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WeatherTech Racing Ready for a Street Fight in Detroit

TAVARES, Fla. (May 31, 2016) - WeatherTech Racing drivers Cooper MacNeil (Hinsdale, Ill.) and Leh Keen (Charleston, S.C.) are heading to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Chevrolet Sports Car Classic presented by Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers.

MacNeil and Keen are looking forward to racing their No. 22 WeatherTech Porsche through the streets of the Belle Isle Grand Prix Circuit. The 2.36-mile, 14-turn converted park street course lies in the middle of the Detroit River. Last the duo finished fourth as off and on rain and a sudden downpour on the last lap collected six cars at the entry to the first turn just past the checkered flag.

"Our Porsche definitely likes to get out of corners quickly as most of the weight is in the rear," MacNeil said. "Fortunately, most street courses, including Detroit, have a lot of point-and-squirt type corners. Meaning a hard deceleration followed by aggressive hard acceleration. I'm excited to get back to Detroit and complete some unfinished business as we have done well, yet come up short the last couple of years there. Qualifying will be important as it is hard to pass on the streets of Belle Isle. We will have to get the car dialed in before qualifying so we can obtain a strong starting position. Street racing warrants zero mistakes. I like that. I'm looking forward to the weekend."

Keen is looking forward to another Detroit street fight.

"Last year's race was crazy," Keen said. "When I got in the WeatherTech Porsche it started to sprinkle rain. It was on and off and then when I crossed the finish line I just aqua-planed into the wall with about six other cars. Our new Porsche is fun to drive and I am looking forward to our first run with it on a street course this weekend. I am hoping that we will have a slight advantage with our rear-engine car getting off of the tight corners. We will need to qualify upfront as it is very hard to pass. The type of situations a street course throws at you. We always have a comfortable set-up with the WeatherTech Porsche and that is key at a track like Detroit. I am looking forward to the street fight that the Detroit race has become."

"Cooper and Leh like racing on closed street tracks," team owner, Alex Job said. "The race is short, just 100-minutes, so strategy will be key. We will also have to qualify well as it is very difficult to pass. The team is ready to get back up on the podium and I think we can do that this weekend in Detroit."

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Chevrolet SportsCar Classic from Detroit will be televised on Fox Sports 1 starting at 12:30 p.m. ET, June 4. Qualifying at 5:05 p.m. on June 3 can be viewed on IMSA.tv.

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