WeatherTech Racing ditches Porsche for the remainder of the IMSA season

It has all the makings of a undesirable breakup. WeatherTech Racing and spouse workforce Proton Competitiveness are abandoning the Porsche model for the remainder of their 2022 IMSA GTD Professional campaign, and built it a incredibly public break up with a formal push launch on Tuesday afternoon.

At least some of the beef looks to be in the point that Porsche did not lend WeatherTech higher-profile ample factory racers for its initiatives at Daytona and Sebring therefore much this calendar year. The press launch states that WeatherTech heir Cooper MacNeil will be joined by “a host of Mercedes-Benz Factory Drivers” for the remaining 8 races of the 2022 season.

The WeatherTech group took the somewhat unorthodox choice to area both of those a 911 GT3 R and a pair of Mercedes-AMG GT3s throughout the opening 24 Hours of Daytona in January. Porsche scored a double podium at that race with Pfaff and KCMG, when the very best of the WeatherTech-entered Mercedes completed fifth, and the other endured an motor failure after 487 laps.

At Sebring the team again split their method, running one 911 and 1 AMG. The #97 Mercedes grabbed a podium one lap down from the GTD Pro class winners, while the team’s #79 Porsche completed a few places again on the identical lap.

“Our functionality in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 at Daytona and Sebring was the motivating factor guiding continuing with it for the rest of the season,” MacNeil reported. “We led the race at the Rolex 24 before our drivetrain situation, and then we experienced a solid podium finish at Sebring.

“We also have a profitable history at Extensive Seashore obtaining received there in the Mercedes-AMG in 2017. We are heading out west to see if we can repeat that get.”

Cooper himself raced in the two the WeatherTech Porsche and the WeatherTech Mercedes, turning laps in the two equipment across both equally the Daytona 24 and the Sebring 12.

Back in 2021 the WeatherTech 911 RSR was Porsche’s lone entrant in the now-defunct GTLM classification, and been given major factory-backing in the type of Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet as driving associates for MacNeil. In 2022, on the other hand, there are several Porsche teams managing in GTD Professional who want guidance, and the assets are spread a small thinner.

It’s obvious that Porsche has poured additional aid driving the GTD Professional groups that essentially run a total-professional lineup somewhat than a billionaire’s passion. Pfaff, for instance, is having the Pro class as seriously as it need to be. Go figure.

It stands to be seen as to whether the gamble on Mercedes-AMG will go WeatherTech’s way. Then once more, when the collection title sponsor is your father’s company, and procedures are created specially for you, then perhaps it is in IMSA’s greatest fascination to perform to WeatherTech Racing’s excellent aspect. Porsche, it appears to be, didn’t truly feel like actively playing ball with the MacNeils.