DETROIT, (June 1, 2013) – Team Cadillac driver Johnny O’Connell won today’s running of the Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac V-Series Challenge GT race on Detroit’s Belle Isle. Teammate Andy Pilgrim filled the third position on the podium.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) came to the rolling start of the 50-minute race from the pole position. Getting a strong jump he managed to the lead entire 25-lap race fending off his pursuers through three restarts. For O’Connell, the victory was his second on the season and third for Cadillac on Belle Isle.

Teammate Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) started from fourth position and made quick work of the third-place Audi, passing him in Turn Three following the first restart. The Cadillac duo will be looking for a repeat result in the second race of the weekend to go off at 12 p.m. tomorrow.

“The three caution periods help me out,” O’Connell said. “I was having some issues with the tires, so the yellows allowed me to cool them down and manage them to the end. We don’t have a lot of tuning in the car to change the handling. I was working with my brake bias knob to improve the handling, but a long run under green worked against me.

I think my advantage to the Volvo was the ability to dig deep in the opening laps of the race and on the restarts to get a gap. Then they had to worry about everyone behind them.”

“Hats off to everyone at Cadillac,” he continued. “You want to do well when you race in your own back yard. The front five cars were nose to tail around here. We have some work to do to make the car better for tomorrow. Everyone will be a little faster on Sunday.”

Pilgrim races to his eighth podium finish of the season in third.

“The set up on my Cadillac was really good,” Pilgrim said.

“At the end James [Sofronas] in the Audi was all over me. I think I have some white paint on the back of my car, but it was a good competitive race. I couldn’t get close enough to Randy [Pobst] in the Volvo to make a move on him. There was less rubber down on the track from the rain washing it off last night. The track will get faster with the more rubber that gets put down. The job that the Penske organization has done with the track is just great. There are several passing zones, which makes things more exciting for the fans and us drivers.”

“It was a great job by Johnny getting his third win in a row here on Belle Isle,” he continued. “I am very happy with third. Everyone from Cadillac is here and it was nice to have a strong performance in front of the home crowd.”

DETROIT, (May 31, 2013) – Team Cadillac driver Johnny O’Connell will start from the pole position for the first of two races in the Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac V-Series Challenge on Detroit’s Belle Isle tomorrow.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) wasted little time in putting his No. 3 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe on the pole, posting his time of 1:33.592 on the second lap of the session. O’Connell won both Pirelli World Challenge GT races on Belle Isle in 2012. Teammate Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) will start his No. 8 CTS-V on the second row in fourth after putting in a qualifying time of 1:34.769. Pilgrim had a podium finish of third and a fourth place last year.

“You always need to make the most of your practice time at a street circuit,” O’Connell said. “We were basically bedding in brake rotors during practice this morning and finding our way around this revised track. The practice was limited to due to a crash. We lost about 10 minutes of run time. But that is when the depth of Team Cadillac comes into play.”

“My qualifying run was really good,” he continued. “Based on the few laps we did this morning, my engineer and I made a few changes on the No. 3 CTS-V and we went in the right direction. I had a lot of confidence in the car and was able put it on the pole. With just a couple of laps in practice I had to rely on my laps around this track from the past. Some history paid off today.”

O’Connell is ready for the possibility of rain for the race tomorrow.

“If it does rain that puts us at a disadvantage to the four-wheel drive Volvos,” he continued. “We will have to overcome our grip disadvantage with the motivation of running here in GM’s hometown of Detroit to make up some of that difference.”

Pilgrim likes the new extended run from the exit of Turn Two to the entry of Turn Three.

“The track was dusty and dirty this morning,” Pilgrim said. “I love the new section of the track. It is going to make the racing better as well as the overtaking of the GTS class cars in the race.”

The Floridian likes the start to the race weekend that takes place in the shadow of GM headquarters.

“In qualifying Johnny got the pole, great for Cadillac here at our home race in Detroit,” he continued. “I got a little bit off line in qualifying and I got into the dust which cost me a few tenths. We are in the top four, so I am happy.”

Pilgrim echoes O’Connell on the weather forecast for Saturday’s race.

“The Cadillac is very reasonable in the wet,” he explained. “At Mid-Ohio last year we did well in the rain, but the Volvos, of course, will have the upper hand.”

Go on a ride around the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix Circuit with Johnny O’Connell onboard his No. 3 pole winning Cadillac CTS-V by watching the following video link

DETROIT, (May 28, 2013) – Team Cadillac drivers Andy Pilgrim and Johnny O’Connell are ready for the Cadillac Racing home game at the Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac V-Series Challenge on Detroit’s Belle Isle, May 31-June 2.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) hopes to repeat his results from 2012 when he drove his No. 3 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe racer to victory in both rounds of the Pirelli World Challenge GT Series, proving critical to his championship run. Teammate Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) drove his No. 8 CTS-V to third and fourth place finishes. Pilgrim comes into the event second in points with O’Connell sitting in third.

O’Connell posted his first win of the 2013 season nine days ago at the Circuit of the America’s (COTA) where he also started from pole position in the double race weekend. In the second race he placed 17th as a result of car trouble. Pilgrim posted double podium finishes at COTA with a third place in the first race and a second place run in the second race.

The 2.3-mile, 14-turn modified street course that traverses through picturesque Belle Isle, located in the middle of the Detroit River, and just east of the Renaissance Center where General Motors headquarters is located provides extra motivation for the Team Cadillac drivers.

“Any time you can look off in the distance of a race track and see the Ren Cen and you have the president of the company watching, that’s not pressure is it,” O’Connell said. “Of course there is pressure. You always want to do well in Detroit. Last year we were very fortunate, some of our competition had issues. I was in the right place at the right time to take two wins. It is going to be tough to repeat. Our competition has really stepped up this year.

Everyone at Team Cadillac knows it is a big weekend.”

The Georgia resident has mixed feelings about the Detroit track changes.

“I think the revised track with the big run down to Turn Three is going to be good,” he said. “It provides another passing zone. Although I did like the twisty section from last year, it was a challenge to drive through there fast. The speed aspect for the fans will be much more apparent with that new run down into three. With the new pavement, the track is going to be superfast. Our engineers have some work to do with the revisions and the new surface. The Cadillac Racing engineers are up to the challenge. It is one of those deals where our team will look at the circuit, assess the changes and then build that data into great CTS-V race cars for Andy and myself.”

Pilgrim knows the importance of the Detroit Grand Prix weekend.

“If you do well or get on the podium in Detroit, it is just extra good,”Pilgrim said. “Johnny won both races last year and I got on the podium. There are a lot of GM and Cadillac people there and they bring a lot of company pride and you want to do well in front of them. We also have the full contingent of Pratt Miller people on hand as they are located in the metro area as well.”

Pilgrim visited the Belle Isle circuit three weeks ago and had the chance to see the track improvements first hand.

“I think the organizers have done a great job with the track,” he said. “Having the extra braking and passing zone coming out of Turn Two is really nice. The new segment creates another high-speed passing area for us to get by the GTS class cars. There used to be a huge bump going into Turn Three, I am glad that they have removed that portion, it really compromised the whole corner. The repaving of the track has fixed all of the problems that they had last year. Now we just need the weather to cooperate.”

The Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac V-Series Challenge on Detroit’s Belle Isle will run May 31-June 2. The races will be televised on NBC Sports, Sunday, June 16 at 5 p.m. EST. Live timing and scoring can be streamed from world-challenge.com.

Trio of Chevrolet SS Race Cars Take Top Three Spots in Wild Coca-Cola 600

CHARLOTTE, NC – May 26, 2013 – In a 10-lap shootout to the finish, Kevin Harvick held off Kasey Kahne to bring his No. 29 Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet SS home for the win ahead of Kahne’s No. 5 Time Warner Cable SS. It was Harvick’s 21st NASCAR Sprint Cup career win, his second of the 2013 season, and also his second time to visit Victory Lane at the Coca-Cola 600. The win also moved Havick up three places in the series standings to 7th place overall.

The bizarre 400 lap/600 mile race was marred by three red flag interruptions to clear debris and nylon rope from a fallen FOX television camera and repair the damaged cars.

Kahne, who took fluids for flu-like symptoms prior to the start of the race, had the fastest car in the field and led the race for 161 laps. But he was left with worn tires when he didn’t pit on the last stop prior to the final restart, giving Harvick the advantage to take the low side and get by Kahne.

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing/Sealy Chevrolet SS rallied back from electrical problems, and finished third; giving Team Chevy the top three finishing spots.

Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevy SS and Tony Stewart, No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS, finished the race in 6th and 7th place, respectively. That gave the Bowtie Brigade five of the top 10 in the final order.

Jimmie Johnson, five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, was caught in a multi-car accident, yet managed to bring his No. 48 Lowe’s Patriotic Chevy SS in for a 22nd place finish. Johnson continues to maintain the point lead and holds a 32-point advantage over second place.

The next stop on the tour is Dover International Speedway in Delaware on June 2, 2013.

 www.chevrolet.com

DETROIT – Mark Reuss, president of General Motors North America and a lifelong racing enthusiast, will drive the 2014 Corvette Stingray Pace Car in the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans, June 1 and 2.

The Indy Dual in Detroit races are part of the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix weekend of racing, May 31-June 2. Reuss will drive the Pace Car for both of the Indy Dual races.

“The all-new, 2014 Corvette Stingray proved last week at Indy that it’s at home on the racetrack, and we’re excited to bring it home to Motown to pace the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit,” said Reuss. “To be able to drive this car, on this track, in this city, is a huge thrill for me personally, and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel to pace this great field.”

During the Indy Dual in Detroit, Chevrolet driver Tony Kanaan will race to see if he can pull off back-to-back wins, after taking the checkered flag at last weekend’s Indianapolis 500.

In addition to the IZOD IndyCar Series, the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix will feature races for the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series and Pirelli World Challenge Championship Series.

Friday, May 31 is ‘Free Prix Day’, offering spectators the opportunity to take in practice sessions and more at the track without an admission charge. The Corvette Pace Car will be on display, offering an early look at the production model that goes on sale later this summer.

The Corvette Stingray Pace Car is powered by the all-new 6.2-liter LT1 V-8 from the forthcoming production model, which features advanced technologies including direct fuel injection, continuously variable valve timing and Active Fuel Management to help produce an estimated 450 horsepower.

The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray coupe will have a suggested starting retail price of $51,995. The price includes a $995 destination fee, but excludes tax, title and license.

DETROIT – Team Cadillac drivers Andy Pilgrim and Johnny O’Connell are ready to put their CTS-V Coupes on the new track in Austin, Texas for this weekend’s Pirelli World Challenge Series Cadillac Sports Car Challenge at the new Circuit of the America’s (COTA).

Coming off of mixed results at Long Beach with Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) finishing second and O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) missing the win by five turns, finishing eighth, the duo is beaming with excitement to run the COTA track. The facility was just completed less than a year ago and hosted Formula One in its inaugural event. The series will run the COTA short version, National Course, which measures 2.3-miles and 17 turns. The CTS-V crew will run a double race weekend with 50-minute races on Saturday and Sunday.

Pilgrim has had some laps around the new track located just 15 miles south of Austin.

“I have driven COTA during one of our Cadillac V-Series Performance events last December,” Pilgrim said. “I also did some rounds in the race car to give some demonstration laps which was really useful. I think the shorter track should be good for us.”

The COTA circuit mirrors those in Europe.

“We expect the Audi and Mercedes will be very quick at COTA,” he continued. “These cars were developed on Europe’s billiard table smooth tracks just like COTA, but I think we will not be far off and I’m looking forward to the race weekend. There is plenty of run off on this track compared to the street courses, but I really think a fast lap is going to be a smooth lap, I don’t think you can attack this place too much and be quick. The complex layout of the multi-apex turns and multi-turn complexes demand that you are inch perfect.”

Pilgrim already has developed an affinity for the new track.

“No doubt my favorite turn is the double apex fast right hander turns 16, 17 and 18 on the track map,” he said. “t’s listed as three apexes, but in reality, its one double apex turn; I like it as it’s really quick.”

O’Connell also has a few parade laps around COTA.

“I went to COTA on Bondurant Racing School business back in November,” O’Connell said. “I am really looking forward to racing there this weekend. It is great that the World Challenge Series is running at COTA.”

The Georgia resident has mixed feelings on running the National Course with the biggest field of the year.

“We are running the shorter course,” added O’Connell. “We are not running the long straights, which would have been nice to draft down. I am not sure where we are at on the long straights, compared with the competition, as this is our first natural terrain race of the year. Add 50 cars on the short course and that can be chaos. Without the walls like the street courses, sometimes that makes a lot of guys to do some things that they would not do on a street course.”

O’Connell needs a solid result this weekend.

“After my heart-breaking near win at Long Beach I really need a set of good finishes this weekend,” he said. “The series is so competitive you can’t really afford to drop a race. We also have the big Detroit race up next after COTA, but we are not looking ahead.”

The Pirelli World Challenge Series will run the Cadillac Sports Car Challenge at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, May 17-19. The race will be televised on NBC Sports, Sunday, June 16 at 5 p.m. ET. Live timing and scoring can be streamed from world-challenge.com.

 www.northropgrumman.com

New Hudson, MI – May 21, 2013 Pratt & Miller Engineering exhibited last week at the NDIA 2013 Michigan Defense Exposition (MDEX) in Warren, Michigan. The theme of this year’s expo was appropriately titled “Opportunity during transition”. The NDIA (National Defense Industry Association) brought out many elite speakers to inform industry about future contracting opportunities in uncertain times.

“Thanks to the NDIA Michigan chapter for their continued support and hosting this year’s event” said Brandon Widmer, Pratt & Miller’s Director of Business Development. “These events are so important to both industry companies and the end users because it provides a clear picture of what types of products and services are needed in the field and what is currently available.”

Pratt & Miller’s involvement in the defense market includes applying their comprehensive systems engineering expertise on ground vehicle programs for defense prime contractors and direct U.S. government contracts. The engineering services company was honored to showcase Northrop Grumman’s MAV-L (Medium Assault Vehicle-Light) at the show. The Pratt & Miller team is credited with designing the high performance vehicle on behalf of Northrop Grumman from a clean sheet through build and assembly; even more impressive is that the team completed this process in only 12 weeks.

Pratt & Miller Engineering is a world-class small business specializing in vehicle design, engineering, manufacturing, and testing and development. Our focus areas within the defense industry include mobility, vehicle survivability, occupant protection, electronics, and lightweight systems. We have the people, processes and technology to deliver high quality results in a schedule-compressed environment.

For more information please contact Sandy McKinnon, Sales & Marketing Coordinator, at 248-446-9800

For more information on the MAV-L please visit:

AUSTIN, Texas, (May 19, 2013) – Team Cadillac driver Andy Pilgrim finished second in GT in his No. 8 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe in the Pirelli World Challenge Series Cadillac Sports Car Challenge GT race at the Circuit of the America’s COTA) this afternoon. Teammate Johnny O’Connell had a steering issue and was classified in 17th place.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) started from the pole position for the second of two races on the weekend based upon running the fastest lap of the first race yesterday, which he won. O’Connell got another strong start and raced into the lead. On the second lap, O’Connell pulled off the track in Turn 12 with a steering issue on the CTS-V Coupe.

Teammate Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) also got a good start following his teammate into Turn One, making it a Cadillac one-two on the first lap. As the race progressed, Pilgrim managed to lead 13 laps while being hounded by the Audi competitors. He was passed on lap 14 by the eventual winning Audi R8 of James Sofronas. Two laps later he was passed by the No. 24 Audi of Duncan Ende. On lap 20 the only caution of the race flew. The restart on lap 24 was the opportunity Pilgrim needed to get second place back for his second podium finish of the weekend.

“The Cadillac guys made the right adjustments last night and I was able to get a good start,” Pilgrim said. “I was pretty aggressive going into Turn One and managed to get the two Audis that were in front of me on the start. As the race went on, my tires started to get really hot. The Audi R8s are very strong. I really had nothing for James. I am very happy with second today and my third-place yesterday.”

The heat was affecting the handling of Pilgrim’s Cadillac CTS-V racer.

“The car was going on me as the race progressed,” he said.

“The late yellow really helped me. I was able to cool the tires and make that last run to get second place back. With the new tires, the car got really tail-happy towards the end of the race. I think that is all we really had today. Everyone was really sliding around out there this afternoon.”

O’Connell had an up and down weekend. He finished on top of the podium, winning yesterday’s race and finishing 17th today.

“We had another really good start,” O’Connell said. “At that point I thought I had a really good hot rod. I was leading the race with Andy right behind me. On the second lap, I went through Turn 12 and as I unwound the steering wheel heading to 13 it froze in position. I am not sure what happened. The Team Cadillac guys are the best and we will get it fixed for Detroit.”

The Pirelli World Challenge Series will run the Cadillac V-Series Challenge on Detroit’s Belle Isle, May 31-June 2.

The Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac Sports Car Challenge races from the Circuit of the America’s will be televised on NBC Sports, Sunday, June 16 at 5 p.m. ET.

 media.cadillac.com.

AUSTIN, Texas, (May 18, 2013) – Team Cadillac driver Johnny O’Connell drove his No. 3 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe to the Pirelli World Challenge Series Cadillac Sports Car Challenge GT win at the Circuit of the America’s (COTA) this afternoon. Teammate Andy Pilgrim finished third.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) got a great start from his pole position. The strong start had O’Connell leading up the steep hill of COTA into Turn One. Just two corners into the race the caution flag flew, the first of two, bunching the field back up. The Georgian’s No. 3 Cadillac CTS-V handled the restarts and led the 50-minute race from start to finish.

Teammate Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) had to work twice as hard to find his way onto the GT podium in third place. At the start, the No. 8 Cadillac CTS-V stalled on the grid. The stall negated his second row qualifying position as the other 18 cars in the field went by him as he restarted the Cadillac. With nothing but opportunity in front of him, Pilgrim began his drive back through the field. By the restart of the first yellow, he was tenth, by lap 10 he was sixth and by lap 20 he was fourth. He was then locked in a battle with the fast Volvo of Randy Pobst, eventually getting by in the esses with three laps remaining to take the last spot on the podium alongside teammate O’Connell.

“I had a really good start,” O’Connell said. “We usually lose out to the Volvos on the starts with their four-wheel drive. My objective was to just keep him behind me or to the outside going into Turn One. When I got that launch and I saw that the Volvo was not going to be able to get me into Turn One – that was the defining moment to the race.”

Following the strong start it was anything but a drive through the Texas country side for O’Connell.

“After the start I had to just hit my marks,” he said. “I wanted to push hard early. I brought my front tires in early and wanted to get a gap in the first couple of laps. When the Audi got by the Volvo I had to push because he was coming fast.”

A strong Cadillac CTS-V race car helped O’Connell get a little bit of redemption after a near victory last month at Long Beach.

“The restarts helped to keep the GTS cars back,” he continued. “I didn’t have too much traffic. I had a good race car from the Team Cadillac guys. They’ve worked hard to get these cars to handle in this heat. It was good to get the victory after my near win at Long Beach a couple of weeks ago. It is also special to get the first World Challenge Series GT win at a new track. I am looking forward to the second race tomorrow.”

Pilgrim had to bring the car back from the back of the field.

“I didn’t get a start,” Pilgrim said. “The clutch was dragging and stalled the engine. I had to switch the power back on, the car fired up, by then the field was gone.”

The Floridian had 25 laps of hard work to get to the front.

“This is a tough place to pass,” he continued. “I had to wait for people to make a mistake. I made some good moves, while trying to be patient. Randy was really fast on the straight, but he seemed to be having trouble through the esses. I just bided my time and was able to get him. It was good to get a double podium finish for Cadillac. We will get it right for the race tomorrow.”

The Pirelli World Challenge Series will run the Cadillac Sports Car Challenge at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, May 17-19. The race will be televised on NBC Sports, Sunday, June 16 at 5 p.m. ET. Live timing and scoring can be streamed from world-challenge.com.

 media.cadillac.com.

AUSTIN, Texas, (May 17, 2013) – Team Cadillac driver Johnny O’Connell drove his No. 3 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe to pole position for tomorrow’s first of a double race weekend at the Pirelli World Challenge Series Cadillac Sports Car Challenge at the Circuit of the America’s (COTA). Teammate Andy Pilgrim will start fourth.

O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) posted a final practice time on Thursday of 1:34.816 placing him third on the GT time sheet. Taking to the new COTA circuit in 90-degree temperatures this afternoon, he managed to post a pole position time of 1:33.539. Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) had limited running on Thursday’s promoter test day with car issues, missing the final practice session. Despite the limited running, the Floridian put in a lap of 1:34.092 that will have him start fourth.

“Pretty nice,” O’Connell said. “I really didn’t think we were going to go that fast. We made some changes to the car to make it fast over a couple of laps, and it worked. Even though we didn’t test here, I have run a thousand laps in my head and about five hundred laps since yesterday. I did what I had to do to lay a lap down, and we got it done.”

O’Connell liked the way the Cadillac CTS-V drove.

“This track requires the driver to be soft and smooth. My engineer said before qualifying to use slow hands. Make slow soft inputs into the car and it will reward you. We had a great qualifying car. We will have to make changes to make it a great race car.”

The reigning Pirelli World Challenge GT Champion knows Turn One will be a challenge.

“I love the thought of the standing start starring up that hill,” O’Connell continued. “Hopefully we have a good clean start. The tight first corner will invite a mix of stupidity and bravery. I hope that we can get everyone through Turn One clean.”

Pilgrim overcame the lack of practice time and will start his No. 8 Cadillac CTS-V from the second row.

“We had a rough practice day,” Pilgrim said. “In practice we had several issues with the car. I missed some practice time. It is very unusual for this team to miss practice laps. The Cadillac guys did a great job to get everything set for qualifying, and we will start on the second row.”

Last year’s GT series runner-up likes the new 2.3-miles, 17-turn COTA circuit.

“This is a great facility,” he said. “There are a lot of local fans and Australians here this weekend. I am disappointed, we are not running the long circuit, especially with the 53 cars we will have on the track for the GT/GTS race. It is going to take an extreme amount of patience in the race. We will come up on the GTS traffic in about three laps. There will be sections where you cannot even think about overtaking a car.”

Like O’Connell, Pilgrim is weary of the start.

“I think it will be great starting up that big hill,” Pilgrim continued. “People are going to want to go to the inside. But there is less of an incline on the inside and the ABS system on these cars is going to want to release, and you have to be ready for that to happen. I hope these guys are ready for that release. Hopefully, everyone will play it cool at the start.”

The Pirelli World Challenge Series will run the Cadillac Sports Car Challenge at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, May 17-19. The race will be televised on NBC Sports, Sunday, June 16 at 5 p.m. ET. Live timing and scoring can be streamed from world-challenge.com.