Cadillac could bin turbo engine

The team, which brought the Cadillac name back to Le Mans after a 50-year absence, is reported to be trying a normally aspirated V8, similar to the one used by Panoz, in order to effect an improvement in performance.

There had been much speculation as to whether chassis builder Riley & Scott would be forced to build an all-new car after the season's end, or even that they would be replaced by Dallara, but most observers felt that Cadillac's Northstar V8 would remain in the car.

But recent testing has centred around the engine, with the team rumoured to be performing back-to-back tests with the turbo and non-turbo engine in the Cadillac chassis, and with a Judd V10 in a privateer's Riley & Scott, driven by works Cadillac driver Wayne Taylor.

However, GM's motorsport boss Herb Fishel claimed that "all aspects" of the Cadillac prototype were being considered after the team's so-far disappointing performance in the ALMS and in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Reynard chassis engineer Nigel Stroud was present at the test as the representative of the company, which owns Riley and Scott. Stroud was responsible for turning around the performance of the Reynard 2KQ prototype with an extensive reworking of the chassis, and could be called upon to do the same for the Cadillac.