Cadillac Racing drivers Johnny O’Connell and Michael Cooper are in a must win situation as Cadillac Racing heads to the Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, October 7-9.
O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.), four time PWC GT Champion, and Cooper (Syosset, N.Y.) are tied for third in the PWC GT driver standings heading to the season’s last race at the 2.2-mile, 11-turn Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Both Cadillac drivers have 1,451 points with a single 50-minute race remaining. O’Connell and Cooper still have a mathematical chance to win the driver’s title, however Alvaro Parente (McLaren 1,554 points) cannot win the pole and he and Patrick Long (Porsche 1,545 points) would have to DNF. Both Cadillac drivers are going west with the thought of winning and let the rest of competition fall in behind.
“It is pretty simple, I have to win,” O’Connell said. “Laguna is a track that’s always suited me and I’m looking forward to a great event. It will be hard to match the drama of last season no doubt when my friend Olivier Beretta and I had an epic race for the championship. The Porsche and McLaren have a really tight battle so the fans will definitely be entertained. We will need some luck to win the championship, but hey I’m Irish. It has been a season with some great competition and I am proud of how everyone at Cadillac Racing has risen to the challenge all year.”
Cooper is in the same mode as O’Connell, just win.
“The No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe took a big hit in points at Sonoma, but that ebb and flow is part of a championship,” Cooper said. “The Cadillac Racing team has made the repairs and we will be as good as new this weekend. We are laser focused on what we need to do at Laguna Seca. Winning the race is the only option that gives us a shot at the championship, so that is what we will attempt to pull off. Based on the story lines that need to playout, I think the race has potential to be even more exciting than the finale we saw last year in GT.
The Pirelli World Challenge series finale will run on Sunday, October 9 at 11 a.m. ET. The race from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will be televised on the CBS Sports Network Sunday, October 16 at 3:00 p.m. ET.