Michael Cooper to sub for DePew in Urban Grid Camaro
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (26 Jan. 2022) – Rebel Rock Racing is set to kick off its fourth complete season of IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge competition with Friday’s BMW M Performance Endurance Championship, a four-hour race at Daytona International Speedway.
Robin Liddell will have a new co-driver in the No. 71 Urban Grid Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R for the event. With regular co-driver Frank DePew opting out of the event due to a family medical issue, Michael Cooper was asked to join the team for the event. DePew, who has 4 Michelin Pilot Challenge race wins with Liddell to his credit and led his first IMSA race at VIR last year, will look forward to his return to the cockpit at Sebring.
“Frank is incredibly disappointed that he will not be racing, and it’s very unfortunate for all of us,” said Liddell, who doubles in the role of team manager. “I am thankful that Frank has supported us to be able to race next weekend, and we look forward to having him back in action for the next race, when we defend our 2021 victory at Sebring.”
Cooper is a five-time champion in the SCCA Pirelli World Challenge, with many of his 41 career victories, 15 poles and 79 podiums coming in that series. He has three career starts in the Michelin Pilot Challenge.
Liddell spent the past weekend doing all of the driving at Daytona’s Roar Before the Rolex 24, and was impressed with the continued improvement of the Urban Grid Camaro.
“We had a very good test at the Roar,” Liddell said. “We put a lot of miles on the car, and it has performed very well. We think the car is quite competitive, but obviously, at the Roar you never know how it will shake out when you return for the race weekend. The Porsches are very fast – it’s a new car, and there’s a lot of them. I’m not sure how we will compete with them, but overall, we’re in pretty good shape.”
The team will look to change the narrative for their fortunes at the epic World Center of Racing, as the previous best result at the track was 13th in 2019. Daytona is one of two four-hour races on the schedule, with the remaining events two hours in duration.
“I like the four-hour races, because it gives a slightly different flavor, and it gives us the feel of an endurance race,” Liddell said. “It’s long enough to allow you to do some strategy that we don’t get in the shorter races. It also gives you time to recover if you’ve had a bit of an issue early on. I think it’s ideal to do it with two drivers – we used to do it with three drivers – but then it puts more pressure on the two drivers and the team.”
Practice for the BMW M Performance Challenge begins Wednesday with a one-hour session at 1:45 p.m. (all times ET). The second practice is a one-hour session Thursday at 9:45 a.m., followed by GS qualifying at 2:45 p.m. Friday opens with a final 30-minute practice at 9:25 a.m.
The opening round of the 2022 Michelin Pilot Challenge season takes the green flag on Friday at 1:35 p.m.
