Alex Lynn spent his early racing career on the road to Formula One. A mid-career switch to sports cars and Formula E continued to prove his driving worth to teams as wins and good results followed. He made the switch to Chip Ganassi’s IMSA WeatherTech DPi Cadillac program for 2022 and scored a victory in the grueling 12 Hours of Sebring. Coming into the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend, we had the opportunity to chat with Alex about his previous racing exploits and how that will benefit the CGR Cadillac team going into 2023 with the rules switch to hybrid powerplants. He also talks about his preparation for Long Beach specifically. Enjoy!
NOTE: Lynn was named to Ganassi’s World Endurance Championship (WEC) team for 2023. He will also contest the 24hrs of Daytona on January 28-29, 2023.
By Larry Mason
Copyright © 2022 Larry Mason
Alex Lynn brings an impressive racing credentials to the Cadillac racing program. His Formula E knowledge will be helpful in developing the new hybrid Cadillac GTP race car. – Photo courtesy of Cadillac
Alex Lynn takes the scenic route around the fountain at Long Beach along with a GTD car in front and another prototype behind him.
Multi-class racing is always presenting challenges for those who need to pass and those who are getting passed. Fortunately for Alex Lynn, he was able to pass a GTD Pro and GTD car before entering Turn 6, so that he could maximize his speed around the track.
The question of how much curb to take to shorten the course a bit, versus what the car likes to go fast, is always playing out on a street circuit like Long Beach. The correct answer? Just enough!
Alex Lynn qualified his beautifully prepared red and black Cadillac DPi race car second overall just a fraction of a second behind the other Ganassi Cadillac of Sebastien Bourdais.
The infamous Turn 11 hairpin at Long Beach caught out Alex Lynn’s Ganassi teammate in the 01 car, Sebastien Bourdais, on lap six handing the lead to Lynn. He would hold that lead for 23 laps before handing over to his 02 car teammate, Earl Bamber. This duo would finish where they qualified – second overall.
Alex Lynn will be racing next year primarily in the WEC in a Cadillac GTP hybrid race car that is shown here getting test miles at Road Atlanta.–photo courtesy of Cadillac
Night testing at Road Atlanta in preparation for the 2023 racing season is critical in the development of this all-new hybrid Cadillac GTP car.–photo courtesy of Cadillac
Interview and photos Copyright © by Larry Mason (unless otherwise noted)