Cadillac reveals two-year Northstar project

A dismal 2000 season, when its Northstar was well off the pace of its prototype rivals, sparked an extensive review of the project. GM Racing has now contracted Jeff Hazell as race manager, designer Nigel Stroud and driver/commercial director Wayne Taylor to lead Team Cadillac.

Hazell, Stroud and Taylor bring a wealth of experience spanning several decades, including success in Formula One and Le Mans. Stroud designed a number of Le Mans cars in the 1990s, including the Mazda which won the French classic in '91. Hazell was behind the successful McLaren F1 supercar and team manager at Williams F1, while Taylor has competed 11 times at Le Mans.

"The Cadillac programme required a radical change in direction," said GM's motorsport boss Herb Fishel. "We looked for the best engineering and race team talent to join GM Racing and Team Cadillac. We believe we have found that talent in Stroud, Hazell and Taylor. They know what it takes to win at Le Mans and they bring a depth of expertise that makes us confident that we can eventually bring Cadillac to victory.

"Using DAMS at Le Mans will free Team Cadillac during most of 2001 to concentrate on designing and developing the 2002 car," he added. "Race responsibility will migrate to Team Cadillac after Le Mans, at about the same time as the 2002 car reaches fruition. Many acknowledge that winning Le Mans is the toughest challenge in motorsport. Realistically, that win is not likely to come in 2001 but there will be good progress. We now have the tools, the people and the processes in place to have the expectation of doing so in subsequent years."

A team led by Stroud will substantially revise the 2000 Cadillac Northstar LMP as an interim 2001 model. This will be campaigned by the French-based DAMS team as a two-car effort at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours. Revisions on the 2001 car will include weight, aerodynamics, steering, suspension, safety and substantial chassis revisions to improve rigidity.

After Le Mans, the 2001 Cadillac will be raced by Team Cadillac at the Sears Point, Mosport, Laguna Seca, Petit Le Mans and the Lowes Motor Speedway (Charlotte) rounds of the ALMS from its new facilities in Atlanta, Georgia.

Stroud's engineering group will also design and develop an all-new 2002 Northstar LMP. Team Cadillac will test this car towards the end of the 2001 season to ready it for 2002. It will stick with the four-litre turbo engine, but expects more power from revisions to its design.

Taylor and Max Angelelli will handle test driving responsibilities, while the full driver line up will be announced at a later date.