WeatherTech Racing will start the 63rd running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring tomorrow from the second row in GTD.
The team topped the timing charts in two of the four official practice sessions heading to this afternoon’s qualifying run. Drivers Cooper MacNeil (Hinsdale, Ill.), Leh Keen (Charleston, SC) and Andrew Davis (Atlanta, Ga.) have put in the work in testing and practice to get the No. 22 WeatherTech Racing Porsche comfortable to drive around the demanding 3.24-mile, 17-turn historic Sebring circuit.
In qualifying Keen had the controls of the black and white Porsche for the 15-minute timed session. Recording a fast lap of 2:04.339 the time will have the team starting from row two in the ultra-competitive GTD Class.
“We have had a really solid Porsche all week,” Keen said. “This morning the car was really comfortable to drive. To start on the second is a good position to take the green flag for 12 hours of racing. We are at the front of the field, so no real complaints. Our teammate Mario Farnbacher qualified the team car on the front row, so things look good for whole operation for the race – two strong Porsche 911s. I am looking forward to the race and possibly getting Alex Job a tenth Sebring win.”
MacNeil likes the way the WeatherTech Porsche drives.
“The car has been really good,” MacNeil said. “I have been able to turn some of the fastest laps that I have ever run here at Sebring this week. Leh and Andrew did a great job with the team in testing a few weeks back and we have the WeatherTech Porsche really handling well. The team is always strong at Sebring. Leh did a great job to put the car on the second row for the race, which makes things a little easier at the start. We plan to start up front and finish there tomorrow night. It is supposed to be really warm tomorrow. The Porsche is a good car in the heat. As long we have the driver cooling system working I am ready to race.”
Davis’ work with the team in testing has paid off.
“The WeatherTech Porsche has been really good,” Davis said. “We tested here two weeks ago and we had a very successful couple days of running. Greg Fordahl, our engineer, and the whole team really did a great job to get a good set-up on the car in that test session. The team and drivers are working well together. The lap times are there and the car is very comfortable to drive fast. I have driven a lot of 911s around Sebring, but this is one of the best and that is saying a lot. I am very excited for the race tomorrow.”
Alex Job, team owner, has both cars at the front for the start.
“It looks like our testing investment two weeks ago has paid off,” Job said. “Cooper, Leh and Andrew are very happy with the way the car drives. We have seen some different conditions, much hotter, since the test, but the WeatherTech Porsche is still fast. Leh did a good job in qualifying and has us up on the second row. He will start right behind teammate Mario Farnbacher.”