While it is race five for the IMSA GTP Series, Detroit is one that is circled, highlighted and bolded as the three Cadillac Racing teams head to downtown for the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic. For Detroit is of course the hometown of General Motors and the Cadillac brand. So while teams always want to win, especially in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Sebring or Le Mans, Detroit is right up there as the home race for Cadillac Racing.

Whelen Cadillac six consecutive podium finishes

The #31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R is entering Detroit with six consecutive podium finishes including two wins coming last fall at Indianapolis and Road Atlanta then finishing second in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, third at Sebring and second at Long Beach and Laguna Seca.

Drivers Jack Aitken and Earl Bamber are looking to continue their podium streak, but it’s a short 100-minute race on a tight street circuit so qualifying is of upmost importance.

📷 © Cadillac Racing. #31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R

Jack Aitken: “It’s always fun racing at your home track and we’ll have plenty of friends and family cheering us on which really makes a difference. I’m keen to have another street circuit so son in calendar after Long Beach and hopefully we can go one better.”

Earl Bamber: “Can’t wait for Detroit, obviously it’s a home race for Cadillac and the team. We showed tremendous pace last year on the 31 car, so we’re looking forward to going back and also continuing that podium streak we have.” Source: Cadillac Racing

Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing with previous years winners

Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing with the #10 (Ricky Talyor and Filipe Albuquerque) and #40 (Jordan Taylor and Louis Deletraz) are also looking to score a “hometown victory” in Detroit before the Taylor brothers and Albuquerque head to the 24 Hours of Le Mans along with Aitken and Bamber.

Ricky Taylor teamed with Albuquerque in 2024 to win the 100-minute IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race with another manufacturer.

A Cadillac DPi won four races and was runner-up in the other at Detroit (Belle Isle) since joining IMSA prototype competition in 2017. There was no race in 2020 because of the pandemic and the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class did not compete on the 1.654-mile, nine-turn street course in 2023.

The Taylors co-drove to victory on the Belle Isle circuit in 2014 and 2016 with the Corvette DP and in 2017 in the Cadillac DPi, which resonates as a career highlight in their IMSA championship season. They led a 1-2 Cadillac sweep in the #10 Cadillac DPi V.R for Wayne Taylor Racing for a fifth consecutive triumph.

Filipe Albuquerque: “It's very special to drive for Cadillac and especially at their home race, it’s even more special. Any manufacturer wants to win their home race, to be honest we want to win any race. It’s always a little bit more special, the big bosses are there, and we don’t want to miss any opportunity to shine in front of them. It would be special for sure.”

Ricky Taylor: “It’s always a privilege to represent Cadillac Racing around the world. But when you come to Detroit, you see all the people and the impact of how big of a brand we are representing. So it’s cool to get to have a home race each year.”

📷 © Cadillac Racing at Laguna Seca. Albuquerque left and Taylor right

Louis Deletraz: “Driving a Cadillac in Detroit feels special. Home race means a lot of friends from the GM family and a lot of support. It’s not everyday we can win a race in Cadillac’s backyard, so we need to take the opportunity and make everyone who has worked so hard proud.”

Jordan Taylor: “It’s always special racing a Cadillac in Detroit. We are in the backyard of the global headquarters, so we always have so much support in our hometown as a brand. It ranks up there as one of our most important races of the year, so we will be pushing hard for a good result.”

Transcript of Filipe Albuquerque, driver of the #10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R

DETROIT (May 20, 2026) – Filipe Albuquerque, driver of the #10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing was a guest on an IMSA media teleconference to discuss the upcoming Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. Albuquerque will co-drive #10 Cadillac with Ricky Taylor in Detroit on May 30.

Q: GM has a very heavy corporate presence during the weekend. What are your thoughts on that, going there racing the Cadillac?

“Well, the preparation is exactly the same and how we race as well. I think we just feel more proud if we win in front of the home race and the bosses are there. But equally, we feel more ashamed when we fail to achieve the goal. I mean, last year, I think it was a good battle. I mean, I'm not ashamed of finishing second when it was such a cool fight for the for the win on the last moment, and it could have been both, you know, Renger did an amazing move on Ricky, which we, you know, you need to recognize when it's a good move and, but it could easily go to the other way of like locking and way to the wall, especially just a narrow corner. Again, it's about taking risks and sometimes goes well, sometimes not. But again, I was proud of that last year. Now, at the end of the day, I think we need to put a show and make Cadillac look like putting on a show and make them proud. I think it's all about that. Then sometimes you don't have to win to make somebody proud.”

📷 © Cadillac Racing.#10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing

Q: You have had some good success racing on the streets of Detroit. Is there anything about this track that seems to suit you guys, and what are you looking forward to getting back up there?

“The new Detroit has been kind to the 10 car. Two years ago, we won not with true pace, but on strategy and race weld, me and Ricky. Last year, we did as well, a good comeback from starting from P5 or P4, I don't remember well. We were doing well, and did good strategy as well, had a good pit stop. And then Ricky, I think that was like anyone could have won that race between Ricky and Renger (van der Zande) and unfortunately they won. We want to catch a break, to be honest, of this season, and hopefully Detroit to, like in 2024, we did was a good break point. Let's hope that it is again. So, we are working together to understand the car and to be better and come back on top.”

Q: Combined with how well you guys have been at Detroit lately and the pace that you guys saw at Laguna, how much optimism do you have to step up and go back to Victory Lane?

“Yeah, we are. We are professionals. Yeah, we are professional drivers. We are with Cadillac, which is a brand that is expected to win. So, we are always motivated, even if sometimes we get, you know, disappointed at some results, like the last one, and contact with the GT that happened and threw everything off. Again, I think in Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing, we are way better this year on pace. I think we just need to narrow down, because we see sometimes the 10, sometimes the 40, and we are alternating on pace, and we are trying to lock that down to be both consistent on the front row. We have not achieved that yet, but again, anytime can be the moment. And all of us, we are just getting confident about when the car is going. We know what they're doing and that's very, very nice to feel. Obviously, we had a good feeling last year, but it's interesting because we've been to the SIM, but we should not forget that we have different tires. Last year, I remember qualifying was tricky to get the tires working, so this is completely different environment and there’s a new aero package as well. New jokers on the car. Something that Renger mentioned was like the braking, for example, that we have a joker this year on the Cadillac that it's better, so we expect to be stronger this year. But again, like everybody had a joker, everybody proved their cars. So, again, the question mark is always the same, but obviously we are more prepared than last year. I just want a similar result or just when it's better.”

Q: You mentioned the new tires. In your perspective, how has it changed how you have approached races or does it really change how you've approached them this year?

“To be honest, like, the first race of the year. The approach is always the same. It's to win. Obviously, then you start to understand, like, how we went last race and what do you want to achieve? The first race was unfortunate. The second race, to be honest, was like almost a win, because we were the best off the rest. It was the third place, which was very nice in Sebring, unfortunately we had the problem with the tire pressure. But then we were a bit surprised with qualifying in Laguna, which we think we know what, what it was. So now the 10 car had never been in such a situation like this before in my career. We are dead last because of different circumstances, and that's painful. But again, we have nothing to fight for. It's just single wins, to be honest, and respect our teammates of the 31 that is fighting for the championship. And we can go for the glory. We just go for the glory because there is nothing else to be fighting for.”

Q: You are going to Le Mans which is a big endeavor. Talk about that.

“It is, and I think the biggest was last year, just everything is new. And I remember, you know, the team being a little bit overwhelmed, like with the amount of things to be done. And it was the same with the Action Express as well. The first year, it's hard. But once you know, once you have the contacts of organizing the race and everything, and you have the team, especially when you have two cars, you just take half of the crew of each team and you can fly there and go. I think in the end it's just a learning process. It’s just, you gather more information about this, especially for Wayne Taylor Racing, we need more races with the cars. I think we should not undervalue a team completely switching to a new manufacturer when all the other teams are with the same manufacturer from year one, and even Shank, they've been to the developing of the of the car. They did the first season. Yes, they had one year off, and then they came back again because the team was pretty much the same. But for us, it's learning to deal with Cadillac people, learning about the car, the drivers adapting to the systems. So, I think more races is better. And I think this year we are more prepared and everything is just flowing more. It's just one more race into the calendar. Which I think, to be honest, like nine races is not enough, in my opinion. It's a bit short. So 10, it's better. I think especially this year, 2026, I think doing Le Mans makes us better, and learning more about, because there's a test day, which we have time to do stuff on the car, and learning about the tires there in Le Mans, we will drive with both compounds as well. There are all these things and playing with as well with JOTA together on the same weekend. They’re supportive. So it's a learning process. So I think it as a positive.”

Q: Do your obligations change much at Detroit? Just in terms of public appearances and meet and greets compared to another race weekend?

“I think winning is winning. It doesn't matter where you are winning and especially nowadays with the information and it flows super quick and I think when we do well and it does work, Louis (Deletraz) in the 40 was on pole in Laguna. The big boys, the bosses they were in Formula One, I don't know which race it was, and they knew it like five minutes after that we were on pole in Laguna. They were in Miami. There we go. They were in Miami, and they knew it. They knew it. They were proud of it, and they were going, like, we're going to watch that. And again, it's about winning. It doesn't matter where you're doing it. Obviously, in front of the bosses there and with them many times last year, I had Rory Harvey (General Motors Executive Vice President and President Global Markets) watching the race on my pit stand and hanging out with him and Eric Warren (Vice President, Global Motorsports Competition). So it was cool as well sometimes to tell them, in person, what are we planning to do? Because sometimes I think that's something that is not caught, is we're planning to do this and this and this, but then you can get tripped by a yellow or something that it got caught you off guard. But when you explain this life and what we are planning, yeah, that's good. That's smart. And then luckily it went well, but he could have flipped it. And then, damn it, we lost it. We look at the standings, and we are, like, P8. You know, if you were not there, you look like, you look at the sheets and you look horrible, but there is a story to it. And when they are there in our booth, and we are explaining, it's just they have the full picture of it. And I think it's always better than reading because when you read a report, it sounds like excuses. But when you are there, and you explain, you know what we are thinking, and the endgame, and everything looks smooth, and sometimes there's lucky winners, and sometimes there is very smart decisions made, but still need to be lucky on a strategy that came out your way. So that's what I think what's the difference when you have the top, you know, CEO people and Cadillac people on the stand, so we can explain what's going on.”

Q: When you kind of look back at Laguna and reflect on that, how does the team kind of take a tough weekend, reflect on that, debrief, and then look forward to seeing what things you can tweak to help improve in Detroit, knowing that they are two completely, you know, not just different race lengths, but different circuit types, different strategy types, et cetera.

“It was not easy for sure to take the Laguna event, especially when the 40 was so competitive. I think the problem was very simple, to be honest. It's trying to win it at all costs when there are multiple strategies playing and trying to keep the car up there when you eventually you fall into a situation that you didn't want, but your desire to win is big. So, I think that's where he got us up and it's when I was saying before that sometimes I think we need to break this momentum that Wayne Taylor Racing is going through now. And maybe, you know, take just a podium instead of a win when you maybe had the speed to win or not. Take a podium, solidify it there, and then, and then it comes. So, uh, people sometimes don't understand this or you can say that you don't believe this, but I believe a little bit like sometimes it's just a rhythm. When things are going well, it goes even better. When things are going wrong, it goes even worse. So, that’s it's a little bit what's happening a little bit on this year on the 10 car. We show glances of like greatness and speed, and then sometimes something happens. But again, I think that was a lesson sort of, you know, take it step-by-step, even if you have the car to win, maybe because of the strategy is not falling to your side or just take it, take it relaxed, I think. Obviously. So, again, it can flip any time now.”

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