Cadillac V-Performance driver Michael Cooper (Syosset, N.Y) swept the weekend winning both races in the season finale of the Pirelli World Challenge Championship at Sonoma Raceway today. Johnny O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga) finished eighth.
Cooper started the season finale in his Vector Blue No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe on the front row in second based upon his fast lap from yesterday’s race win. O’Connell took the green from ninth on the GT grid in the Crystal White No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe. At the drop of the green Cooper was once again able to put the Cadillac LF4.R engines power to the ground and drive his Cadillac up the outside and into Turn 2 leading the GT field. Soon after a full course flew. The driver from New York had to hold off the charging Patrick Long in the No. 58 Porsche on the restart. Once again he was able to control the field on the restart and go on to win his second race of the weekend.
“I had another good start today,” Cooper said. “I got on the outside of Patrick and had a clear run into Turn 1. I could see he also had a good run so I rolled it hard into Turn 2 to make sure I didn’t get tagged. I had a good restart and he put a lot of pressure on me the next 10 laps. I was just doing qualifying laps to keep him back. He tried a move into Turn 7 and that didn’t work out so I think he held back to take care of his car. I pushed 100% the whole race. A great way to close the season out for Cadillac.”
O’Connell got slightly balked coming to the green at the start that affected his run up into Turn 2 in the backup Crystal White No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe. He was able to improve a position to eighth which is where he crossed the line at the checker.
“Congrats to Michael on two wins this weekend,” O’Connell said. “Had I not wrecked on Friday I know we’d have had two Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupes at the front this weekend.”
In the final season standings Michael Cooper and Jordan Taylor are series SprintX champions. Cooper finished third in the Sprint GT standings with O’Connell coming in sixth. O’Connell and Ricky Taylor finished fifth in SprintX points. Cadillac was second in the manufacturer standings. In the combined championships of Sprint and SprintX Cooper was second and O’Connell was sixth. Cooper logged two sprint wins at Sonoma Raceway, he and Jordan Taylor also won a SprintX race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park to highlight the season for Cadillac.
