Cooper MacNeil is the driver of the WeatherTech/Porsche 997 in the American Le Mans Series GTC Class. MacNeil is the 2012 American Le Mans Series GTC Driver Champion. The 20-year-old is embarking on his first Le Mans 24 Hours, June 22-23, in the No. 70 Larbre Competition/WeatherTech Corvette LMGTE-AM. Team updates can be viewed on Facebook at WeatherTech Racing.
After the June 9 test where we finished in the top eight in the LMGTE-AM Class the drivers and team boss Jack Leconte went to Bordeaux for some team building. We had a great experience working out with the French National Guard. The drill instructors put us in fatigues and we jumped over logs, went through the obstacle course, helped each other climb a vertical wall and even crawl on our elbows through barbed wire. It was a very unique experience and great way to get to know my co-drivers Manuel Rodrigues and Philippe Dumas better. During the rest of our stay in Bordeaux we kept physically fit by mountain biking and circuit training.
We returned to Le Mans last Saturday for scruitineering. Scruitineering is where the team takes the car to the Le Mans City Center and the stewards of the race make sure it complies with the race rules. It is also a great way for the fans to get close to the cars and the drivers in the historic setting of downtown Le Mans. It was great! I must have signed 200 autographs. The European fans really like the American made Corvette. It is a great part of the entire race experience. This is where you see the classic photos of the car, team members and drivers. It is a great way to present the team to the fans prior to the race.
It has been a crazy week on the track. My first stint in the car Wednesday was on a drying track and I was on new Michelin slick tires. It had just rained and the dry line was just starting to form. I was getting familiar with the car again from the test on June 9. During that test most of my laps were in the pouring rain. Today I was focused on methodically getting up to speed, taking it one step at a time. As a rookie at the race and new to the team, I was being conservative with my approach and working my way up to speed. A lot can happen around an 8.4-mile circuit, a host of accidents caused the stoppage of practice during both of Wednesday’s sessions, limiting the team’s track time.
I was supposed to do three stints on Wednesday, but really only did one. I got in after the dinner break and was going down the Mulsanne shifting through the gears, as I went from fourth to fifth the right rear tire blew just before the first chicane. I was able to get the Corvette slowed down and limped the car back to the pits being sure not to cause any damage to the suspension or body work.
Fellow American Tracy Krohn had a big crash in his Ferrari on Wednesday. As a first-time driver here that type of off shows you the amount of respect that Le Mans commands. Thankfully, he is ok and they are rebuilding the car for the race.
On Thursday, I went out on intermediate tires. Half of the track was dry. The other half was wet. The car was great on both sections of the track on the intermediate Michelin’s. Later in the evening I was able to go out in the dry, finally. The original plan was to do four laps, but I had an out lap, once by and then in because of a red flag. It was too bad because the track was finally dry.
Overall, I think I have had about 15 laps in the car, maybe four timed this whole week, but that is how it goes here with crazy things happening with the weather and competitors. I am right on pace with my teammates and ready to get some seat time in the race on Saturday and Sunday. Le Mans is very different from the tracks in the tracks in the states. Eighty-five percent of the time you are full throttle here, so you arrive at the braking zones very quickly. At Mid-Ohio, for example, you get into top gear twice for maybe a few seconds. Also the Audis are more than a minute faster and their closing speed is crazy. The WeatherTech Corvette is fun to drive! I am getting comfortable in the car and with the track. I can’t wait until the race.
Today, Friday, we will practice driver changes and go over some more race strategy. The goal is to beat the gas man and tire guys with our driver changes. We also have the driver parade through downtown Le Mans. I hear it is a great event and a great way to break some of the tension of the race week prior to the start of the race.
We will start from the fifth row on Saturday at 3 p.m., qualifying 11th, in the LMGT-AM category. The Aston Martins are on the pole in both GT classes. Larbre’s approach to the race is more of the turtle than the hare – keep the car on the track and out of the garage, turn as many laps as possible and then see where we are running at half race distance and then start to push.
I hope everyone can watch the race. Speed Channel will carry extensive live coverage of the race starting at 8:30 a.m. ET on Saturday morning, rejoining at 4 p.m., again at 7:30 p.m. and then back on Sunday at 6 a.m. to take it to the finish with post-race interviews until 9:30 a.m. Sunday. Larbre has won the LMGT-AM category the last three years, with any luck we can make it four.
Source : Cooper MacNeil