DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Chip Ganassi Racing is expanding its Daytona Prototype international (DPi) program to two cars and adding a trio of winning drivers to team with returning pilot Renger van der Zande in the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Joining van der Zande in the lineup are Sebastien Bourdais, Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn. The driver pairings in each Cadillac DPi-V.R have not been set but both cars will represent the manufacturer’s V-Performance Academy.
Van der Zande has accumulated 15 wins in an IMSA career dating to 2013. He joined Chip Ganassi Racing this year and, along with co-driver Kevin Magnussen, won the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic at Detroit’s Belle Isle in June.
“It is great news to have Sebastien, Alex, and Earl as new teammates,” van der Zande said. “They are all high-class, proven race car drivers. I think they will be a good fit with the team. Sebastien has done everything in the world; he has a lot of raw speed. I know Earl very well from our junior series and he’s an LMP1 overall winner. Alex comes to us from Formula E and has a lot of sports car experience.
“I feel great about coming back with the Chip Ganassi Racing team. I feel more at home than ever with them.”
Bourdais, the four-time IndyCar season champion, returns to the Ganassi team where he drove in its GT Le Mans (GTLM) program from 2016-19 – including a historic class win at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans. Bourdais has driven a Cadillac DPi the past two seasons for JDC-Miller MotorSports, picking up the win at this year’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts.
“I’m super excited to reunite with Chip Ganassi Racing,” Bourdais said. “We have had our fair share of successes in the past and I can’t wait to start working with the drivers like Renger, Earl and Alex. This is obviously a bit of a turning point in my career, that will see me transitioning most of my attention to sports car racing, but I remain in the GM family. I can’t thank everyone involved enough for their trust and continued support.”
Lynn is also a Twelve Hours of Sebring winner in a Cadillac DPi, teaming with Ricky Taylor and Jordan Taylor to win the iconic race in 2017. The 28-year-old Brit also has extensive Formula E experience, with one win this year, was a Formula One test driver and has raced in numerous European sports car series.
“I am really excited to get to race in the Cadillac with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2022,” Lynn said. “I’ve driven the Cadillac before and have had success in the car. It’s been a while since I drove the Cadillac, but it left a lasting impression on me.
“The goal is to win,” Lynn added. “I have always dreamed of winning the big races in America. I’ve been fortunate enough to win Sebring. I am hungry to win the Rolex 24 At Daytona and put a good championship run together. Cadillac has a winning heritage in IMSA, and we want to be adding to that in 2022.”
Bamber is the only driver without experience in the Cadillac DPi, but the New Zealander knows how to win. With Porsche, he was part of the LMP1 program that took overall wins at Le Mans in 2015 and 2017, and he drove to the 2019 WeatherTech Championship GTLM title with Laurens Vanthoor.
“I am incredibly excited and honored to join Cadillac and Chip Ganassi Racing for 2022,” Bamber said. “When you talk about legendary sports car racing teams, you think of CGR. They’ve already won their class at Le Mans. It’s a world-class team and it is amazing to see what they’ve done in their first year with the Cadillac DPi-V.R. I am also excited to race in the top class of the IMSA WeatherTech Championship.
“My personal hope is to win at Daytona,” Bamber continued. “It has eluded me for many years, as I have finished on the podium multiple times. I would also love to win some of the other highlight races and the team and driver’s championship.”