[h=2]Two time champion
Cooper searching after Cadillac PWC closure[/h] Monday, 02 October 2017
By Marshall Pruett / Images courtesy of Cadillac Racing
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Of the many things Cadillac Racing gifted sports car racing during its 11 years in the Pirelli World Challenge series, young American driver Michael Cooper could turn out to be its lasting legacy.
A two-time champion in PWC's lower classes, the New Yorker got the call to represent Cadillac in 2016 in the muscular GT3-spec ATS-V.R as teammate to lead driver Johnny O'Connell. With four consecutive GT titles to his credit, O'Connell would serve as Cooper's personal measuring stick, and after taking a pair of wins and third in the 2016 championship – one spot ahead of Johnny O – and a close runner-up finish to 2017 champion Patrick Long, Cooper firmly established himself as a star on the rise.
Like O'Connell, Cooper is also on the free agent market heading into the offseason. After scoring all three of Cadillac's wins this year, and its first SprintX championship with co-driver Jordan Taylor, Cooper's services could be in high demand.
"I have to thank Cadillac Racing for the opportunity they gave me," he told
RACER. "Obviously, after winning the GTS championship, and then moving up with them and being able to get GT experience and race with guys like Johnny O'Connell, Patrick Long, Jordan Taylor, Pierre Kaffer – to prove myself – that's more than I ever could of asked for.
"But [the cancellation] all happened pretty quickly, so that puts me officially on the market. I've had some phone calls and some emails with some people already, but nothing certain for sure. My phone's on loud, and I've got open ears."
With the type of factory experience and success that would fit PWC or IMSA needs, Cooper is keen to land a similar opportunity in GT competition.
"There's definitely some unfinished business in Pirelli World Challenge with the overall GT title still out there after finishing second and third these past two years," he said. "The pinnacle of production car racing, for me is, IMSA's GTLM. You have breath-taking machines like the Corvette, along with the best factory drivers in the world, and I'd relish the chance to show what I'm capable of doing on a stage like that."
Cooper would also welcome a chance to apply what he learned in SprintX to long-form endurance races.
"I gained a lot of experience with GT racing in general, but then also this year, with the SprintX format, having pit stops and driver changes, was great to do after all my sprint racing," he said. "From our calculations, Jordan and I spent the least amount of time on pit lane this year, which is probably why we won the SprintX GT championship, but shows that I'm capable of doing those things even with the little experience that I have at doing them."
Taylor, who is on the cusp of winning IMSA's Prototype championship to add to his SprintX title taken with Cooper, believes his PWC teammate would be right at home in a WeatherTech SportsCar Championship team.
"He's smart enough to know if he doesn't have a winning car, he's not going to put the car at risk," he added. "He'd rather get a third- or fourth-place finish, and that's why he's winning all these championships. He was fast every track he went to. It was fun to work with him and understand his driving style, because I kind of readapted mine to suit him and the car, and make each other go faster. It was a great relationship. I think Cadillac picked the right guy, and GM picked the right guy early on. He's grown a tremendous amount in the three or four years he's been with them in their program. I don't see why people wouldn't look at him, especially in GT cars."