Jani replaces Magnussen in Ganassi’s Sebring Cadillac line-up
Former Le Mans 24 Hours winner Neel Jani will replace Formula 1-bound Kevin Magnussen at Chip Ganassi Racing for this weekend’s IMSA SportsCar12 Hours of Sebring.
Former World Endurance Championship, Champ Car, A1 Grand Prix, GP2 and Formula E racer Jani, 38, joins Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn in the #02 Cadillac Racing DPi-V.R entry in the 70th running of the Floridian sportscar classic, the second round of the IMSA series.
“I am fortunate to have the opportunity to run with a renowned team like Chip Ganassi Racing, while returning to one of my favourite tracks and races in the Twelve Hours of Sebring,” Jani said.
“I’m eager to work with Alex Lynn and team up with a familiar face in Earl Bamber as we go for the checkered in the No. 02.”
Jani finished second in class with the factory Porsche GT team in the 2020 Sebring 12 Hours, alongside Bamber and Laurens Vanthoor, at the 3.74-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway.
“We’re thrilled that Neel Jani is available to be an integral part of our Cadillac team,” said CGR’s managing director Mike Hull said.
“His ability to win as a teammate at the highest global level of endurance sportscar racing is proven with the unselfish mindset that’s necessary to win as a team.”
#02 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi: Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Marcus Ericsson, Kevin Magnussen
Photo by: Brett Farmer / Motorsport Images
Of Magnussen’s return to F1 competition, Hull added: “We are happy for Kevin to return to his passion of racing at the highest possible level in open-wheel racing.
"Our team is grateful to have worked closely with Kevin. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with him in the seat.”
The #02 Cadillac DPi-V.R car debuted this past January at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, where it was co-driven by Bamber, Marcus Ericsson, Lynn and Magnussen to a 12th-place finish.
Cadillac has won three of the five 12-hour races at Sebring International Raceway in DPi competition dating to 2017.
The #5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R is the defending Twelve Hours of Sebring race winner: Tristan Vautier and Loic Duval return to co-drive the No. 5 Cadillac DPi-V.R with Richard Westbrook.
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