The Pirelli World Challenge series’ doubleheader at Mosport International Raceway saw Cadillac Racing demonstrate significant performance improvements, setting a fastest lap during Saturday’s race, eventually leading to a season-best, second place finish for Johnny O’Connell. The Team Cadillac driver would follow up with a third place showing on Sunday.

After two street courses and the wide-open Miller Motorsports Park in Utah, Mosport marked a return to the traditional road courses that both O’Connell and Pilgrim grew up racing. “Mosport is one of my favorite tracks, because it’s fast and it’s a little bit dangerous,” said O’Connell, driver of the #3 Cadillac CTS-V. “It’s old-school, and I like to go fast.”

Indeed, O’Connell started the #3 CTS-V from P3 for the fifth round of the 12-race 2011 World Challenge season. With a good jump from the standing start, O’Connell moved into second place, but eventually lost the position to the Corvette of Patrick Lindsey. When Lindsey encountered a problem two thirds of the way into event, O’Connell moved back into second place, where he stayed until the end.

O’Connell managed to close to within a second of the leading #2 Corvette with a few minutes remaining, but slower traffic contrived to keep the Cadillac in second place. It was still a season-best finish for the team that has been working hard to overcome teething issues with the new CTS-V coupes. Team mate Andy Pilgrim finished the race in fifth position, battling back after falling to seventh at one point in the race.

Cadillac used the opportunity at Mosport to build a major presence, with a huge car display, hospitality tent and Ron Fellows providing rides around the track, for media and VIPs, in a Cadillac Escalade. GM president Mark Reuss was also on hand for the event.

On Sunday, O’Connell left the starting line in third place, battling with early leader Mike Skeen’s Corvette and the Porsche of second-place Patrick Long over the 29-lap distance. A multi-car crash on lap 22 brought out a full-course caution, and the track never went back to green-flag racing.

While team mate, Andy Pilgrim brought the other Cadillac home in fifth spot, it was not for a lack of spirit. Just 10 laps into the race, Pilgrim went three-wide on a Viper with a lapped car to the outside. Even though he failed to close the pass, Pilgrim served notice that he — and Team Cadillac — were in it to win it.

“We just didn’t have enough for those guys,” O’Connell said when it was over. “I don’t know whether Porsche found another number on their map switch or what, but they showed dramatic improvement overnight. We had a good car. Actually, we might have even run faster than we did yesterday.”

Look to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH, for the next Pirelli World Challenge series action, coming Aug. 5 – 7th.