Cadillac Northstar LMP
Encyclopedia
The Cadillac Northstar LMP was a series of Le Mans Prototype
s built by General Motors
' Cadillac
brand for use in the American Le Mans Series
as well as an attempt to return Cadillac to the 24 Hours of Le Mans
since they first entered in . The Northstar LMPs were named after the Northstar V8 engines
which powered them. The Cadillac project ran from 2000 until 2002 when GM decided to cancel the project to concentrate solely on their Chevrolet Corvette
program.
program, they would not build new cars from scratch for the first few years of competition. Instead, GM would use an established chassis in order to fine-tune the engine until it was properly prepared to not only survive Le Mans, but also to beat the dominant Audi R8s. GM would therefore turn to Riley & Scott
, builders of the successful Mk III
chassis. General Motors would use the base chassis from Mk IIIs, but develop their own unique bodywork. The new design featured elements of Cadillac's new Art & Science design theme such as the functional egg-crate grill on the nose, as well as the addition of large side scoops to feed the turbochargers.
A highly modified 650 hp version of this engine was used by General Motors racing division initially for Indy Racing League competition starting in 1995, then was later used in the Cadillac Northstar LMP program in 2000. Both engines retained the 4.0 L capacity, but the Northstar LMP version was twin-turbocharged. The engine for the Northstar LMP was based on a smaller 4.0 Liter variant of the Northstar used in Cadillacs, known as the L47, used in GM's Oldsmobile Aurora
sedan. It had already been adapted for racing in 1995 for use in the Indy Racing League, but was thoroughly modified in order to not only increase power, but increase longevity. McLaren Engines assisted in the development of the new prototype engine, while Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries
(IHI) produced twin turbochargers to increase output.
A total of six cars were built for 2000, with two going to Team Cadillac in the United States, three to DAMS
in France, and one being kept as a developmental testbed.
Beyond the bodywork, not much else was changed on the new car, known as the Northstar LMP01. Two of the previous 2000-spec cars were upgraded to the 2001 bodywork, while a third car was built fresh.
In the engine department, the Northstar V8 was slightly altered, with the use of new Garrett
turbochargers replacing the IHI units. A new pneumatic shift system was also employed for the X-Trac gearbox.
A total of three all new chassis were built for the Northstar LMP02.
under the name Team Cadillac, while Team DAMS
of France would run a customer team in the European Sports Racing World Cup.
For the 24 Hours of Daytona
, the first race of the year, Team Cadillac would debut their two cars. Alongside their Chevrolet Corvette
teammates, the Northstar LMPs performed well early on, taking second and third in qualifying. During the race the cars ran on pace, although after problems they found themselves nearly 100 laps behind the leading grand tourer cars. Although one car suffered a gearbox in the closing moments of the race, both cars were classified as finishers, taking 13th and 14th places. This was followed by the 12 Hours of Sebring
, which saw both Team Cadillac and Team DAMS would be entered, with Cadillac running two cars and DAMS one. The teams suffered some difficulties, with the DAMS entry breaking a clutch and one of the Team Cadillac entries being involved in an accident. However, the third Northstar LMP was able to finish the race and take an encouraging sixth place, although it was 29 laps behind the winning Audi R8.
Returning to Europe, DAMS debuted their first two car effort at the initial race of the Sports Racing World Cup. There, the team managed to take home seventh and eighth places, a mere three laps behind the winning Ferrari 333 SP
. DAMS would go on to take a fourth place finish at the next round, although the other team car failed to finish. At this time, the American Le Mans Series was having their first races in Europe. DAMS entered their two car effort in place of Team Cadillac, managing to take fifth at Silverstone Circuit
. DAMS would make one more Sports Racing World Cup appearance in May prior to going to Le Mans, where both cars unfortunately did not finish.
Team Cadillac on the other hand, believing that private testing would be better for the Northstar LMP, would not return to the American Le Mans Series prior to flying to France for the 24 Hours of Le Mans
. Unfortunately the cars lacked the pace necessary to compete with the major manufacturers in their class. Although a DAMS entry managed to qualify ninth, the sister car could muster only the 20th fastest lap time. The pace was equally off in the race, and mechanical woes saw only three Northstar LMPs finish, a disappointing 19th, 21st, and 22nd.
Following Le Mans, DAMS participated in the second ALMS event in Europe, again taking fifth place, this time at the Nürburgring
. Returning to America, Team Cadillac finally returned to action with a single car at Portland International Raceway
, managing eighth place. Petit Le Mans
would see DAMS return to the United States as well, with the four car Cadillac effort seeing better results. All cars managed to finish, with the result of 6th, 7th, 8th, and 13th. Team Cadillac would record one final finish for the year at Laguna Seca
with a seventh place finish before the time retired for the season, skipping the Las Vegas round. DAMS made Cadillac's final appearance of the year at the Adelaide Street Circuit
in Australia
. DAMS would unfortunately finish a distant 19th and 20th places.
At the end of the season, due to Team Cadillac's private testing, DAMS actually finished higher in the American Le Mans Series
championship, taking seventh place over Cadillac's eighth. In addition to this, DAMS points in the Sports Racing World Cup would earn them eighth in that championship.
with private testing, with DAMS
running only a two-car effort at the race. Team Cadillac would assist in the effort, but then would run the American Le Mans Series
only after Le Mans, when testing of the new Northstar LMP01 would be no longer necessary since General Motors was already aware that the all new Northstar LMP02 was in development.
At Le Mans, the DAMS entries showed the speed potential of the Northstar V8s by taking eighth in qualifying, beating out a new Bentley EXP Speed 8
, two of the Chrysler LMPs, and the Panoz
squad. During the race, one of the Northstar LMP01s was taken out in an early accident, but the sole surviving car managed to improve on the teams performance from last year by taking 15th place.
Now returning to the United States, Team Cadillac began their involvement in the American Le Mans Series season at Sears Point
. Unfortunately both cars suffered problems, and were only able to finish 12th and 24th. Skipping Portland, the Cadillacs returned at Mosport
and recorded their best finish ever, taking third and fourth places. After a seven and eighth place finish at Mid-Ohio, the cars would take fourth and fifth at Laguna Seca, before finishing the season with another fourth and fifth place finish at the Petit Le Mans
. Although Cadillac ran only half of the season, the team managed to be tied for fourth in the teams championship that year.
.
Unfortunately the year did not start well for the Northstar LMP02 at Sebring. One car suffered a failed electronics system towards the end of the race, while the sole remaining car came home a disappointing 31st. Moving to Le Mans, the Cadillac showed its speed in qualifying once again by taking the eighth and tenth fastest qualifying times, beating out both an Audi
and a Bentley
. However the race itself saw the Northstar LMP02 show its potential, with both cars running in the top ten for most of the race. Cadillac managed to take home ninth and twelfth places in the end, their best Le Mans result since the start of the program.
Returning to the United States, Cadillac saw competition again in Washington D.C., where the team managed to take a fourth place finish, only a single lap behind the winners. Skipping Trois-Rivieres, Mosport saw the Northstar LMP02s finish third and sixth, followed by another third at Laguna Seca. Cadillac's best race ever would finally come on the streets of Miami, where the LMP02 of J.J. Lehto and Max Angelelli
would take second place, a mere fourteen seconds behind the winning Audi. The final race of the year, Petit Le Mans
, would see Cadillac coming home in third and fourth. Once again, with only half a season, Cadillac would manage an impressive fifth in the championship.
Unfortunately, at the end of 2002, General Motors announced that the Cadillac project would not continue into 2003. Feeling that the Cadillac program had achieved what General Motors believed it was meant to, the project was canceled and GM would move to concentrating solely on their more successful Chevrolet Corvette program. General Motors would not offer any of the Northstar LMPs for sale to privateer customers, instead retaining the cars for themselves.
In 2009 GM decided to sell some of their specialty cars that were featured in the GM Museum. The Cadillac LMP #8 (Chassis #02-002) was for the first time sold to a privateer.
and DAMS
would be the only teams to run the cars.
#LMP-00-001
#LMP-00-002
#LMP-00-003
#LMP-00-004
#LMP-00-005
#LMP-00-006
#LMP-00-007
#LMP-02-001
#LMP-02-002
#LMP-02-003
Le Mans Prototype
A Le Mans Prototype is a type of sports prototype race car most notably used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, American Le Mans Series and Le Mans Series...
s built by General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
' Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
brand for use in the American Le Mans Series
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consists of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Teams compete in one of five classes: LMP1, LMP2 and LMPC...
as well as an attempt to return Cadillac to the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
since they first entered in . The Northstar LMPs were named after the Northstar V8 engines
GM Premium V engine
The Northstar engine series of automobile engines is General Motors' most technically complex 90° V engine architecture. The family is most associated with Cadillac's Northstar V8, but the family has also seen use at Oldsmobile...
which powered them. The Cadillac project ran from 2000 until 2002 when GM decided to cancel the project to concentrate solely on their Chevrolet Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
program.
2000
In planning the new Cadillac project, GM decided that unlike their CorvetteChevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
program, they would not build new cars from scratch for the first few years of competition. Instead, GM would use an established chassis in order to fine-tune the engine until it was properly prepared to not only survive Le Mans, but also to beat the dominant Audi R8s. GM would therefore turn to Riley & Scott
Riley Technologies
Riley Technologies LLC is an auto racing constructor and team which specializes in the design and manufacture of complete race cars, as well as prototype development for racing and manufacturing applications.-Grand Am:...
, builders of the successful Mk III
Riley & Scott Mk III
The Riley & Scott Mark III was a sports prototype auto racing car developed by Bob Riley, Bill Riley, and Mark Scott of Riley & Scott Cars Inc.. Initially designed in 1993, the car was created for the World Sports Car category which was to debut in the North American IMSA GT Championship during...
chassis. General Motors would use the base chassis from Mk IIIs, but develop their own unique bodywork. The new design featured elements of Cadillac's new Art & Science design theme such as the functional egg-crate grill on the nose, as well as the addition of large side scoops to feed the turbochargers.
A highly modified 650 hp version of this engine was used by General Motors racing division initially for Indy Racing League competition starting in 1995, then was later used in the Cadillac Northstar LMP program in 2000. Both engines retained the 4.0 L capacity, but the Northstar LMP version was twin-turbocharged. The engine for the Northstar LMP was based on a smaller 4.0 Liter variant of the Northstar used in Cadillacs, known as the L47, used in GM's Oldsmobile Aurora
Oldsmobile Aurora
The Oldsmobile Aurora was a full-size sports sedan made by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors and launched in 1995. The Aurora rode on the same Cadillac-derived G platform as the 2-door Buick Riviera....
sedan. It had already been adapted for racing in 1995 for use in the Indy Racing League, but was thoroughly modified in order to not only increase power, but increase longevity. McLaren Engines assisted in the development of the new prototype engine, while Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries
Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries
, formerly known as , is a Japanese company which produces ships, aero-engines, turbochargers for automobiles, industrial machines, power station boilers and other facilities, suspension bridges and other transport-related machinery....
(IHI) produced twin turbochargers to increase output.
A total of six cars were built for 2000, with two going to Team Cadillac in the United States, three to DAMS
DAMS
Driot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,...
in France, and one being kept as a developmental testbed.
2001
For 2001, the Northstar LMP was evolved in order to make it more competitive against the Audi R8s. Although still based on the Riley & Scott chassis, the bodywork was completely redesigned by Nigel Stroud. A more angular approach was used, especially on the sides of the car, with the sidepods no longer being flat horizontal but instead diving downward towards the front wheel arch. The air cooling ducts were also relocated from the side of the car, and instead placed inside the wheel wells, allowing for air exits from the wheel wells to be added to the new side. The Cadillac-theme grill was also revised, no longer being a functional open piece.Beyond the bodywork, not much else was changed on the new car, known as the Northstar LMP01. Two of the previous 2000-spec cars were upgraded to the 2001 bodywork, while a third car was built fresh.
2002
Following two years of development of the Northstar V8 engine, Cadillac used 2002 to debut their new custom-built chassis. No longer relying on Riley & Scott, the new Northstar LMP02 was designed by Nigel Stroud to be a completely different machine. Although retaining some of the aerodynamic features of the Northstar LMP01, the new car featured a much more angular design. Among the most noticeable features is the use of a raised footbox in the nose, allowing for a large air intake in the center and no longer employing the use of a stylized grill. The air exits on the side were also closed down to a minimum width, leaving the design much cleaner.In the engine department, the Northstar V8 was slightly altered, with the use of new Garrett
Garrett AiResearch
Garrett AiResearch was a manufacturer of turboprop engines and turbochargers, and a pioneer in numerous aerospace technologies. It was previously known as Aircraft Tool and Supply Company, Garrett Supply Company, AiResearch Manufacturing Company, or simply AiResearch...
turbochargers replacing the IHI units. A new pneumatic shift system was also employed for the X-Trac gearbox.
A total of three all new chassis were built for the Northstar LMP02.
2000
For Cadillac's debut in 2000, GM decided to employ the use of two teams in two different championships in an attempt to maximize their preparation for Le Mans. Riley & Scott would run the factory team in the American Le Mans SeriesAmerican Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consists of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Teams compete in one of five classes: LMP1, LMP2 and LMPC...
under the name Team Cadillac, while Team DAMS
DAMS
Driot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,...
of France would run a customer team in the European Sports Racing World Cup.
For the 24 Hours of Daytona
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...
, the first race of the year, Team Cadillac would debut their two cars. Alongside their Chevrolet Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
teammates, the Northstar LMPs performed well early on, taking second and third in qualifying. During the race the cars ran on pace, although after problems they found themselves nearly 100 laps behind the leading grand tourer cars. Although one car suffered a gearbox in the closing moments of the race, both cars were classified as finishers, taking 13th and 14th places. This was followed by the 12 Hours of Sebring
12 Hours of Sebring
The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...
, which saw both Team Cadillac and Team DAMS would be entered, with Cadillac running two cars and DAMS one. The teams suffered some difficulties, with the DAMS entry breaking a clutch and one of the Team Cadillac entries being involved in an accident. However, the third Northstar LMP was able to finish the race and take an encouraging sixth place, although it was 29 laps behind the winning Audi R8.
Returning to Europe, DAMS debuted their first two car effort at the initial race of the Sports Racing World Cup. There, the team managed to take home seventh and eighth places, a mere three laps behind the winning Ferrari 333 SP
Ferrari 333 SP
The Ferrari 333 SP was a sports prototype car built by Michelotto to World Sports Car regulations for Ferrari. Unveiled at the end of 1993, at the behest of amateur racer Giampiero Moretti , the 333 SP marked Ferrari's official return to sports car racing after a 20 year absence...
. DAMS would go on to take a fourth place finish at the next round, although the other team car failed to finish. At this time, the American Le Mans Series was having their first races in Europe. DAMS entered their two car effort in place of Team Cadillac, managing to take fifth at Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side...
. DAMS would make one more Sports Racing World Cup appearance in May prior to going to Le Mans, where both cars unfortunately did not finish.
Team Cadillac on the other hand, believing that private testing would be better for the Northstar LMP, would not return to the American Le Mans Series prior to flying to France for the 24 Hours of Le Mans
2000 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 2000 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 68th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 17 and 18 2000.-Pre-race:After the 1999 race, most of the manufacturers in the top classes went in different directions. BMW and Toyota went into Formula One, while Mercedes-Benz left sportscars after the CLR...
. Unfortunately the cars lacked the pace necessary to compete with the major manufacturers in their class. Although a DAMS entry managed to qualify ninth, the sister car could muster only the 20th fastest lap time. The pace was equally off in the race, and mechanical woes saw only three Northstar LMPs finish, a disappointing 19th, 21st, and 22nd.
Following Le Mans, DAMS participated in the second ALMS event in Europe, again taking fifth place, this time at the Nürburgring
Nürburgring
The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...
. Returning to America, Team Cadillac finally returned to action with a single car at Portland International Raceway
Portland International Raceway
Portland International Raceway is located in Portland, Oregon, USA's, Delta Park complex on the former site of Vanport, just south of the Columbia River. It is west of a light rail station and less than a mile west of Interstate 5....
, managing eighth place. Petit Le Mans
Petit Le Mans
The Petit Le Mans is a sports car endurance race held annually at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, USA. It uses the rules established for the 24 hours of Le Mans by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest , which are slightly modified if necessary, mainly to allow additional cars to compete.The race was...
would see DAMS return to the United States as well, with the four car Cadillac effort seeing better results. All cars managed to finish, with the result of 6th, 7th, 8th, and 13th. Team Cadillac would record one final finish for the year at Laguna Seca
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is a paved road racing track used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, originally constructed in 1957 near both Salinas and Monterey, California, USA....
with a seventh place finish before the time retired for the season, skipping the Las Vegas round. DAMS made Cadillac's final appearance of the year at the Adelaide Street Circuit
Adelaide Street Circuit
The Adelaide Street Circuit is a temporary street circuit in the East Parklands adjacent to the central business district of the city of Adelaide in South Australia....
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. DAMS would unfortunately finish a distant 19th and 20th places.
At the end of the season, due to Team Cadillac's private testing, DAMS actually finished higher in the American Le Mans Series
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consists of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Teams compete in one of five classes: LMP1, LMP2 and LMPC...
championship, taking seventh place over Cadillac's eighth. In addition to this, DAMS points in the Sports Racing World Cup would earn them eighth in that championship.
2001
For the new season, General Motors decided to alter their strategy. Cadillac would prepare solely for the 24 Hours of Le Mans24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
with private testing, with DAMS
DAMS
Driot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,...
running only a two-car effort at the race. Team Cadillac would assist in the effort, but then would run the American Le Mans Series
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consists of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Teams compete in one of five classes: LMP1, LMP2 and LMPC...
only after Le Mans, when testing of the new Northstar LMP01 would be no longer necessary since General Motors was already aware that the all new Northstar LMP02 was in development.
At Le Mans, the DAMS entries showed the speed potential of the Northstar V8s by taking eighth in qualifying, beating out a new Bentley EXP Speed 8
Bentley Speed 8
The Bentley Speed 8 was a Le Mans Prototype race car that was designed by Peter Elleray. EXP Speed 8 debuted in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2001, the Speed 8 car finally winning in 2003...
, two of the Chrysler LMPs, and the Panoz
Panoz
Panoz Auto Development is an American manufacturer of high-performance automobiles founded in 1989 by Dan Panoz, son of pharmaceutical and motorsport mogul Don Panoz. The company is located in Braselton, GA. Panoz products have included the Panoz Roadster and AIV Roadster, and the Panoz Esperante...
squad. During the race, one of the Northstar LMP01s was taken out in an early accident, but the sole surviving car managed to improve on the teams performance from last year by taking 15th place.
Now returning to the United States, Team Cadillac began their involvement in the American Le Mans Series season at Sears Point
Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills...
. Unfortunately both cars suffered problems, and were only able to finish 12th and 24th. Skipping Portland, the Cadillacs returned at Mosport
Mosport
Mosport International Raceway is a multi-track facility located north of Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. The facility features a , 10-turn road course; a half-mile paved oval; a 2.4 km advance driver and race driver training facility with a quarter-mile skid pad Mosport International Raceway...
and recorded their best finish ever, taking third and fourth places. After a seven and eighth place finish at Mid-Ohio, the cars would take fourth and fifth at Laguna Seca, before finishing the season with another fourth and fifth place finish at the Petit Le Mans
Petit Le Mans
The Petit Le Mans is a sports car endurance race held annually at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, USA. It uses the rules established for the 24 hours of Le Mans by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest , which are slightly modified if necessary, mainly to allow additional cars to compete.The race was...
. Although Cadillac ran only half of the season, the team managed to be tied for fourth in the teams championship that year.
2002
With the all new Northstar LMP02, Team Cadillac prepared once again for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Team DAMS was no longer involved in the project, leaving the American team to do all development of the new car. Once again the decision was made to concentrate on private testing prior to Le Mans, although this year Cadillac would run the 12 Hours of Sebring12 Hours of Sebring
The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...
.
Unfortunately the year did not start well for the Northstar LMP02 at Sebring. One car suffered a failed electronics system towards the end of the race, while the sole remaining car came home a disappointing 31st. Moving to Le Mans, the Cadillac showed its speed in qualifying once again by taking the eighth and tenth fastest qualifying times, beating out both an Audi
Audi
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....
and a Bentley
Bentley
Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley known as W.O. Bentley or just "W O". Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later...
. However the race itself saw the Northstar LMP02 show its potential, with both cars running in the top ten for most of the race. Cadillac managed to take home ninth and twelfth places in the end, their best Le Mans result since the start of the program.
Returning to the United States, Cadillac saw competition again in Washington D.C., where the team managed to take a fourth place finish, only a single lap behind the winners. Skipping Trois-Rivieres, Mosport saw the Northstar LMP02s finish third and sixth, followed by another third at Laguna Seca. Cadillac's best race ever would finally come on the streets of Miami, where the LMP02 of J.J. Lehto and Max Angelelli
Max Angelelli
Massimiliano Angelelli is an Italian race car driver.His career begun in Italian Formula Alfa Boxer in 1987 and continued for 15 years. His only championship win as the 1992 Italian Formula Three title...
would take second place, a mere fourteen seconds behind the winning Audi. The final race of the year, Petit Le Mans
Petit Le Mans
The Petit Le Mans is a sports car endurance race held annually at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, USA. It uses the rules established for the 24 hours of Le Mans by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest , which are slightly modified if necessary, mainly to allow additional cars to compete.The race was...
, would see Cadillac coming home in third and fourth. Once again, with only half a season, Cadillac would manage an impressive fifth in the championship.
Unfortunately, at the end of 2002, General Motors announced that the Cadillac project would not continue into 2003. Feeling that the Cadillac program had achieved what General Motors believed it was meant to, the project was canceled and GM would move to concentrating solely on their more successful Chevrolet Corvette program. General Motors would not offer any of the Northstar LMPs for sale to privateer customers, instead retaining the cars for themselves.
In 2009 GM decided to sell some of their specialty cars that were featured in the GM Museum. The Cadillac LMP #8 (Chassis #02-002) was for the first time sold to a privateer.
Chassis history
A total of seven Riley & Scott-built Northstar LMP and Northstar LMP01s would be built, while a further three Northstar LMP02s would be built. Team CadillacCadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
and DAMS
DAMS
Driot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,...
would be the only teams to run the cars.
#LMP-00-001
- Development prototype, never raced
#LMP-00-002
- 2000 (DAMSDAMSDriot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,...
)
- ALMS Sebring: DNF
- SRWC Barcelona: 7th
- SRWC Monza: 4th
- ALMS Silverstone: DNF
- SRWC Spa: DNF
- Le Mans: DNF
- Destroyed in Le Mans fire, replaced by #LMP-00-006
#LMP-00-003
- 2000 (Team CadillacCadillacCadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
)
- GARRC Daytona: 14th
- ALMS Sebring: 6th
- Le Mans: 21st
- ALMS Petit Le Mans: 8th
#LMP-00-004
- 2000 (Team CadillacCadillacCadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
)
- GARRC Daytona: 13th
- ALMS Sebring: DNF
- Le Mans: 22nd
- ALMS Portland: 8th
- ALMS Petit Le Mans: 7th
- ALMS Laguna Seca: 7th
- 2001 (Team CadillacCadillacCadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
)
- 2001 (Team Cadillac
- Le Mans: 15th (run by DAMSDAMSDriot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,...
) - ALMS Sears Point: DNF
- ALMS Mosport: 4th
- ALMS Mid-Ohio: 7th
- ALMS Laguna Seca: 4th
- ALMS Petit Le Mans: 4th
#LMP-00-005
- 2000 (DAMSDAMSDriot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,...
)
- SRWC Barcelona: 8th
- SRWC Monza: DNF
- ALMS Silverstone: 5th
- SRWC Spa: DNF
- Le Mans: 19th
- ALMS Nürburgring: 16th
- ALMS Petit Le Mans: 6th
- ALMS Adelaide: DNF
#LMP-00-006
- 2000 (DAMSDAMSDriot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,...
)
- ALMS Nürburgring: 5th
- ALMS Petit Le Mans: 13th
- ALMS Adelaide: DNF
- 2001 (Team CadillacCadillacCadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
)
- 2001 (Team Cadillac
- ALMS Sears Point: 12th
- ALMS Mosport: 3rd
- ALMS Mid-Ohio: 8th
- ALMS Laguna Seca: 5th
- ALMS Petit Le Mans: 5th
#LMP-00-007
- 2001 (DAMSDAMSDriot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,...
)
- Le Mans: DNF
#LMP-02-001
- 2002 (Team CadillacCadillacCadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
)
- ALMS Sebring: DNF
#LMP-02-002
- 2002 (Team CadillacCadillacCadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
)
- ALMS Sebring: 31st
- Le Mans: 9th
- ALMS Washington: 4th
- ALMS Mosport: 3rd
- ALMS Laguna Seca: 3rd
- ALMS Miami: 2nd
- ALMS Petit Le Mans: 3rd
#LMP-02-003
- 2002 (Team CadillacCadillacCadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
)
- Le Mans: 12th
- ALMS Washington: DNF
- ALMS Mosport: 6th
- ALMS Laguna Seca: DNF
- ALMS Miami: 7th
- ALMS Petit Le Mans: 4th
External links
- Mulsannes Corner - Northstar LMP
- Mulsannes Corner - Northstar LMP01
- Mulsannes Corner - Northstar LMP02