WeatherTech Racing drivers Cooper MacNeil and Leh Keen will be looking to make some waves at the TUDOR United SportsCar Continental Tire Grand Prix powered by Mazda at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend, May 1-3.
Coming off of a seventh place finish at Sebring last month the duo of Cooper MacNeil (Hinsdale, Ill.) and Leh Keen (Charleston, SC) will be dealing with a slightly down on power Porsche at the 2.2-mile, 11-turn undulating road course located on the Monterey Peninsula. The TUDOR Championship balance of performance (BOP) committee put more restriction on the Porsche flat-six engine last week.
“Laguna Seca is a fantastic track and one of my favorites,” MacNeil said. “The elevation change makes it both challenging and interesting to drive. You have the long run uphill and then the sudden downhill from the Corkscrew as the track ascends down to Turn 11. I’ve raced many times at Laguna and I’ve had a lot of success there in the WeatherTech, Alex Job Racing Porsche. I’m looking forward to a fantastic weekend in one of my favorite parts of this country.”
Keen likes Mazda Racway Laguna Seca and has won there in the past.
“It’s always nice to get out to the west coast and race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca,” Keen said. “In 2011 I won the Rolex GT race there in a Porsche, so the Porsche can be very strong at Laguna. The WeatherTech Porsche is always strong, so it should be a good fight for the win. It’s a very historic track and the area around the circuit is very beautiful. There is always a good vibe throughout the paddock and the weather is always nice. The track itself has a nice flow to it and it’s always fun to go down through the Corkscrew. My favorite corners are right before and right after the Corkscrew, they are very fast left handers and very challenging. At Laguna the smaller restrictor probably won’t hurt as bad as the races down the road. But, we really need everything we can get so it is unfortunate we now have such a big change with the much smaller restrictor.”
Alex Job, team owner, will have his team ready for Laguna.
“Cooper and Leh have a lot of miles around Laguna Seca,” Job said. “They have both won races there in the past. We have had some top speed taken away from the Porsche as a result of the most recent BOP. You can’t engineer horsepower in, we will do the best we can to maximize handling and race strategy this weekend.”