IMSA - MacNeil Leads Ferrari Qualifying at WeatherTech Raceway

MacNeil Leads Ferrari Qualifying at WeatherTech Raceway     Monterey, Calif. (8 Sept. 2018) – Three Ferrari 488 GT3 machines took to the track for qualifying on Saturday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in preparation for Sunday’s America’s Tire 250.   Scuderia Corsa driver Cooper MacNeil posted the ninth-fastest time in Saturday’s 15-minute qualifying session with a lap of 1:25.404-seconds in the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa WeatherTech Ferrari 488 GT3. He will co-drive with Gunnar Jeannette in the two-hour, 40-minute race, the penultimate round of the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. MacNeil enters the event fourth in the GT Daytona standings as he looks to close down the 38 point gap to the championship leaders.   “We have been working hard on the set-up on the WeatherTech Racing Ferrari all weekend as we are struggling for grip,” MacNeil said. “The front and rear of the car is pretty unsettled, so we have been throwing everything at the black and white Ferrari to get it to turn. The Scuderia Corsa guys are working hard to get us pointing in the right direction. A top ten qualifying effort against a bunch of pros is not a bad day at the race track and we have a three-hour race tomorrow to make up some positions.”   Jeannette explained that the team is working hard to find the right setup for the WeatherTech Ferrari.   “It has been an interesting weekend,” Jeannette said. “I don’t remember struggling for grip this much here over the past few years. It seems like when we put new tires on the WeatherTech Ferrari we have one really good lap, another seven or eight that are OK and then you are hanging on for dear life. We have been trying different things and we will have the best race car that we can and hope it is faster through a stint than the competition.”   Scuderia Corsa Enters Two Cars Frank Montecalvo qualified 11th in the second Scuderia Corsa entry, running a quick lap of 1:26.107-seconds in the No. 64 Ferrari 488 GT3 that will be co-driven by Townsend Bell. This will be the first sprint race of the year for the car, which has competed in the three Tequila Patron North American Endurance Championship rounds so far this season.   Squadra Corse Garage Italia Francesco Piovanetti qualified 13th in the GTD class, turning a lap of 1:27.731-seconds in the No. 51 Ferrari. He will co-drive with veteran Ozz Negri for the team’s fifth race of the season.   Sunday’s Schedule Sunday’s schedule begins with a 20-minute warm-up 9:20 a.m. PT, with the green flag at 2:05 p.m. PT. The America’s Tire 150 will be broadcast live on FS1, beginning at 5 p.m. ET.   Following the race, only the Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta on Saturday, Oct. 13 remains in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship season.