Elkhart Lake, Wis., Cadillac V-Performance driver Michael Cooper (Syosset, N.Y) drove his No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe to a third place finish today in the Pirelli World Challenge Championship (PWC) World Challenge Grand Prix of Road America. Teammate Johnny O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) drove a comeback race to finish eighth.
At the drop of the green O’Connell, from his front row starting position, had a nose on the eventual winner Adderly Fong’s Bentley going into Turn 1. The pair were side-by-side going into Turn 5 when Fong had contact with
O’Connell at the exit sending the No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe spinning. Cooper was able to move forward from sixth and slot into fifth. Over the next series of laps Cooper drove to third by lap nine. Meanwhile O’Connell was raging back from 22nd to finish eighth.
“It was a pretty good run from sixth for the No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R,” Cooper said. “We worked hard on the car through practice and it paid-off in the race. We were able to get runs on guys and make some moves to pass. We weren’t quite as quick as the Porsche or the Bentley. We will take a look at the data and see if we need to make some changes to get on the top step of the podium tomorrow.”
“I am hugely disappointed,” O’Connell said. “We had a great Cadillac today. I was able to fight back from 22nd up to eighth. That just gives me extra motivation for race two tomorrow.”
The Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix of Road America race two will start at 10:55 a.m. ET tomorrow. Follow the action at MotorTrendOnDemand.com. The race will be broadcast on the same day, Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on the CBS Sports Network.
Cooper and Jordan Taylor fourth, O’Connell and Ricky Taylor 11th
Cadillac V-Performance drivers Michael Cooper (Syosset, N.Y) and Jordan Taylor (Apopka, Fla.) finished fourth in the first of a double race weekend at the Pirelli World Challenge SprintX Championship at Lime Rock Park today. Teammates Johnny O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) and Ricky Taylor (Lake Mary, Fla.) were classified 11th in class (26th overall) after an on track incident.
Earlier in the afternoon, under rainy conditions, Cooper drove the No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe to a fifth place qualifying run with a time of 58.02 around the 1.5-mile, 7-turn Lime Rock Park circuit which had him start race one from the third. O’Connell had the wheel of the No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe for qualifying and posted a lap time of 58.29 on Pirelli wet tires that had him start from the fourth row in eighth.
At the start of the race Cooper was able to slot the Vector Blue ATS-V.R into fourth place for the opening stint of the 60-minute race. Thirty-two minutes into the race both Cadillac race cars pitted for the mandatory driver change. Jordan Taylor exited the pits in the No. 8 Cadillac followed by his brother Ricky in the No. 3. Seven minutes later Ricky, running fifth, was hit from behind by the No. 14 Porsche which sent him into the wall outside of Turn 1. The wet conditions had him stuck and a full course caution flew to extricate the Velocity Red ATS-V.R from the tire wall. On the restart Jordan Taylor was able to hold his position and come to the checkered flag in fourth.
“It was a pretty good run for the No. 8 car,” Cooper said. “We moved up from fifth to fourth. There was a lot of excitement out there with the lap traffic at this tight track. We will take some good points and move on to tomorrow. That Porsche is pretty quick.”
“Our run was ok,” Jordan Taylor said. “We had a top three or four car. Michael and I were held up by the No. 2 Mercedes, if we could have got by him we were on the podium. Some guys are more disrespectful than others when you come up on them, like what happened to Ricky. I think we can go on to tomorrow with some good fourth place points. It could have been worse, could have been better. We will come back and race hard tomorrow.”
“Disappointing,” O’Connell said. “We had a fourth or fifth place run going. It is unfortunate what happened. My start was pretty good. Everyone was clean. Traffic played into the hands of the Porsche and Audi. By the time I got a good gap to get a fast lap for tomorrow the edge was off of the tire. From third to sixth place the GT cars are very close. The Porsche and Audi seem to have a little more.”
“I think a lack of experience and maybe getting into the ABS a little too much so he couldn’t stop resulted in me being punted off the track,” Ricky Taylor said. “I never saw him coming. I haven’t seen the video, but I am not sure why he went for that move he is not even racing in our class. I thought our race was going pretty good. We were in a good points position. It is a shame to have it end that way.”
Cooper and Jordan Taylor first,O’Connell and Ricky Taylor third
Cadillac V-Performance Racing drivers Michael Cooper (Syosset, N.Y) and Jordan Taylor (Apopka, Fla.) won the first to two races in the Pirelli World Challenge SprintX Championship at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) today. Teammates Johnny O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) and Ricky Taylor (Lake Mary, Fla.) completed the podium in third.
Cooper had the wheel of the No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R for the start of the 60-minute race. He started 22nd in the 34 car field due to not being able to make a timed lap in qualifying. The team’s strategy was to wait until the end of the 10-minute window to pit Cooper and insert Jordan Taylor. As luck would have it, as the other teams cycled through their pit stops, Cooper brought the Vector Blue Cadillac ATS-V.R to pit lane for the driver change at the 33-minute mark in first place. At the nearly the same time a full course yellow flew. This allowed Jordan Taylor to take over and return to the race still in the lead, in the middle of the field with a nearly half-lap lead.
“That was about the easiest race I have ever won,” Jordan Taylor said. “Michael did the hard work, he passed about 12 cars during his stint at the start. When we pitted we were basically a lap ahead. It was a strategy call that won the race and the yellow really helped. Michael did a great job. It was my job to bring it home. It is harder to drive when you are not under pressure and don’t have to push, the car handles completely different. I was just being cautious not to make a mistake.”
“The first couple of laps were about passing the GTA guys,” Cooper said. “I just did my job, executed and made clean passes. Once I got to the pros it got a little tougher, but I was able to make some good passes. The team made a great call and we got lucky with the yellow. Jordan did a great job to bring it home for the win. Incredible to go from last to first in a 60-minute race.”
O’Connell and Ricky Taylor also had a great run. O’Connell was able to run strong in third place when he turned the car over to the older Taylor brother. Ricky jumped in the Velocity Red Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe 30-minutes into the race. He returned to the fray and was able to hold the position and take the last step on the podium for a Cadillac one – three finish.
“I thought we were second the whole time, it turns out the No. 8 car was leading,” Ricky Taylor said. “It is nice to get a result for Cadillac. I think the rubber from the NASCAR guys who practiced before us changed the track. Our car was a bit of a handful. We executed well in the pits and that is where we got by the Mercedes and got a gap on the Bentley. The team performed well today.”
“You never know what is going to happen in this SprintX racing,” O’Connell said. “The No. 8 guys must be Irish and I must be adopted, they had the luck today. I am proud of the job Ricky and I did. We had a good race, no mistakes. Just about everyone got caught out with the yellow. I would execute the same way again. We made up time on the Porsche and went from third to second in that stop. Luck has always been a part of racing. We were luckier today than at VIR [Virginia International Raceway].”
Pratt Miller Engineering (PME) is proud to announce and welcome Chris Andrews as its Director of Automotive Business Development. Chris joined the PME team on August 15th and is based out of the company’s Grand River Office in New Hudson, Michigan.
Chris’s impressive resume includes degrees in Communications, a Master of Science in Engineering Management and is a Certified Six Sigma Green Belt. He is a 15+ year veteran from the Visteon Corporation where he was most recently Leader of Emerging Technologies.
Chris’s broad experience in leading effective strategy, operations performance, and cross-functional team leadership in support of the development of groundbreaking technologies for use in automotive OEM applications made him a perfect fit for the position.
About Pratt Miller Engineering
Pratt Miller Engineering – a dominant force in professional motorsports and automotive technology – designs, engineers, and manufactures world-class vehicles, products, and software. The company is defining the future of the global automotive industry by providing advanced solutions in vehicle dynamics, safety systems, lightweight systems, and autonomy. Pratt Miller serves a global customer base including those in the Motorsports, Defense, Automotive, and Powersports industries.
The next-generation of targets used for live firing training are likely to be intelligent ‘drone’ vehicles that can move freely around a training area to realistically replicate people running, or armoured vehicles driving on the battlefield.
One example on show at this year’s I/ITSEC is a reactive vehicle platform and target system from Michigan-based Pratt Miller, which is currently wrapping up Phase 2 development for PEO STRI as part of a small business innovative research (SBIR)-funded project.
To aid with realism, the battery-powered four-wheeled vehicle can be mounted with an array of two dimensional and three dimensional targetry to mimic a range of threats from armour to pick-up trucks.
Known as the Trackless Moving Target-Vehicle (TMT-V), the project is likely to move into Phase 3 by the end of the year. Pratt Miller told Shephard that they were still awaiting the Phase 3 RFP, but the scope will likely be focused on the commercialisation of the platform over a 22-month period.
‘During that time we are going to focus on the reliability of the platform, the serviceability and the user interface,’ said Jim Fontaine, Pratt Miller’s account manager for ground robotics. ‘The target is for TRL 8, maybe 9 if we can stretch the funding enough to get there.’
By incorporating reactive behaviours and autonomy, the vehicles makes range training less predictable and enhances the training experience. Traditionally, moving target practice relies on rail-based tracked systems that do not provide a realistic representation of enemy movement.
Pratt Miller currently works with another Michigan-based company, Quantum Signal, to develop the autonomy, behaviours and interface elements.
During Phase 3, the company hopes it can seek early adopters that are interested in ‘putting the platform through its paces’, which could include the military or even independent companies that provide range services.
‘We would like to see this being utilised on ranges to get as much information as possible for final production,’ said Fontaine. A programme of record and low-rate initial production (LRIP) could follow after the conclusion of Phase 3, although this is subject to army funding and requirements.
The vehicle – which utilises commercial off-the-shelf technology for major subsystems – has already been demonstrated at TRL 7 during trials at Fort Benning, Georgia. It also utilises an open-architecture system around both FASIT and TRACR requirements, meaning various targetry equipment can be integrated from different suppliers.
At I/ITSEC 2016, the TMT-V has a Thiessen mechanism that lifts a target representing a pick-up truck. Fontaine told Shephard that an infantry version has also been developed, called the Trackless Moving Target-Infantry (TMT-I), which is being funded by PEO STRI through a 24-month Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF).
One of the aims is to ensure the TMT-V and TMT-I have a similar maturity level and can utilise the same toolsets, including mission planning tools, meaning that range staff can begin replicating complex scenarios involving infantry targets and vehicle targets.
‘It needs to act more like a person would, so we are working on an advanced sensor package for that, so it can perceive more and react accordingly,’ said Fontaine.
Article by: by Grant Turnbull in Orlando – Shephard Media
Pratt Miller Engineering (PME) is proud to announce and welcome Kevin Mulrenin as its Director of Defense Business Development. Kevin joined the PME team full time on September 1st and is based out of the company’s Grand River Office in New Hudson, Michigan.
Kevin has a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Maryland – University College. His impressive resume includes leading such efforts as the development of the Army’s Fuel Efficient Demonstrator (FED) to the more recent development of concept designs for the Combat Vehicle Prototype (CVP) and Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) vehicles. He has been a life-long member of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) and the Association of the United States Army (AUSA).
Kevin’s proven track record of growing and sustaining small businesses in the defense market paired with his dedication to bringing innovation to the military ground vehicle community is precisely the reason PME selected him for the position.
About Pratt Miller Engineering
Pratt Miller Engineering – a dominant force in professional motorsports and military technology – designs, engineers, and manufactures world-class vehicles, products, and software. The company is defining the future of the defense industry by providing advanced solutions in platform mobility, survivability, occupant protection, lightweight systems, and autonomy. Pratt Miller serves a global customer base including those in the Motorsports, Defense, Automotive, and Powersports industries.
Cooper and Jordan Taylor third, O’Connell and Ricky Taylor sixth
Cadillac V-Performance Racing drivers Michael Cooper (Syosset, N.Y) and Jordan Taylor (Apopka, Fla.) finished third in the GT Pro/Pro category in today’s first of two Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) SprintX races this at Virginia International Raceway (VIR). Teammates Johnny O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.), and Ricky Taylor (Lake Mary, Fla.) came to the checker in sixth.
As the cars rolled from pit lane for the start of the 60-minute race, Cooper’s No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe stalled just 50 yards from the starters stand. Quick work by the VIR towing crew and the Cadillac Racing team got the car back out on the track without losing a lap. As the green dropped Cooper was just two turns ahead of the overall race leader.
As Cooper was racing to stay on the lead lap, O’Connell was busy moving from his 11th place starting position to sixth by the end of lap one. As the race progressed to the pit window, Cooper pitted and turned the No. 8 Vector Blue Cadillac over to Jordan Taylor. Soon after O’Connell came in and gave the wheel of the No. 3 Velocity Red Cadillac to Ricky Taylor. Unfortunatley Ricky had to return to pit lane for a drive thru penalty as the team missed the mandatory pit time by less than a half-second. The same penalties were also given out to several other top running teams. The races only caution at the 38-minute mark helped the No. 8 Cadillac team catch the field. At the end of the race Jordan Taylor and Cooper finished fifth overall, third in the Pro/Pro class. O’Connell and Ricky Taylor were classified in eighth place overall, sixth in class.
“At the start the car just stopped, the battery just failed,” Cooper said. “That is how it goes sometimes. Once the guys got it going I just put my head down and tried to run fast laps and get through traffic clean. I was also saving my tires. I said there were going to be some fireworks in this race and there were. A lot of teams dropped the ball and we were able to get back in the race. To finish fifth overall and third in class is pretty good considering I was in last place about 200 yards in front of the leader around this 3.2-mile track.”
“The driver change went pretty well,” Jordan Taylor said. “We beat our 30-second minimum. I was able to get all my belts and hoses on in that time. The first couple of laps I was running by myself. We thankfully got a caution. The No. 8 Cadillac was handling good. To come away with a fifth overall finish and third in class is a pretty good day considering we were in last place on the first lap.”
“I was able to go from 11th to sixth on the first lap,” O’Connell said. “I had a great start. I am very pleased with my stint in the Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe. We were in third when I brought it to pit lane. We were just short of the time in the pits. Ricky had to come in and do a drive thru, but so did a lot of the other front running cars. Our bad luck turned around and were able to get a sixth place finish. Ricky is going to have his work cut out for him starting in 12th tomorrow. We raced the car up to third and now we are starting 12th, that is frustrating. The Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe was great. We will try to execute better tomorrow.”
“The driver change went well, maybe a little too well,” Ricky Taylor said. “Unfortunately we were less than a half of a second off on the count. I had to do a drive thru penalty. We were in a position to do well, but we had a mistake and that probably cost us the race. We go again tomorrow, I will have some work to do at the start to move the car up the field. Anything can happen. I am used to starting the race in IMSA, it will be different here in PWC. I am excited to have the chance to race the car up the field at the start.”
Ricky Taylor and O’Connell will start from 12th on the grid (row six) and Cooper and Jordan Taylor will start from fourth (row two).
SprintX Explained:
•Two drivers, 60-minute race, one pit stop
•Pro/Pro drivers may pick who qualifies
•The qualifying driver must start race one
•Qualifying for race two will be set by fastest race lap from race one
•The finishing driver of race one must start race two
Pit Stop:
•Pit window opens at the lap proceeding 25-minutes
•Pro/Pro drivers have a 30-second pit time, Pro/Am drivers have a minimum pit time of 60-seconds
•There will be no tire changes at VIR
•Driver pairings will be awarded points equally based upon finishing position
The Pirelli World Challenge Series SprintX race two from Virginia International Raceway will go off today at 1:15 p.m. tomorrow. The race can be viewed via live stream at MotorTrendonDemand.com. The broadcast of the race weekend will be aired on the CBS Sports Network, May 7 at 6 p.m.
Cooper and Jordan Taylor third, O’Connell and Ricky Taylor 12th
Cadillac V-Performance Racing drivers Michael Cooper (Syosset, N.Y) and Jordan Taylor (Apopka, Fla.) finished third today in the GT Pro/Pro category in this weekend’s second Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) SprintX race at Virginia International Raceway (VIR). Teammates Johnny O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.), and Ricky Taylor (Lake Mary, Fla.) finished 12th in the Pro/Pro class.
Based upon their fast race lap from yesterday, Jordan Taylor started the No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe from the second row in fourth. Brother Ricky Taylor had the wheel of the No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe on row six in 12th. At the drop of the green Jordan Taylor was able to make up one position into Turn 1 and slotted into the third. A little further back Ricky Taylor was battling a swarm of cars in the No. 3 Cadillac. As the race progressed to the mandatory pit stop window a caution flew 19-minutes into the event. The race went green again at the 30-minute mark, the two Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupes came to the pits for the driver change at 34-minutes. Cooper took over the No. 8 Vector Blue Cadillac and returned to the race in third place, O’Connell jumped behind the wheel of the No. 3 Velocity Red Cadillac and rejoined the race in seventh. Fifty-four minutes into the race the second full course slowed the field. O’Connell reported that he ran over some debris on the track and had a tire going flat. The team had to pit O’Connell to change the tire. He went out in 13th (12th in class) position and the race soon ended under yellow.
“We had a really smooth driver change,” Cooper said. “I had a big battle on the out lap and was able to get a position. There was a lot going on with the traffic. Jordan did a good job moving us up from fourth to third. We came in as soon as the pit window opened, we were able to gain that last podium position. It is nice to get a second podium finish on the weekend for everyone at Cadillac Racing.”
“I think it was a good race,” Jordan Taylor said. “When we started the weekend in practice we were seventh or eighth. This was my first time starting a race in three years. I was able to get by the No. 4 Audi in Turn 1 and get behind the Mercedes. They were fast all weekend and I knew if I could hang them it would be good. We made the most of the race, no mistakes. Michael and I had a clean run. The team gave us a good car. To leave here with two podium finishes is a good weekend.”
“It was an eventful start,” Ricky Taylor said. “It was my first start with the Cadillac ATS-V.R. I learned a lot and I know what to do different the next time. I settled into the stint and was able to make up a couple of positions. We suffered from the track position that we lost from yesterday. You really have to put in a full weekend here in PWC. We were having a pretty good run, Johnny was pushing his way into the top five and then the flat took that away. The encouraging thing is that the team really executed well with no mistakes in this first SprintX weekend.”
“Congratulations to the guys in the No. 8 Cadillac, they had a great weekend,” O’Connell said. “We had a great race car both days. We moved up in our run today like we did yesterday. The Mercedes checked out, the rest of us were in a nice pack. Unfortunately during that last wreck I picked up a puncture and had to pit for a tire. We were running seventh and I was ready to make a move toward the end, then that crash happened. We have had three tough race weekends. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is next and I have won there more than anyone else and we will be looking to add to that in a couple of weeks.”
The Pirelli World Challenge Series will travel to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, May 19-21 for the second round of SprintX races. The race from VIR will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network, May 7 at 6 p.m.
Cadillac V-Performance Racing drivers Michael Cooper (Syosset, N.Y) and Johnny O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) finished the Pirelli World Challenge Long Beach Grand Prix in 14th and 20
th respectively this morning.
Both Cadillac drivers had issues going into the dicey Long Beach Turn 1. Cooper started from the fifth row in his No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe and was hit several times at the entry to Turn 1 and was relegated to 15th position. O’Connell started his No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe two rows back in 12th and drove deep into Turn 1, couldn’t get the car turned and hit the wall causing heavy damage to the front of this Velocity Red ATS-V.R Coupe, but was able to continue. On lap eight a caution flag flew, due to water gushing onto the back straight from a broken fire hydrant. The race then went to a red flag stoppage and restarted with Cooper in 14th and O’Connell in eighth. With two laps to go O’Connell tried a pass on the seventh place runner and got into the wall and took the checkered flag in 20th. Cooper recorded a finish of 14th.
“The start was a tough,” Cooper said. “The entry into Turn 1 is wide and the inside is very inviting, but then the corner is a sharp left hander. One of the Acura’s came sailing into Turn 1 on the inside and got into me then there were cars bouncing off each other, the inside lane was stacked up. The car then popped into neutral and by the time I was able to get back going I was behind the GTA field. The Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe was handling well, but we just don’t have the power to make up positions.”
“The first thing that comes to mind is Cadillac’s motto Dare Greatly,” O’Connell said. “I Dared Greatly today. I left everything I had out there on track today. It is unfortunate. All we can do is keep digging and win for Cadillac. We will put this one behind us and move onto Virginia. When you have one arm tied behind your back, what do you do?”
The Pirelli World Challenge Series will travel to Virginia International Raceway (VIR), April 28-30. The VIR round will include the season’s first SprintX race.
Cadillac Racing, since the team’s inception in 2004, has amassed 31 wins, 110 podium finishes (including wins) and 24 pole positions. The team won the World Challenge Manufacturer Championship in 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Team Cadillac drivers have won the World Challenge Driver’s Championship in 2005 with Andy Pilgrim and in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 with Johnny O’Connell.
St. Petersburg, Fla. – Cadillac V-Performance Racing drivers Johnny O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) and Michael Cooper (Syosset, N.Y) finished race one of a weekend double-header in fourth and seventh respectively (unofficially) at the Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) GT season opener at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
Cooler temperatures in the mid-70s greeted the field of 25 GT and GTA racers for the 50-minute race to start the 2017 PWC season. At the drop of the green flag, O’Connell and Cooper were able to improve on their seventh and tenth place starting positions. On lap five the duo were running fifth and ninth when the races only full course caution flew. Nine laps later the race was restarted. The field settled in until lap 24 when Patrick Long drove his Porsche under O’Connell putting the driver of the No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe in sixth, while teammate Cooper ran in ninth. On the last lap O’Connell was able to take advantage of action in front of him and make a two passes to take the checkered flag in fourth with Cooper coming home in ninth.
“I had some good racing with Patrick Long in the Porsche,” O’Connell said. “I gave him room to race and he was able to get by me into Turn One. He got by me once and went a little wide and I got the spot back and then he came back. It was a good hard race. We were able to move up, I started seventh and finished fourth. It is hard to say, I am not sure I was as good as that McLaren, but I liked my Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe today. We will take it. Each race is a lesson. I am so excited to be back representing Cadillac with the 2017 season underway!”
Cooper is happy with a strong seventh place finish and a good No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe for the second race tomorrow afternoon.
“I think we can be happy with seventh place,” Cooper said. “We were able to move up from our tenth spot on the grid. The car was pretty good overall, we will do some tweaking on it overnight to get it that much better for tomorrow. Coming out of the first race on a street course with a clean car and points is what matters this weekend.”
Race two of the Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac Grand Prix of St. Pete will take the green at 3:15 p.m. ET tomorrow afternoon. The race can be viewed via live stream at http://bit.ly/2n6TZ8T. The weekend’s races will be televised on Saturday, March 18 at 2 p.m. ET on the CBS Sports Network.
Cadillac Racing, since the team’s inception in 2004, has amassed 31 wins, 109 podium finishes (including wins) and 24 pole positions. The team won the World Challenge Manufacturer Championship in 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Team Cadillac drivers have won the World Challenge Driver’s Championship in 2005 with Andy Pilgrim and in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 with Johnny O’Connell.
