Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Storms Yas Marina Grand Prix Circuit in 2:47.562

18.04.2011 / Abu Dhabi – Detroit - Cairo /

Hosting the V-Challenge for the very first time in the region, American racing legend and former director of GM’s performance division, John Heinricy, challenged participants to a record lap on the Yas Marina Grand Prix circuit last month, outperforming all racers with a time of 2:47.562 in the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe.

John’s other successes include setting a record time with the Cadillac CTS-V Sport Sedan around the N?¼rburgring North Loop in 7:59.32, which is the fastest documented lap time for a production rear-wheel drive sedan.

Cadillac hosted a number of VIP customers and media representatives from the Middle East, United States and Russia to experience the Cadillac V-Series performance, handling and sophisticated technology at the Yas Marina Circuit. All activities selected were designed to demonstrate the capabilities of the V-series, and its ability to compete with the best in the world when it comes to racing.

“The V-Series is Cadillac’s family of specialty models, in which performance, design and luxury are taken to world class standard� said John Heinricy. “Being able to drive the car on an F1 race track such as the Yas Marina Circuit, is key to demonstrate all of its capabilities. The challenge allowed us to take the car to its absolute full potential, as highlighted during the challenge.

Introduced in the region in 2009, the CTS-V has quickly earned a reputation among luxury sports car buyers. For the 2011 model year, Cadillac added the CTS-V Coupe to the CTS-V Sport Sedan, creating an impressive family of performance vehicles. The CTS-Vs feature Brembo brakes, a supercharged 6.2L V8 delivering 556 horsepower and a Magnetic Ride Control suspension system that can read and react to the road 1,000 times a second. The CTS-V line, which also includes the CTS-V Sedan, have received a number of awards in the Middle East with the CTS-V Coupe recently being named �’GT of the Year’’ by Evo Magazine Middle East.

As cars made for performance the CTS-V Coupe provided Cadillac with the opportunity to participate in racing events. With this in mind, Cadillac announced last December that it would return to racing in 2011 with a race-prepared version of its CTS-V Coupe that will be competing in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) World Challenge GT, North America’s top production-based racecar series.

Cadillac V-Series are among the best and highest performing luxury performance cars in the world and there is no better place than the race-track to highlight Cadillac’s performance capabilities. The move returns Cadillac to a series where it competed from 2004 to 2007. Competing in the GT Class with the CTS-V Sport Sedan, Cadillac captured the Manufacturer’s Championship in 2005 and 2007 and the Driver’s Championship in 2005.

Cadillac will field two teams in the upcoming SCCA World Challenge GT Class to be held in the United States with a racecar based on the CTS-V Coupe. Johnny O’Connell, a three-time GT1 champion in the America Le Mans Series, and Andy Pilgrim, who won the 2005 SCCA World Challenge GT class in a Cadillac, will be behind the wheel of the CTS-V racecars.

“Returning to racing in the SCCA World Challenge is a great way to demonstrate the performance and capability of the CTS-V Coupe,� said Don Butler, vice president for Cadillac marketing. “The racecars in this series are production based, which allows us to validate our performance against the best of our competitors on the track, and not just the showroom.�

Cadillac is working with Pratt & Miller, a Michigan based American engineering firm which specializes in motorsports, to develop the CTS-V Coupe racecar. While some of the production CTS-V components will be modified due to the unique demands of racing or to meet the SCCA series’ technical rules, every effort is taken to maintain as much production content as possible.

“The SCCA World Challenge lends itself well to a natural transfer of knowledge,� said Jim Campbell, GM vice president for Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “The series will become a key test-bed for Cadillac. We anticipate using what we learn on the racetrack to ensure the V-Series stays on the cutting-edge of performance.�

The World Challenge GT schedule has been finalized for the 2011 season and includes eight races in the United States and Canada from March to October. The first event in the SCCA World Challenge will be held on March 25-27 in St. Petersburg, Flordia.