The 90th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is already on the horizon and the drivers, teams and brands that compete in the queen event of the WEC have already started preparing for the event with the first preliminary tests. Even so, there is still room for some tweaks to the grille of the French endurance classic. In fact, the WeatherTech Racing team has made an adjustment to the roster of the #79 Porsche with which the American structure will compete in the LMGTE-Am category, incorporating a new actor to its project at La Sarthe.
On the first entry lists for this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, the WeatherTech Racing team had designated a driver line-up consisting of Cooper MacNeil, Julien Andlauer and Gianluca Giruadi. However, the Swiss driver will not finally be at the controls of the Porsche #79, since his position will be occupied by Californian Thomas Merrill. It will be the American driver’s debut at La Sarthe after competing in the Trans-Am and having a little experience at the controls of an LMP2 prototype.
The experience of the project is provided by both Cooper MacNeil and Julien Andlauer, two drivers with successes at Le Mans. In fact, MacNeil accumulates eight participations in the 24 Hours, with two podiums in the category. For his part, Andlauer, as well as being a Porsche factory driver, has competed five times in the race, taking victory in LMGTE-Am on his first outing. in the test with Dempsey-Proton in the 2018 edition. Without a doubt, two solid supports on which to support this project.
For its part, Thomas Merrill is before his debut at Le Mans: «I am delighted to run Le Mans. It has been a lifelong goal for me to compete in this race and I can’t wait to take advantage of the opportunity. It is an honor to join WeatherTech Racing. I live near Laguna Seca, so the connection is obvious. Along with Proton, the pedigree of this team is undeniable. I think we have a really strong project. Not many get the chance to race at Le Mans and even fewer get the chance to do it with such a strong team.. I can only thank everyone.”
«I drove the Porsche 911 RSR for the first time and it was a special experience. I grew up around the brand. My parents raced for the Porsche Club of America during my childhood and it has always been a dream to drive a current RSR. I will spend a lot of time in the simulator to prepare in the best way for the race. I also plan on watching lots of videos and watching coverage of the race from previous years. There are a lot of procedures at Le Mans so I have to make sure I come prepared” added Thomas Merrill.
Photos: WeatherTech Racing