Whelen Engineering Racing Petit Le Mans Preview 

Braselton, Ga. (3 October 2017) – Whelen Engineering Racing will look to close out the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on a high note this Saturday as the team heads to Road Atlanta for the season finale event. Whelen Engineering Racing drivers Eric Curran and Dane Cameron will be joined by Mike Conway in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R for the 20th running of the Motul Petit Le Mans on Saturday.

The trio combined for a run to third in the Sebring 12 Hour earlier this season, and Saturday’s 10 hour battle will settle the final standings in both the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup (TPNAEC) as well as the IMSA WeatherTech championship order. The team has a strong record of performance at the 2.54-mile circuit that includes nearly 200 laps in the lead in the previous two Petit events, with a fourth place finish in 2016 and a run to third in 2015.

“Being the last of the season, Road Atlanta is always a special race and it is where I’ve won my last three titles (2007 Pro Mazda, 2014 IMSA GTD, 2016 IMSA Prototype),” said Cameron. “Ever since the beginning of my career in Formula Ford, I’ve loved this track. It requires so much commitment and it is really rewarding when you get it right. It is also one of my favorites in the dark, it is so cool flying around there at night. It is a great event. The race is a challenge with the traffic. With a big car count, it can be tricky to make up time in the traffic while also being smart. I’ve not got a Petit win, so that is a very big box that I’d like to check off this weekend!”

Curran has experienced the ultra-fast Road Atlanta in a range of Whelen Engineering-liveried machines and is relishing the opportunity to compete with the highly capable Cadillac DPi-V.R package.

“Road Atlanta is a fast, fun track that keeps you on your toes every lap,” said Curran. “The Prototype class is super competitive and on such a quick lap on this track, the margins will be very close. You have to be heads up and make good decisions in traffic. I think the Whelen Engineering Cadillac is going to be a lot of fun to race on Saturday. Hopefully we can execute well as a team and close out the season with a win.”

As the 2017 season is set to turn the page to 2018, the 20th edition of the Petit Le Mans will mark the final race start with Action Express Racing for Dane Cameron, who will join another Prototype effort starting next season. Cameron arrived at Action Express in 2015 and made the most of the opportunity in the Whelen Engineering entry, scoring race wins and then championships with co-driver Curran.

“It has been a great three years with Action Express Racing and I’ve been very proud to represent Sonny and Christine Whelen and everyone at Whelen Engineering,” said Cameron. “Obviously we’ve had some very good performances, a lot of race wins, third in the championship (2015) and then winning the IMSA championship last year was huge. This is a family kind of team and I’ll be doing everything I possibly can this weekend to contribute to getting another win with the Whelen car. That would be the ultimate way to sign off on this program.”

Whelen Engineering Racing: Petit Le Mans

2016 Eric Curran, Dane Cameron, Simon Pagenaud:  Started  3rd, Finished 4th (103 laps led)

2015 Eric Curran, Dane Cameron, Max Papis:  Started 5th  Finished 3rd (74 laps led)