Team Jota makes big switch

Winning FIA World Endurance Championship team, Jota, has made the big switch from Porsche to Cadillac for 2025.

The current leading Porsche privateer will take over Cadillac’s program that is currently with Chip Ganassi Racing.

In 2025 Jota will field a pair of Cadillac V-Series.R LMDhs in the Hypercar class where rules demand manufacturer teams must run two cars.

The Cadillac V-Series.R LMDh has been racing in both WEC and IMSA since 2023 and across 21 races it has taken three wins and 11 podiums, including the title in its first attempt at IMSA achieved by Alexander Sims, Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken.

The car’s best WEC result is third achieved by Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook at Le Mans last year.

But after two years with Chip Ganassi Racing, Cadillac will switch and will run under the Cadillac Hertz Team Jota banner.

Jota is a 10-time podium finisher in LMP2 at Le Mans and last year made the step up to Hypercar as a privateer operation with the Porsche 963 LMDh.

In a recent race at Spa Jota took a breakthrough win in the hands of Callum Ilott and Will Stevens.

Cadillac vice-president John Roth said the American GM giant is proud to team up with Jota.

“Cadillac is proud to be racing against the best in the world as part of the WEC, and that includes Hertz Team Jota,” he said.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jota next year, bringing decades of racing technical expertise together to achieve continued success on the track.”

Jota director and founder Sam Hignett said achieving manufacturer status has been a long-term ambition.

“It is the realisation of the goal to become a manufacturer team,” he said.

“Having competed against the Cadillac V-Series.R for the past two seasons, we have experienced how competitive it is and we are genuinely honoured and privileged to be entrusted with fielding the cars from 2025 onward.

“You can count on one hand the manufacturers you would chose to go sportscar racing with and Cadillac and GM are on that hand.

“Along with Porsche and Ferrari, they are one of the names synonymous with endurance racing.”

In addition Stevens and Ilott, 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button races the sister entry with Phil Hanson and Oliver Rasmussen.
Whilst drivers are yet to be confirmed, Hignett hinted it is likely to be a mix of current Cadillac and Jota drivers, but he also suggested there could “potentially be some newcomers.”

It will be a tight turnaround for the Jota team with Hignett saying testing with the Cadillac cannot begin until after the Bahrain finale in November.

“We need to do the right thing for everyone involved in our current programme and finish this season, and then it will be on with the new programme as soon as the season is finished,” he said.

“It is going to be a very hard off-season.”

Image: Motorsport Images

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