TAVARES, Fla. (March 15, 2016) - WeatherTech Racing drivers Cooper MacNeil (Hinsdale, Ill.), Leh Keen (Charleston, S.C.) and Gunnar Jeannette (Salt Lake City, Utah) are ready for the IMSA WeatherTech Championship Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida.
The team is coming off of a disappointing finish at the Rolex 24 when the rear wing of the Porsche came loose while leading the race with two hours remaining. The trio of MacNeil, Keen and Jeannette are poised to get the black and white Alex Job Racing prepared WeatherTech Racing Porsche back into the winners circle this weekend.
"Sebring is a track that both Alex Job Racing and WeatherTech Racing have had great success at in the past," MacNeil said. "I have been on the podium twice there including a win in 2013. It was unfortunate that I could not make the recent test there, but I know that both Leh and Gunnar got the car dialed in with the help of Greg Fordahl (team engineer) and the whole amazing crew that works tirelessly to ensure we have a race car that is maximized. We had such a strong run going at Daytona and we are going to use that momentum to bring everything we have to Sebring. Sebring is tough on the car and on us drivers, but Porsche has built an extremely reliable and comfortable GT3R for us to take to the checkered flag. We have tested at Sebring twice now with the new car and both tests went very well. Anything can happen at Sebring, as we saw last year with the lead changing between multiple cars with about ten minutes to go. We know that we need to keep our nose clean for 10 hours and push extremely hard as soon as that famous Florida sun sets."
Keen coming in with a lot of confidence.
"We always show up to Sebring swinging," Keen said. "Alex has 10 wins at Sebring, which gives the whole team confidence when we pull up to the track. Plus pretty much everyone on the team has a win at historic track. So we all know how to find success on the bumpy course. Daytona was very tough at the end, but we have moved on and Sebring is totally a different animal than Daytona. The Sebring race is more or less flat out for 12 hours. It's just a really long sprint race. The bumpy corners used to break suspension and cause all kinds of mechanical problems. But the cars of today are built so strong you don' see that stuff to much anymore. But you still get bounced around in the car so you really have to hold on in the seat. I really love the Sebring 12 hours and can't wait to get started down there in the AJR WeatherTech GT3R."
Jeannette is motivated to get to the winner's circle.
"You always want to win the big races, but after being so close to getting a Rolex a few weeks ago getting a win for WeatherTech at Sebring would be a bit of redemption," Jeannette said. "Sebring is a much tougher race than Daytona, you don't really ever get much of a chance to rest around the lap. One of the biggest obstacles could be the weather. If it's in the mid 80's it will make a stint much more difficult both in terms of heat in the cockpit, but also tire life. Then there's the chance for rain. We haven't had a wet race at Sebring in a long time and if it does rain all bets are off."
"Cooper, Leh and Gunnar are especially motivated for this weekend," team owner, Alex Job said. "After leading at Daytona with two hours remaining with a very good chance at the win and then the wing issue, they are looking to get that victory this weekend. We've tested here twice, so we have a good handle on the new Porsche GT3R. Let's see what everyone else has with their new cars come Saturday."
Follow the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship from Sebring, Florida on IMSA.com, IMSA Radio and on television on March 16 at 7 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2, on March 17 at 12 a.m. on FOX Sports 1 continuing at 2 p.m. on FOX Sports 1.