TAVARES, Fla. (Nov. 7, 2013) – Cooper MacNeil and Leh Keen will drive the No. 22 WeatherTech Racing Porsche 911 GT America in the new TUDOR SportsCar Championship GTD Series starting with the Rolex 24 Hour At Daytona Jan. 24-25.
The duo of MacNeil (Hinsdale, Ill.) and Keen (Charleston, SC) are reunited from their championship winning American Le Mans Series (ALMS) GTC championship in 2012. In that season, they combined to win three races at Lime Rock, Road America and Virginia International Raceway. They also posted podium finishes at Sebring, Long Beach, Mosport and Baltimore. The strong season record awarded MacNeil the 2012 ALMS GTC title, Keen finished second. The young MacNeil is also the 2013 GTC ALMS Driver Champion and is excited about the new series and increased competition.
“I’m really excited to be driving with Leh again,” MacNeil said. “We get along really well and he’s a damn good driver. He helped me win my first championship in 2012 and we will try our best to do the same in 2014. At the same time, I’m upset to see Jeroen become my competition, because I really liked him driving with me, not against me. But I wish him the best with Viper. I’m excited to race in GTD because it will bring me back to my SCCA days. I have gotten used to the spec class in the Porsche, but cannot wait to see how it goes up against all of the other makes. I’m really excited to drive the new car and can’t wait to get the season started at the November test.”
Keen, the 2009 Rolex Series GT Driver Champion, is happy to back with the team and has his goals set high for 2014.
“I couldn’t be happier to finally be doing a full season with AJR,” Keen said. “This will be my fifth year in a row racing with the team in one way or another. It all started with a win at Sebring in 2010. Along the way, we added to that win with a few more and a team and driver’s championship with Cooper in 2012. I really have to thank WeatherTech and Alex for bringing me on board for the full season. My history with Alex shows how strong our relationship is and he runs the best program out there. Next year will be extremely competitive, but with a car like the new 991, a team like Alex Job Racing and with Cooper as my co-driver we have won championships in the past and will be going for the first GTD championship ever. The main goal is to win championships, but it all starts with the 24 Hour At Daytona. Alex will be looking to go two in a row. The 997 was an amazing platform that I have raced for almost 10 years. Porsche evolves the 911 so beautifully and the 991 is no exception. With a longer wheel base and paddle shifts along with more downforce the 991 GT America is looking like the car to beat. As always, if you are in a Porsche, you know you have a chance to win. I cannot wait to get in the new chassis and see how it feels.”
Alex Job, team owner, has a proven driver package in the No. 22 WeatherTech Porsche.
“You can say we have the band back together,” Job said. “Cooper and Leh have a winning history as a driver pairing and we hope to expand on that record in 2014. They are very comfortable with each other and the team and that will be a big advantage with a new car in a new series with increased competition in the inaugural GTD Class.”
The new TUDOR United SportsCar Championship will take to the track for the first event the Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona, Jan. 25-26, 2014.
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.
WeatherTech®: WeatherTech, headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois, has long been recognized by the discerning automotive enthusiast as a supplier of accessories of unparalleled quality. In addition to the WeatherTech brand, the company supplies products to many automobile manufacturers (OEM) as an original equipment supplier. In fact, WeatherTech currently supplies accessories to all four German manufacturers of luxury automobiles as well as a host of other automobile manufacturers worldwide! More information can be viewed at www.weathertech.com.
For more information about AJR, visit www.alexjobracing.com, or visit our fan page on Facebook by searching WeatherTech Racing. Further inquiries, please contact Kyle Chura at kyle@kcapr.com or (248) 821-0468.
From: Kyle Chura for Alex Job Racing/ WeatherTech Racing
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