MacNeil: Mercedes-AMG “Pushing Hard” With Support

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA

Cooper MacNeil said a combination of factory support and his personal drivability preference led to WeatherTech Racing’s switch to Mercedes-AMG machinery for the remainder of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

After starting the season with a split Porsche/Mercedes approach at Daytona and Sebring, the Proton Competition-run operation has moved away from the Porsche 911 GT3 R, with its full-season No. 79 GTD Pro entry now a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.

Supplied with Mercedes-AMG factory driver Raffaele Marciello for this weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, MacNeil has praised the German manufacturer’s level of assistance as one of the determining factors for the switch.

“We’re getting a lot of good support from Mercedes-Benz,” MacNeil told Sportscar365. “We have factory drivers, technical support, data, engineering, strategy… everything.

“Mercedes is pushing hard for us, which is really nice. 

“On top of that, the podium at Sebring was really good to have that kind of finish after only racing the car for two races with the team that pretty much only knows Porsches.

“It’s a testament to the strength of the car and the support. It went well.”

MacNeil, who scored three class wins in the now-defunct GTLM class with Porsche’s 911 RSR-19 last year, said the Mercedes better suits his driving style when directly compared to Porsche’s GT3-spec counterpart.

“At the end of the day I prefer driving the Mercedes to the [Porsche] 911 GT3 R,” he said. “Both are great cars but I prefer driving the Mercedes.

“Between its weight distribution and center of gravity is really good with this car. It’s the same with the Ferrari.

“I raced Porsches for a long time, had a lot of success in a Porsche, two ALMS championships, and lots of wins in a Porsche. 

“It’s a shame we’re not racing the RSR anymore because I really like that car. I’m looking forward to driving the RSR again at Le Mans [this year in GTE-Am].

“But at the end of the day I want to enjoy what I’m driving and I enjoy driving the Mercedes more than I enjoy driving the [GT3-spec] Porsche.”

MacNeil continued: “We got a lot of support from Porsche last year with the RSR, which was amazing. We had some of the best drivers they could offer us like Kevin Estre and Gimmi Bruni, those guys.

“We got some support with them this year as well but we felt that the support coming from Mercedes was a little better. 

“Ever since Pascal [Zurlinden] stepped out of Porsche, what I think threw things into a little bit of awry at Porsche Motorsport. 

“The support kind of went with that because Pascal was really passionate with Proton and really liked Christian Reid and my father and really gave us a lot of support. [Pascal] moved on.

“It feels a little bit more at home with Mercedes this year so far. I’m happy to be with them. I prefer driving the car. Why not race a car I enjoy driving?”

MacNeil’s Rotating Crop of Co-Drivers Confirmed

Mercedes-AMG factory aces Marciello, Dani Juncadella, Maro Engel, Jules Gounon and Mikael Grenier are all set to share seat time in the Proton-run GTD Pro entry alongside MacNeil.

Marciello is currently only confirmed for Long Beach, with Juncadella set for WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, while Grenier and Engel are confirmed for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.

Gounon, meanwhile, is penciled in for both the GT-only races at Lime Rock Park and Virginia International Raceway, with Grenier returning for Motul Petit Le Mans alongside a to-be-confirmed co-driver.

It’s understood the team had attempted to bring Shane van Gisbergen over for the season finale but the Kiwi faces a clashing commitment.

“Obviously we’re here to win a championship but it’s going to be difficult with Corvette being strong, BMW and those guys,” MacNeil said.

“It would be nice to win some races. That’s the first focus. Then we’ll see where the championship points fall.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John