of the track and on that lap I needed another three-quarters of an inch. Again getting to know your car. That rub didn’t affect the ATS-V.R at all. She is a tough new girl. I can use that data later in the season.”

Pilgrim saw the podium start as a missed opportunity.

“It is disappointing when you start on the pole and can’t make the best of it,” Pilgrim said. “I got some wheel spin off of the start and a lot guys got bye me. I was then in the middle of a mess in Turn One. Once we got going I made some positions back. I am happy the car came back unscathed, there are a lot of wrecked cars out there today. The ATS-V.R was really good. Once you get in a train like that, the field is so close, you have to wait for your moment to pass. Johnny and I made up a few positions when those two cars got together. The highlight of the weekend is the pole and two top ten finishes. Much better than COTA (Circuit of the America’s) for me.”

The Pirelli World Challenge Series will travel to Long Beach, Calif. for the Replay XD Grand Prix of Long Beach April 17-19. The St. Petersburg race broadcast will run on the CBS Sports Network Sunday, April 5, at 5 p.m. ET.

Since the team’s inception in 2004, Team Cadillac has amassed 26 wins, 91 podium finishes (including wins) and 22 pole positions. The team won the World Challenge Manufacturer Championship in 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Team Cadillac drivers have won the World Challenge Driver’s Championship in 2005 with Andy Pilgrim and in 2012, 2013 and 2014 with Johnny O’Connell.

O’Connell finishes fourth, Pilgrim seventh

St. Petersburg, Fla. – Cadillac Racing drivers Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim finished the first of two races at the Pirelli World Challenge St. Petersburg Cadillac Grand Prix in fourth and seventh this morning.

Starting from his seventh place grid position, O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga) quickly raced into fourth position by Turn One. Before the field could circulate the 1.4-mile, 14-turn St. Pete temporary street circuit one time a full course caution flew for a crash at the start/finish line. The race restarted with just 20 minutes remaining of the 50-minute scheduled run time. Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) made the most of the green flag laps as he moved from 11th place after the failed start to a seventh place finishing position. O’Connell was able to hold his fourth place when the race was ended under yellow as a result of a second on track incident.

“It was an abbreviated run today,” O’Connell said. “The cautions worked to my advantage. We were struggling with the car a little bit. We didn’t have the grip that the other guys had. If the race had gone green all the way, tire-wise, we might have had some issues. It kind of worked to our advantage. I also didn’t get the start that we usually get with the Cadillac. I wasn’t able to quite get it hooked up like we did at Circuit of the America’s.

“I’m proud of the work everybody is doing. I’m getting everything I can out of this car. You finish fourth and you’re the tenth quickest car and I was really digging. We’ll rub on her a little bit and see what we get tomorrow. If I have a good start, then I’ll be in a position to move up in the points.”

Pilgrim will start from the pole position for tomorrow’s race based upon posting the fastest race lap today.

“We made the most of a short race,” Pilgrim said. “There was stuff banging all over the place. It was incredible to see. We were basically a line of nine, 10 or 11 cars going and then P.D. (Cunningham) dropped back behind me in 12th, then somebody spun or somebody got hit or whatever. I got past Beretta (Olivier) when he hit the wall and he was a little tentative coming out of fast kink, which I thought he might be so I took advantage. Then I couldn’t get by Davison (JD), too much power, too much coming of the corners. When I got by Beretta, I had a totally clean track. I guess that’s when the fast lap came. His car is great. You’re running in a draft of eight cars and it just pulls you along. I’m starting on the pole tomorrow and that’s a nice place to start a street race. I just hope I can get away clean when the stating lights go out.”

The St. Petersburg Cadillac Grand Prix will run Mar. 27 – 29. The races (Sat. Mar. 10 at 11:10 a.m. and Sun. Mar. 11 at 10:45 a.m.) from St. Petersburg can be streamed live at world-challenge.com. The races will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network Sunday, April 5, at 5 p.m. ET.

O’Connell seventh, Pilgrim 19th

AUSTIN, Texas – Cadillac Racing driver Johnny O’Connell added another top ten finish in the second race of the Pirelli World Challenge Series Nissan Grand Prix at the Circuit of the America’s (COTA) race weekend by finishing seventh this afternoon.

Starting from the front row in second position in his No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R based upon his fast lap time from yesterday’s race O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) and the other 47 cars in the GT field started the race from a rolling start. The rolling start was implemented as the COTA circuit was getting drenched in rain. When the field came by to complete lap one O’Connell was in fourth. Teammate Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) was forced into a spin in his No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R in Turn Two relegating him to the back of the field. He was able to work his way up to 19th position by the end. O’Connell drove the all-new Cadillac ATS-V.R in its first wet race to a well-earned seventh position.

“Lot of rain,” said O’Connell. “We had a science project going on today at COTA. This was the first time we ran the new ATS-V.R in a full rain set-up. We learned a ton about the race car, the engine and the electronics. The cars we are racing against are well seasoned as are the drivers. You’re not happy with a seventh place finish, but I am proud of the way I drove this new car and we gathered some valuable data so when we run in the rain again we will be that much better. A podium and a top ten finish is a pretty good weekend with a brand new car.”

Pilgrim had a tough weekend and is ready to move on to St. Pete in three weeks.

“What can I say another tough race,” Pilgrim said. “I was heading into Turn Two on the first lap and got tapped and it sent me around. I recovered and then the wipers went out just after that a few laps later. I had a lot trouble with visibility so I was doing the best I could to pass some people and keep the car on the track. The rain began to slow toward the end and I was able to pick up a few more positions. It was a tough weekend. The positives is that the car was reliable, ran every lap in practice and the race. We learned about what we have to do to get the ATS-V.R better in the wet for the next rain race.”

The Pirelli World Challenge Series season opening Nissan Grand Prix of Texas at the Circuit of the America’s races will be televised on the CBS Sports Network Sat., Mar. 14 at 11 am.

Cadillac Racing will travel to St. Petersburg, Fla. for the St. Petersburg Cadillac Grand Prix to run Mar. 27 – 29.

Since the team’s inception in 2004, Team Cadillac has amassed 26 wins, 91 podium finishes (including wins) and 22 pole positions. The team won the World Challenge Manufacturer Championship in 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Team Cadillac drivers have won the World Challenge Driver’s Championship in 2005 with Andy Pilgrim and in 2012, 2013 and 2014 with Johnny

O’Connell third, Pilgrim recovers for 17th

AUSTIN, Texas – Cadillac Racing driver Johnny O’Connell drove the all-new Cadillac ATS-V.R to a third place finish in today’s running of the Pirelli World Challenge Series Nissan Grand Prix at the Circuit of the America’s.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) started from the fifth row on the 48-car World Challenge GT grid. When the lights went out for the standing start his No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R hooked up and by the time he was exiting the first turn he was in fourth position. On lap seven the three time World Challenge GT champion inherited third when the leading Lamborghini had to perform a drive-thru penalty for going over the blend line into Turn One. The race went caution free as O’Connell was able to hold off the charging McLaren of Kevin Estre for the final step of the season opening podium.

“I had a Nissan in front of me. He startled me with the start he got,” O’Connell said. “The McLaren had issues and I was able to get by him clean. As I went through the gears, the initial launch and momentum, had me in a good position going into Turn One. If I was greedy, I might have been able to come out of Turn One in second. I settled into fourth and then the Lambo had to come in and I was in third. We had great reliability in the first race. Running with no real issues was great. If you would have told me we were going to be on the podium in the first race with a new car I wouldn’t have believed you. We took what was given and had a nice clean run. Everyone at Cadillac Racing did a great job.”

O’Connell likes the top drivers in the series.

“I had a great seat for the battle in front of me,” he continued. “Estre in the McLaren took a couple of pokes at me. There was really no hanging with the Porsche and Ferrari in the front, but I was hoping, just a little, that they would get together and give me a gift. The series has some top drivers this year and that just motivates this team even more. I couldn’t be prouder of everyone at Cadillac Racing for the effort they’ve put into this new car.”

Teammate Andy Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) also had a good start in his No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R. In the middle of Turn 12 a glitch in the electronics put Pilgrim into a spin.

“I had a good start and was able to get a run on the car in front of me,” said Pilgrim. “I had to check up a little when a car in front of me slowed. As I charged up the hill I had to be careful not go over the blend line. I got touched a little into Turn One, but was able to make up a couple of positions. Going through Turn 12 I think I had an electrical problem and the tires spun and I was sideways in the turn. We are still learning about this new ATS-V.R. From that point I was in recovery mode. I was able to run the whole race in a lot of traffic. It was encouraging to be able to put the car through a race distance heat cycle. Great result of the team and Johnny to get a podium first time out.”

Cadillac Racing will run the second race of the weekend tomorrow starting at 1:25 p.m. CT.

Cadillac Racing competed at the 3.4-mile, 20-turn COTA circuit located southeast of Austin in 2013. O’Connell won the first race (classified 17th in the second) and Pilgrim finished second in race two (third in race one) on that weekend. The first visit to COTA in 2013 had the series running the abbreviated track layout. This weekend the 48 car GT field will race on the full length Formula 1 circuit.

The Pirelli World Challenge Series season opening Nissan Grand Prix of Texas at the Circuit of the America’s will run March 6-8. The GT races from COTA will be televised on the CBS Sports Network Sat., Mar. 14 at 11 am.

Since the team’s inception in 2004, Team Cadillac has amassed 26 wins, 91 podium finishes (including wins) and 22 pole positions. The team won the World Challenge Manufacturer Championship in 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Team Cadillac drivers have won the World Challenge Driver’s Championship in 2005 with Andy Pilgrim and in 2012, 2013 and 2014 with Johnny O’Connell.

Up-to-600-horsepower race car meets international FIA GT3 specifications

AUSTIN, Texas (Nov. 14, 2014) – The next generation of Cadillac’s V-Series elite, high-performance cars began today with the introduction of an all-new race car, the Cadillac ATS-V.R. Set to begin competition in 2015, Cadillac debuted the new race car at the Circuit of the Americas, one of country’s pre-eminent racing venues.

The ATS-V.R is the racing extension of the upcoming 2016 Cadillac ATS-V Coupe, which channels more than a decade of V-Series engineering experience into the brand’s first compact performance model. The ATS-V Coupe debuts next week, along with the ATS-V sedan, at the Los Angeles Auto Show and arrives track-capable from the factory next spring.

The new, up-to-600-horsepower ATS-V.R meets international FIA GT3 specifications, a highly coveted pedigree that allows it to potentially run in more than 30 different GT series around the world. Other marques in this ultra-competitive racing class include Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren and Porsche. The FIA is the governing body for worldwide motorsport, with the GT3 class representing a specific set of specifications for racing cars based on production models.

“The V-Series is the highest expression of Cadillac’s rising product substance,” said Johan de Nysschen, Cadillac president. “Elevating and expanding the V-Series is the next logical step in Cadillac’s growth, including this new race car developed in GT3-specification, enabling us to pursue racing on a more global scale.”

The heart of the ATS-V.R is the LF4.R, the racing version of the Twin Turbo 3.6L V-6 in the award-winning Cadillac CTS Vsport. Specific technical upgrades for the GT3-spec race car include larger, twin BorgWarner turbochargers; increased capacity intercoolers; competition engine management and a direct, side-exiting exhaust. The lightweight aluminum block and heads are counterbalanced by a rear transaxle unique to the race car, giving the ATS-V.R a weight distribution of 49 percent front, 51 percent rear.

“This car sounds wicked and screams like it’s ripping holes in the air. I love it,” said Andy Pilgrim, Cadillac Racing driver. “We have paddle gear shifters for the first time, and I’m enjoying the new tools. The engine torque is remarkable, as always, pulling strongly out of the corners.”

Among the many modifications performed to meet FIA GT3 specifications, the fenders of the ATS-V.R were redesigned to contain FIA-mandated tire sizes. Other modifications include an aero kit that gives the ATS-V.R a strong stance, and a carbon fiber front splitter – complemented by corner-mounted dive planes – that provides frontal aerodynamics. A full under tray directs air beneath the car to the rear diffuser, which helps create a downforce-producing effect and plants the 18-inch racing tires to the track.

Since its inception in 2004, Cadillac Racing has amassed 26 wins, 91 podium finishes (including wins) and 22 pole positions with the CTS-V sedan and CTS-V

Coupe race cars. Cadillac is a five-time winner of the Pirelli World Challenge Manufacturer Championship, including the series’ past three seasons, as well as 2005 and 2007. Team Cadillac drivers won the Pirelli World Challenge Driver’s Championship in 2005 with Pilgrim and in 2014, 2013 and 2012 with driver Johnny O’Connell.

“The Cadillac ATS-V.R is a 170-mph billboard for the next generation of Cadillac’s V-Series,” said O’Connell. “On top of its power, its aerodynamic package should pay off in the fast corners and I’m looking forward to unleashing it.”

Cadillac ATS-V.R build video can be viewed at ATS-V.R Video