Wayne Taylor Racing will be grappling with a new engine manufacturer for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2025, but it’s an overhaul with an overwhelming sense of familiarity.
The déjà vu hit Filipe Albuquerque upon entering the Dallara shop in Indianapolis for a preseason seat fit and discovering a box with his gloves and some gear – just the way he let them nearly five years ago the last time he was behind the wheel of a Cadillac.
“We just picked up where we left off, and the good people are still around,” Albuquerque said. “And for that, it’s really nice. It makes it easier. Obviously, there is more people now because there is (the hybrid) part of the car, but it’s not totally new.”
What’s new is olda gain at WTR, which has made a major manufacturer switch by returning to Cadillac (and the Dallara chassis) after a four-season run with Acura in the premier Grand Touring Prototype category. Team owner Wayne Taylor is hailing the move as a homecoming and with good reason — since 1990, Taylor’s cars have amassed 39 victories and two prototype championships with General Motors brands.
“It’s really like the family has come back together,” Wayne Taylor said. “Of all the programs I’ve done, this program I am more passionate about than any other one.”
Family has literal meaning in this case. Taylor’s sons, Ricky and Jordan, helped deliver Cadillac its first Rolex 24 at Daytona victory in 2017 (kicking off a charge to the season title). Jordan Taylor also was a part of WTR’s Rolex 24 wins with Cadillac in 2019-20 (and Ricky rejoined for the team’s 2021 victory at Daytona with Acura).
“For the team, it’s very much a homecoming,” said Ricky Taylor, who will be full time in the No. 10 V-Series.R with Albuquerque (and joined by Will Stevens and Brendon Hartley at Daytona). “My last time with Cadillac was the most successful year of all our careers, and it was just a dream come true, winning the Rolex, winning the first five races of the season and the championship with my brother and family team. You couldn’t write it better.”
Jordan Taylor, who will be paired in WTR’s No. 40 with Louis Deletraz (alongside Alex Lynn and Kamui Kobayashi at Daytona), also has cozy vibes after a one-year hiatus interrupted a 2011-23 run with GM brands.
“I went back home as well,” he said. “Not just from the personnel but the car itself. I’m always used to a V8 and that grunt-y sound of naturally aspirated engines put a smile on my face being back with the people but just as much when I sat in the car, and the engine fired up.”
Deletraz is the only full-time WTR driver without Cadillac experience but still feels included because the enthusiasm is infectious.
“When this all came together, you could hear inside the team all the Cadillac stories, all the success that has been happening and you can see a lot of people smiling when they talk about it, which always makes you feel better as a driver,” said Deletraz, who helped secure a Twelve Hours of Sebring victory in his first full season at WTR. “If the people around you are happy, it’s always better for the team. I think there is a lot of excitement towards this project, and you can really feel it in terms of goals and management. Everyone in Cadillac wants to win.”
That includes the No. 31 Action Express Cadillac, which Albuquerque drove from 2017-20. He left that team to join WTR in 2021 just ahead of the move to Acura. The team celebrated a smashing debut by winning its third consecutive Rolex 24 while working around the clock to adapt to new setups, software and systems on the fly.
In making the transition from a turbocharged engine back to the 5.5-liter DOHC V8, Albuquerque said it’s “overwhelming with the amount of things that we have to do” but also added the team is better positioned to catch up in this weekend’s Roar Before the Rolex 24 after already having tested the Cadillac last year on the Daytona International Speedway road course.
“I remember being completely lost with some of the settings out because the really first time I drove the car was at the Roar (in 2021),” he said. “I was completely lost with the Acura back then. Now I had these two days testing in November. It was kind of helpful and I think now, as well with Ricky, Louis and Jordan, we know what we would like to have on the car. The car’s feeling and how it works, it’s much easier and more simple, and I’m not as lost compared to when it was in 2021.”
Over two days on the 12-turn, 3.56-mile layout, Deletraz found comfort with the Cadillac’s braking and traction.
“It’s not so complicated; it just gives you good feedback,” he said. “We tried to learn and change a lot of things on the cars, trying to understand and be as ready as possible for Daytona. But I think what is also very interesting is that a lot of the drivers in the lineup have driven different GTPs, and it’s very cool to exchange and talk together about it and see different feelings because you can see different mentalities and where you can actually improve.”
One of those drivers is yet another familiar face for WTR. Kobayashi returns to the team where he established himself as a Rolex 24 superstar with consecutive victories in 2019-20. This will be the first Daytona start in three years for Kobayashi, who has won for Toyota in the World Endurance Championship.
“The Rolex 24 is never easy, but WTR always has the best car and we have a great opportunity to win if we make no mistakes,” said Kobayashi, a Formula One veteran who also raced in the NASCAR Cup Series. “This team knows how to win this race. It is my first time in the LMDh car, and the hybrid is very different. Daytona’s schedule gives us time to understand the car. If we understand the car, we will be alright. I have big confidence in Wayne Taylor and his organization. His driver lineup is very strong, and the Cadillac knows performance.”