Renger van der Zande Departing Cadillac Racing - What's Next For the Ducthman?

-

Renger van der Zande posted on his official Instagram account Friday afternoon the kind of message that would lead one to believe that his time with Cadillac Racing is coming to an end. 

As we put on our detective caps and read between the lines here with what the Dutchman is saying, the upcoming season finale at Petit Le Mans will be the final race for the Platinum driver with Cadillac Racing - 



Recapping your statistics with a racing program and ending it all with "One More To Go, Thank You Cadillac" would be a very dramatic way to hype up the last race of the season rather than prepping us for his imminent departure from said program. The next natural question to ask is, "Well, what's next?" 

It's so easy to draw the line back to Wayne Taylor Racing, a partnership that saw van der Zande capture two Rolex 24 Hour victories when he raced for them from 2018-2020. Howevah, WTR is departing Acura to run it back with Cadillac in 2025, so why would van der Zande leave Cadillac Racing to join back up with...Cadillac? You wonder if there are some semantics at play here because if he's saying goodbye to this iteration of Cadillac Racing now, and his next move is to sign with Wayne Taylor Racing following the conclusion of the season, and yes it just so happens that WTR is linking back up with Cadillac. That all works out, right?

Or, could Meyer Shank Racing be an option? The Bad Boys of Racing are making their return to IMSA in 2025 after they took a year off/they took a sabbatical/they were banned for a year following their tire pressure scandal from the 2023 Rolex 24 Hour, a scandal that saw Honda/Acura drop them for a season, yet as we know, time heals all wounds in most walks of life. Now that MSR is returning to run the ARX-06 as a dual-car effort, they'll want to burst back onto the scene with some heavy hitters behind their wheels, and if a driver of van der Zande's quality shakes free in the open market you have to believe that they would make a huge push to acquire his skills and services. 
 
The only other bit I have to contribute to this post is my own insider research that I conducted when at Watkins Glen back in June. Sources told me (I walked through the autograph line in the paddock) that RVDZ was eyeing a move to Acura once his contract with Cadillac expired after 2024 (I asked him what his plans were for 2025 and he replied, with a shoulder shrug, "I don't know, we'll see"). There are still other details to be worked out before it becomes official but stay tuned to MSH for more (I'll be waiting for the press release from WTR, MSR, or someone else to confirm the plans). 

So there you have it, take it to the bank - Renger van der Zander to Meyer Shank Racing #confirmed.

(photo credit - telegraaf.com)
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Justice For the Mustang GT3 - WEC-Mandated LMGT3 Silencer Responsible For Proton's Dual Fire At Qatar

-
Image
You figured that when a racecar catches fire twice within a week and three times total in the span of just a few months, something had to be up, right? We'll remember that the No. 77 Proton Competition Ford lit up in flames twice in the opening week of the 2025 WEC season just two weeks ago - first in the Prologue towards the end of the opening practice session and then again in the race itself in the 1812km of Qatar after 148 laps completed and Bernardo Sousa behind the wheel. As the inside of the car began to fill up with smoke, it marked the third time that a Ford has caught fire and burned out on the side of the track in the last couple of months; the sister car No. 88 burst into flames in last season's finale at Bahrain, and the question coming out of the opening round of the 2025 season was - what in the hell is going on with the Mustangs catching on fire while racing in the desert? Or, was there something else going on? Or was it all just a load of bad luck? Well as it t...
Read more

End of the Line for Forte Racing In GTD

-
Image
Unfortunately the 2025 IMSA season has concluded, and as we now look towards the short off-season we can forecast which teams will be hitting the grid for 2026, and sadly which other teams will not. The initial entry list of confirmed teams dropped by IMSA before the season finale at Petit Le Mans was missing a handful of teams that were on the grid for 2025, and picking just one of those teams out of the bucket for now is Forte Racing.  The No. 78 had a difficult Petit Le Mans when they were caught up in the opening lap wreck that claimed the lives of four GTD machines right off the rip while making the lives difficult for others with sustained damage. Forte were one of those teams, and although they managed to continue on with the race the damage to the front of the car slowed down their pace and put them multiple laps down from the leaders, and it ultimately resulted in a retirement after 280 laps completed and seven-plus hours of racing. In the aftermath, although no word has ...
Read more