@RaceWeatherTech • @WGI • @UnitedSportsCar • @IMSA • TAVARES, Fla., (June 23, 2015) – WeatherTech Racing drivers Cooper MacNeil, Leh Keen and Andrew Davis are ready to take on the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International, June 26-28.
MacNeil (Hinsdale, Ill.) and Keen (Charleston, SC) are currently third in the TUDOR GTD standings. The team welcomes back Andrew Davis (Atlanta, Ga.) for the quarter-day run at The Glen. The 3.4-mile, 12-turn circuit located in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York is a classic venue for sports cars. The WeatherTech Racing trio is looking to get back up on the podium after a fourth place finish at the Detroit Grand Prix in early June.
“I’ve only raced at Watkins Glen once, last year in the six hours, but I remember it being one hell of a track, almost like a roller coaster ride,” MacNeil said. “There is a lot of elevation change and fast corners, which is always really exciting. Turn One is a good place to pass because of how much racing room we have on the entry and especially the exit. The climb up the hill through the Esses will be flat in our Porsche this year, which will be really fun. The Glen happens to be Leh’s favorite track and he’s always been really fast there, so I’m looking forward to the race weekend. Also, it will be nice to have Andrew back with us as he is really solid.”
Keen returns to The Glen, the sight of his first pro win.
“The Glen is a real highlight for me on the calendar,” Keen said. “The Six Hours of The Glen was actually my first professional win in 2005 – in a Porsche of course. It’s also the track at which I have had the most success in my professional career. It’s also critical for our success this season. A strong run this weekend will boost us into the championship fight. Last year I was on pole there and that was the only pole for Porsche all year. I am expecting the same speed out of the Weathertech Racing Porsche this weekend. Really happy to have Andrew come back and join Cooper and me also. Andrew and I have won the six hours before together.”
“The track is just a fantastic course with a rhythm most tracks just don’t have,” he continued. “The key is a strong start to the lap. So getting through Turn One and then up the through the Esses flat and then fast through the Bus Stop is the start of a good run. When you nail that then the rest of the lap will feel good.”
Davis is ready to go for a second win with Keen at The Glen.
“Although we are halfway through the calendar year, there is a lot of racing left in the TUDOR United SportsCar season,” Davis said. “I’ve always enjoyed racing at Watkins Glen, and I consider the Sahlen’s Six Hours to be one of the crown jewels of sports car racing here in North America. I’m very excited to rejoin my Alex Job Racing teammates in the WeatherTech Racing Porsche GT to tackle this historic race. Our approach is simple due to the competitiveness of the GTD category, it’ll be an all-out sprint for six hours! Porsche has a tremendous history at Watkins Glen, and driving a 911 around this great circuit is a thing of beauty. There are numerous sections of the track that prove to be important for minimizing lap times. The power of the Porsche helps pull us up the climbing Esse’s and down the long straight, but proper handling is key to nailing that quick lap. I really enjoy the commitment it takes to negotiate the Inner Loop at maximum levels. The entry is extremely fast, and it’s always a fine line when using the apex curbing to the fullest extent.”
“I have raced at Watkins Glen since the early years of my racing career, so I have many fond memories,” continued Davis. “However, winning the six hours in 2011 is certainly one of the highlights of my career! My teammate that year was none other than Leh Keen, and that victory proved to be the catalyst for our 2011 Rolex Series Championship. Returning to defend our past victory makes this year’s race even more special for me!”
Alex Job specializes in the longer events.
“These longer races really come down to preparation and strategy,” Job said. “Someone will have a perfect run, gas, tires and driver changes and that car usually wins. You can’t go back to the garage area or go down a lap as it is a long track and a lap is very hard to make-up. Cooper and Leh like the longer runs and the team welcomes back Andrew Davis. We are ready.”
The Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International Raceway will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET on June 28. Qualifying on Friday can be viewed at IMSA.com at 3:40 p.m. ET.
For more information on WeatherTech Racing, including race recaps, photos and team gear, please visit the official team site at www.WeatherTechRacing.com
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.
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.
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