WeatherTech Racing drivers Cooper MacNeil (Hinsdale, Ill.), Gunnar Jeannette (Salt Lake City, Utah), Shane van Gisbergen (New Zealand), and Thomas Jaeger (Germany) put the No. 50 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 to the test this weekend at the Roar Before the 24 test days at Daytona International Speedway.
Despite this weekend’s changing weather conditions, the drivers were happy with the car’s performance and the information they can take into the Rolex 24 At Daytona Jan. 26-29. In fact, all four drivers got seat time under the various conditions, which should prove useful later this month.
“We had 75 and sunny weather on Friday, rain on Saturday, and cold weather on Sunday so we logged miles in all conditions,” MacNeil said. “The Mercedes-AMG was great to drive all three days. We had a long to-do list and we were able to accomplish everything on it over the three days. We’ll be ready for the 24 in three weeks.”
“The test went well,” Jeannette said. “We’ve certainly have had about every weather condition, aside from snow here. The track conditions changed quite a lot, which has thrown a lot of different stuff at us. We’ve played with a bunch of set-ups. In terms of learning, it’s been really productive. All four of us have gotten a decent amount of time behind the wheel. We all got to drive in the rain. We all got to drive at night. I think we’re all pretty confident. We’re definitely looking forward to the race week.”
“It’s been a good weekend,” van Gisbergen said. “This is the second weekend we’ve been testing. I think we’re in a good spot for the race. We’re all comfortable [with the car]. We’re all at good speed. The set-up has been good. I think we’ve learned a lot. I think we’ll be OK.”
“We spent the weekend working on a common set-up that all of the drivers like,” Jaeger said. “We all had the same feedback so that is all good for the race. All of the drivers ran strong and had a lot of time in the car this weekend in different conditions. The Riley crew are great to work with and we are looking forward to the race in three weeks.”
