Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) and Cadillac is set to part ways after the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship seasons.
Chip Ganassi Racing will no longer be associated with General Motors along with its Cadillac brand after the conclusion of the current FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship seasons.
The team has now launched an aggressive hunt for a new manufacturer partner to represent and continue uninterrupted racing in one or both championships in 2025 and beyond.
CGR and the General Motors company initially partnered in the DPi era for the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech season during which they entered a Cadillac DPi-V.R. The alliance continued into the LMDh era which began last year.
The squad currently runs a single-car IMSA GTP entry for GM under the Cadillac Racing banner and also competes in the WEC’s Hypercar class with a second car for Cadillac, and will finish both seasons with their V-Series.R LMDh prototypes.
“Chip Ganassi Racing has a fantastic history with General Motors,” CGR managing director Mike Hull said. “Considering everything that we’ve done with them, there has been a lot of partnership definition to what we’ve accomplished.
“NASCAR, Extreme E, IndyCar, DPi and LMDh have all been successful programs and we’ve shared equally in learning from that success to get better together.
“We would never close the book on General Motors in terms of the future. We just know that this chapter is ending.”
IMSA drivers Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande, driving the #01 Cadillac V-Series.R, have already won one GTP race at Laguna Seca whereas WEC drivers Earl Bamnber and Alex Lynn have yet to secure a win in the world championship.
Their highest finishing positions were third and fourth at the Centenary Le Mans, with the blue #2 WEC car finishing ahead of the yellow #3 IMSA invited entry.
Considering this, Action Express Racing won the first-ever GTP championship since the IMSA reintroduced the category, and they also triumphed at Petit Le Mans last year.
It is believed that CGR’s agreement with Cadillac dates back to 2022 and hasn’t been extended past 2024. It’s also reported that Action Express plans to expand their IMSA program with an extra car for the next season and that their WEC program will also carry over and benefit from the acquisition of a second car and a new partner.
“Chip has worked really hard himself to make sure we are always aligned with quality manufacturers, and it has made a large difference in the success that we’ve had,” Hull said.
“We’re looking forward to sharing that again with other manufacturers in any category of motor racing going forward to win.
“The foundation we’ve established in Indianapolis has allowed us to take on projects like this one where we can service the racing community the right way.
“Our business is built on partnership and just like this chapter is ending, another chapter will start.
“We’ll continue on this year to do the job we were hired to do by General Motors and Cadillac in a positive manner.”
Ganassi, which was initially established as an open-wheel racing team, ventured into the sports car realm in 2004 during the early stages of Grand-Am’s Rolex Series Daytona Prototype formula and secured the Drivers’ Championship on its maiden attempt.
After winning four consecutive DP titles between 2012 and 2016, with the help of manufacturer collaborations including Lexus and BMW, Ganassi was engaged by Ford to oversee its DP program before the organization switched to fielding the new Ford GT in IMSA and WEC in 2016.
One of Ganassi’s greatest achievements is its first-ever victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which came on the 50th anniversary of the Blue Oval’s maiden victory at the French classic. The outfit has additionally achieved multiple wins at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring.
After the factory GT effort concluded at the end of 2019, Ganassi was hired by GM to run factory Cadillac DPi entries, winning another race at Sebring. The team was also tasked with helping to develop the car in advance of the car’s 2023 launches for the IMSA and WEC as DPi was eventually replaced by the new hybrid GTP formula.
“CGR wants to continue to race globally in sportscar racing,” Hull added. “We did that very successfully for four years with the Ford GT programme and we feel we have done it very successfully now in the LMDh category.
“Our plan is to continue with the staff that we have in both locations to race in 2025 and we are working in that direction now.”
Ganassi had expressed plans to increase the number of full-season cars in the WEC this year to two, but Cadillac decided against a larger program due to financial constraints.
“We are really happy to have done what we have done,” he said. “We certainly have a better understanding of hybrid technology and have been fortunate enough to be working with an OEM on that.”
United Autosports, TF Sport, and one or more other European teams in the WEC are reportedly being considered by General Motors as potential new service providers.
“Our GM divisions have had successful partnerships with Chip Ganassi Racing across multiple series – NASCAR, IndyCar, Extreme E, IMSA and FIA WEC – over the years,” said Jim Campbell, GM U.S. Vice President, Performance & Motorsports.
“Together we have won numerous races and have had great success. We remain committed to winning races and championships together in IMSA and FIA WEC this year.
“Our sportscar plans for 2025 will be announced at a later date.”
