WeatherTech Racing Headed to Sebring Motivated
Second place at Daytona 24 and Sebring record has team ready
TAVARES, Fla. (Mar. 17, 2015) – WeatherTech Racing is ready to take on the 63rd running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring this weekend, March 21.
The team is coming off a second place finish at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. The team also took the opportunity to test at the 3.24-mile, 17-turn historic Sebring circuit two weeks ago. Cooper MacNeil (Hinsdale, Ill.), Leh Keen (Charleston, SC) and Andrew Davis (Atlanta, Ga.) are poised a little motivated for a good run at Sebring. Turn the clock back a year and the WeatherTech team thinks they may be owed a little something from what happened last year when the series officials mistakenly penalized the team thinking they we were a different car and made them serve an unwarranted penalty. The team will be looking to give Alex Job Racing (AJR) a tenth Sebring win.
“The race last year at Sebring was a tragedy for Alex Job Racing and WeatherTech,” MacNeil said. “The wrong call by the officials was atrocious and I hope it never happens to anyone again. With that said, we have a little extra motivation this year to win the 12 hours of Sebring. I did two SCCA races at Sebring in early January and won both, so I’m pretty excited to get back there and continue that momentum. We started the season off on the right foot by finishing on the podium at Daytona, so we are looking good in the points thus far. It will take a perfect race to win the 12 hour. Zero mistakes and all three drivers never putting a wheel off. I’m looking forward to this weekend.”
Keen has a winning Sebring history with AJR.
“Well we will always feel wronged for what happened last year, but that doesn’t make us want to win this year any more than we already want to this year,” Keen said. “My first race with Alex was in 2010 and we won Sebring. We have been strong every year since then. We were on the front row last year and ran up front most of the race. Even coming from a lap down to almost end on the podium following the false penalty. Sebring is just a great place to be if you are in a WeatherTech AJR Porsche. We had a great test and found some good speed. The car was comfortable and we really got it dialed over the bumps in Turns One and 17. I have a lot of confidence going into the weekend. We will just do what we have done the last five years in a row, qualify up front and go for the win.”
Davis likes the history of the event and possibly making some more history with his teammates.
“Sebring International Raceway has such a rich history within our sport, so I always look forward to competing in the 12 hour,” Davis said. “The list of legends and champions that have put it all on the line at this circuit over the last 63 years is staggering, and to be a part of that history is certainly humbling. The circuit itself is very challenging on both the driver and the equipment. Each year the surface seems to get a little more bumpy, and the constant pounding certainly takes its toll over the course of 12 hours. I’ve always felt that this event is one of the most grueling races in the world due to the high demand put on everyone and everything involved.”
“Alex Job’s record at Sebring is unreal,” he continued. “The success that this AJR squad has enjoyed over the years is a real testament to the strength of the organization, and their ability to get the job done. It’s difficult to find success at the Sebring 12 hours, so I’m very excited to be a part of such a proven team. The GTD field is going to be very competitive, so we are going to need to keep focus on maximizing our own performance while running a mistake free race. With strong teammates like Cooper and Leh, I’m feeling very confident heading into the event. We had a great test in our No. 22 AJR WeatherTech Porsche GT America a few weeks ago. The team and car performed quite well, and I felt that we came away from the test having learned a great deal to help us be successful upon our return. The track changes a great deal once the ambient temperatures begin to climb, so I’m sure that things will be a little different during race week. However, we were able to gather some great data to ensure that we can adapt to whatever the weekend has in store for us!”
Alex Job, team owner, is going for a tenth Sebring win.
“Although we are over what happened last year with the penalty, I know it will motivate this team come Saturday,” Job said. “We had a very good start to the season with a second place run at Daytona. We always seem to do well at Sebring. We took the opportunity to test there a couple weeks ago and we went away with a good baseline set-up on the car and Leh and Andrew feel good about the way the No. 22 WeatherTech car drives. Cooper couldn’t make it as he is in school, but he has a lot of miles at Sebring in Porsche.”
The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida will be televised in segments, Saturday, Mar. 21, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1; 12:30 – 7 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2; 7 – 10 p.m. on IMSA.com; 10 – 11 p.m. on FOX Sports 2.
The TUDOR United SportsCar Championship GTD (GT Daytona) Class is made up of some the world’s most sophisticated cars, including the Porsche 911 GT America, Ferrari 458, Aston Martin, BMW Z4, Viper SRT and Audi R8. All GTD Class cars run on the spec Continental tire.
Alex Job Racing is one of the most successful teams in sports car racing with 70 wins (since 1995); including two Rolex 24 GT Class wins in 1999 and 2013. This record is supported by 48 pole positions and 106 podium finishes. The team has won five championships (GTC 2013, 2012, GT in 2004, 2003 and 2002) complimented by their two GT class wins at Le Mans. The team also boasts nine Sebring 12-hour wins
