Former IMSA champion and 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Earl Bamber will return to full-time IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competitors alongside Jack Aitken within the Motion Specific Racing – operating underneath the Cadillac Whelen banner – No. 31 Cadillac V-Collection.R, changing the departing two-time champion, Pipo Derani. Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 reserve driver Frederik Vesti will be part of them for the Michelin Endurance Cup.
“We’re all very excited to have such an incredible group of gifted drivers lined up for the 2025 season,” stated Workforce Supervisor Gary Nelson. “Everybody right here at Motion Specific has been working very exhausting to carry collectively the easiest folks to create a super alternative to compete for wins and championships for our nice sponsors, Cadillac and Whelen. Jack Aitken and Earl Bamber carry a terrific mixture and bringing in a younger, gifted Frederik Vesti for endurance races provides to what we’re attempting to perform.
We can be unhappy to see Pipo Derani transfer on after sharing six years of success. Our fond reminiscences and friendship with Pipo will proceed.”
Aitken returns for his second full season and third general within the No. 31, which recorded 4 pole begins and three runner-up finishes this previous season. He was the endurance addition for the crew as he, Derani and Alexander Sims claimed the Michelin Endurance Cup, in addition to the general championship for Derani and Sims. The 29-year outdated English driver earned the pole at this yr’s Petit Le Mans, and has competed with the crew within the two most up-to-date 24 Hours of Le Mans. Previously, he was the Williams F1 reserve driver in 2020-’22.
“On a private be aware, I’m completely satisfied to be persevering with with Cadillac and Motion Specific Racing,” Aitken stated. “I’ve grow to be fairly comfy with Cadillac and everybody on the 31 crew and actually completely satisfied to push on for the general championship. Having Earl as a brand new teammate goes to be nice as a result of his expertise is huge, he’s already a member of the Cadillac household so there’s no getting-up-to-speed course of. I’m wanting ahead to studying from him and he’s going to be a implausible teammate. I feel it’s one of many strongest lineups on the grid and I feel we now have a really robust race automotive.”
Bamber, who has pushed the No. 2 Cadillac V-Collection.R the previous two seasons within the WEC, is not any stranger to IMSA competitors. The 2019 IMSA GTLM champion co-drove a Cadillac DPi-V.R to victory in 2022 at Sebring, and this previous season drove a Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R in GTD PRO class endurance races. The New Zealander is a two-time winner at Le Mans for Porsche and gained the 2019 GTLM title and the 2017 FIA WEC driver championship.
“I’ve actually missed IMSA, driving in America. Hopefully, I can carry expertise from the WEC and IMSA and I feel it’ll additionally carry slightly little bit of continuity,” Bamber stated.
“We have now that on the engineering facet and hopefully on the driving force facet that shared info from each platforms brings us ahead. Motion Specific have been a type of benchmark groups, and also you solely must look along with the hauler to see their success with Cadillac over time. I’m wanting ahead to working with the crew and I feel Jack is exhibiting his pace this yr and exhibiting the potential to win races. I’m wanting ahead to getting right down to Daytona and beginning the work to start out the brand new yr off on the proper foot. I feel Fred [Vesti] is a extremely good expertise and Motion Specific’s plans for the way forward for investing in younger expertise is an efficient outlook.”
Vesti, the 2023 FIA Components 2 vice-champion, is the newcomer to each Cadillac and IMSA competitors. The 22-year-old Danish driver made his IMSA debut in LMP2 at Petit Le Mans, however has amassed a powerful resume in single-seaters.
“Every little thing right here can be new in America, however will probably be a cool expertise for me to affix such a profitable crew,” stated Vesti. “I’m dreaming about successful and being with a successful crew is my aim, and that’s what we now have right here. That’s a superb start line and I’m able to put within the work and hopefully we now have success and a good time collectively. I hope I can be part of the group with quite a lot of data from Components 1, Components 2, ELMS and LMP2 that may profit everybody. I’m excited to work with the crew.”
Competing in sports activities automotive racing since 2010, Motion Specific Racing is without doubt one of the most achieved groups in IMSA competitors. Other than the 2023 GTP championship for crew and drivers (together with the Endurance Cup for each and serving to Cadillac to each general and endurance producer titles) the crew additionally claimed the 2021 DPi title with Derani and Felipe Nasr. The crew dominated within the early years of the United SportsCar Championship with a number of season and Endurance Cup titles.
