'Only because the WEC has the Le Mans 24 hours does Cadillac participate'

Cadillac is gaining more and more success in international motorsport. Whereas the focus in the past was mainly on home base America, the General Motors brand wants to conquer the rest of the world as well. Whether this will succeed with Andretti-Cadillac, the envisioned Formula 1 team eager to start in 2025, remains to be seen for now. Cadillac does already compete in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), with Renger van der Zande behind the wheel, among others. This weekend he and his teammates want to win the 24 hours of Le Mans.

It was a huge crash, going up the illustrious Raidillion of circuit Spa-Francorchamps, a few weeks ago. While the Dutchman was in second place of the 6 Hours of Spa, his car shot out from under him, to end with a hard crash into the tyre pile. Van der Zande luckily got out of what was once a fast hypercar - apart from some headache - without too much physical trouble.

Building a brand

If the crash proved one thing, it is that Cadillac builds solid cars. At least in terms of advertising, then, that is positive, as the Americans want to conquer the European car market with their passenger cars. " Cadillac is building a brand, also with Formula 1," Van der Zande says in conversation with GPblog. "General Motors is, of course, the biggest car manufacturer in the world. Then they have Cadillac, GM's premium brand. That's why they also want to come here [in the WEC] with Cadillac, in the highest class. Corvette is really a GT, that's why they drive Corvette in the GT class."

Cadillac assumes that top track performance boosts car sales. Renger van der Zande plays a prominent role in this. The Amsterdam-based driver is certainly becoming a household name in his home country, especially through his appearances as a F1-pundit in The Netherlands. "I've been driving the balls out of my trousers for 20 years, nobody knows me. I'm sitting with a glass of beer in a TV programme, and all of a sudden I'm very well known in the Netherlands. That's very strange, though. I was known to the real motorsport fans, but not to the general public. That's the big difference."

Motorsport is his life

"I don't race to become famous," he continued. "I want to take home that cup, that's what it's all about. My life is in motorsport. Not only that I race, but also that I sell insurance in motorsport. I also do the management of young drivers, and things like that. That's my world, and most of the things I do outside the Netherlands. I only live in the Netherlands. For me, it is more interesting to be known in this environment [the motorsport world], than to the general public."

For several years, Van der Zande has been active with Cadillac in IMSA, the US counterpart of WEC. That Cadillac also participates in the FIA championship has a clear reason: "We are going for Le Mans victories. That is the most important thing. That is the only reason why those manufacturers are driving here in that WEC. Because WEC has Le Mans, nothing more," said Van der Zande.

Back to Europe?

Fully focusing on WEC and saying goodbye to IMSA, Van der Zande has absolutely no desire for that. "If I could sign up for ten years to stay in America, I'll sign up for ten years in America. It's much more raw there, with very nice circuits. Racing is still very pure there. We have a lot of restarts. You have to fight hard to keep your place. They are old school tracks, which I like best."

IMSA's paddock is vastly different from WEC. In the world championship, for example, the teams show up with huge hospitality areas. "That's obviously great. In America, we have a truck, with a tent behind it, there is a car under it. And we have catering for the whole paddock. So you see each other all day. It's a friendly atmosphere. But on the track there is very hard racing. Here [as a fan] you really have to look if you want to see drivers [in the paddock], not there. It's very accessible there."