Kevin Magnussen To Drive Cadillac For Chip Ganassi In IMSA

Kevin Magnussen has been confirmed as one of the two Cadillac DPi-V.R drivers for Chip Ganassi Racing in the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship. Ganassi left the series at the end of 2019 but will return next year with a single Cadillac DPi-V.R following the Wayne Taylor Racing’s switch to Acura.

Kevin Magnussen, the son of former F1 pilot and four-time Le Mans 24 Hours class winner Jan Magnussen, entered Grand Prix racing in 2014 and has driven for McLaren, Renault and lately Haas. Both Magnussen and his team-mate, Frenchman Romain Grosjean, will be leaving Haas at the end of this season.

According to Motorsport.com, though without supporting comment from Jan, Kevin Magnussen was advised by his father to search for post-F1 opportunities in either the FIA World Endurance Championship or IndyCar. However, 2021 will be a transition year for the WEC, while at this time of year IndyCar teams will be looking for drivers who can bring money with them. Magnussen is sponsored by Jack & Jones, but the clothing company, based in the Magnussens’ home country of Denmark, has a negligible presence in the U.S. and would not receive useful publicity from an Indycar campaign.

The deal with Chip Ganassi Racing echoes the Magnussens’ connection with another GM racing outfit: Jan drove for Corvette Racing from 2004 to 2019, and achieved all four of his class victories at Le Mans with the team.

Although it is branded as a Cadillac, the DPi-V.R bears no resemblance to any road car. It is a variant of the Dallara P217 (a car originally designed for the 2017 Le Mans Prototype LMP2 class) fitted with a 5.5L engine based on the LT1 V8 but developed for motorsport use by ECR Engines.

The 2021 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship will kick off with the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway on January 28^th to 31^st and will conclude with the Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on October 6^th to 9^th.

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This post was created in collaboration with our sister publication, Cadillac Society.