Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Aims for Improved Performance in 2026 Campaign
Let’s cut to the chase. The back half of the 2025 IMSA season was a Cadillac showcase. The Whelen No. 31, with Jack Aitken behind the wheel, was a beast, ripping off two straight wins to close the season and cementing Aitken as the runner-up in the GTP standings. Across the pond, the Jota-fielded Cadillacs were turning heads, securing the brand’s first-ever top-class win in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
It was a good time to be flying the Caddy banner.But there was one name conspicuously missing from the winner’s circle: Wayne Taylor Racing. For a team of this caliber, for a family synonymous with American sports car racing, 2025 was a bitter pill to swallow. This was supposed to be a triumphant homecoming. The Taylor family, reunited with Cadillac, the very brand that carried Ricky and Jordan Taylor to a championship in 2017, was poised for dominance. Instead, they got a lesson in humility.
From Acura Dominance to a Cadillac Conundrum
You can’t just flip a switch. After years of mastering the Acura ARX-06, WTR found themselves grappling with a completely different animal. The Cadillac V-Series.R is a complex, high-strung machine, and the muscle memory built with the Acura was now a liability. Old habits, setups, and philosophies had to be unlearned, and fast. The clock was ticking, and the learning curve was brutally steep.
The results, or lack thereof, told the story. In the first four races, neither the No. 10 of Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque nor the No. 40 of Jordan Taylor and Louis Deletraz could crack the top three in qualifying or on race day. For a team accustomed to fighting for poles and podiums, finishing fifth felt like a punch to the gut. They were adrift, searching for answers while their rivals pulled away.
Glimmers of Hope in a Season of Struggle
But this is Wayne Taylor Racing. They don’t quit. As the season wore on, the tide began to turn. At the grueling Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, the team finally had something to celebrate: a double podium, with the No. 40 and No. 10 cars finishing second and third. It was a breakthrough, a sign that the relentless work behind the scenes was starting to pay off.
The No. 10 car, driven by the veteran pairing of Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque, found its stride, grabbing two more second-place finishes before the season was out. In the final five rounds, they were one of the highest-scoring teams in the GTP field, just 50 points shy of the championship-contending No. 31 Whelen Cadillac. The potential was finally shining through the frustration. It was raw, it was unrefined, but it was there.
WTR’s 2026 Gameplan: Data, Drivers, and Determination
Now, with a full season of hard-earned data and a recent IMSA test at Daytona under their belts, a renewed sense of optimism is pulsing through the WTR camp. The drivers are no longer strangers to the Cadillac. They’re beginning to speak its language.”When we came to this test last year, it was chaos,” admits Louis Deletraz. “Every track we went to, we needed to create a database and learn. To come back with the same car… is so much smoother and easier.”
That sentiment is echoed by Jordan Taylor, who emphasized the importance of a full year of experience. “Every time we go on track, we feel like we learn something new,” he said. “Now, having a whole year under our belt was important.”Cadillac is also fostering a more collaborative environment. Ricky Taylor’s recent trip to Bahrain for the WEC rookie test wasn’t just about getting more seat time.
Bridging The Gap Between WTR, Whelen, And WEC
It was a strategic move to build bridges between its IMSA teams, WTR and Whelen, and the WEC’s JOTA Sport. Three teams, three different approaches, all sharing data to solve the same complex puzzle. This open-book policy, mandated by GM, could be the key to unlocking the V-Series R’s full potential.
Adding to the stability, WTR is bringing back familiar faces for the endurance rounds. Will Stevens and Colton Herta are locked in for the No. 10 and No. 40 cars, respectively. It’s a stark contrast to the revolving door of third drivers in 2025 and a crucial element for building the consistency needed to win the big ones.
Final Thoughts
The 2026 season kicks off with the Roar Before the Rolex 24 in January. For Wayne Taylor Racing, it’s more than just another test session. It’s a chance to prove that the struggles of 2025 were just a temporary setback, a necessary chapter in their story of resilience. The pressure is on, expectations are sky-high, and the entire IMSA paddock will be watching. Can they finally tame the Cadillac and return to their rightful place atop the podium? We’re about to find out.
