![]() On the other hand, we also have a teary eye because of our other customer teams. Stefan Wendl, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing: "What a fantastic race! For our brand, to win the GTD Pro class here for our second Rolex 24 victory is an amazing success. Next up for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the 12 Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway, March 16 – 19. 75 was officially retired early Sunday morning. Team co-drivers Kenny Habul, Luca Stolz, Fabian Schiller and Axcil Jefferies were competitive from the start of the race only to be sidelined at 9 p.m. 75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes-AMG GT3 inherited the GTD pole after Winward was forced to the back of the starting grid. The team rejoined the race and soldiered to an eventual 15th place finish. 32 team went more than 10 laps down for repairs. 32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 team, and co-drivers Mike Skeen, Mikael Grenier, Kenton Koch and Maximilian Götz, led a GTD class-high 227 race laps, but a potentially race-winning performance came to a crushing end halfway into the 18th hour of the race at sunrise on Sunday.Ī front wheel bearing defect sent Grenier from the race lead to the paddock, and the No. From that point on, Winward battled in the lead pack straight to the end of the race only to be knocked from contention in the latest stages of the race. That paved the way for Ellis to take the lead for the first time in the race's ninth hour. 57 to be moved to the back of the starting grid but starting driver Ward, Dontje and Morad all steadily moved the No. The car and driver change required the No. 57's driver lineup to take over for Auer just the day before the Rolex 24. Morad, who races with Winward in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge competition, was named to the No. Auer had successful surgery on back injuries sustained in the incident at nearby Halifax Health Medical Center on Friday at the same time the Winward team took delivery of a replacement Mercedes-AMG GT3 chassis, which was trailered overnight to Daytona from the team race shop in Texas. The team's originally entered fourth driver, Lucas Auer, was injured in an incident in Thursday's opening Rolex 24 practice session. Team drivers Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, Indy Dontje and Daniel Morad led a total of 177 race laps and Ellis was as the wheel and locked in a close battle with the other GTD and GTD Pro leaders for the race's final restart with less than 30 minutes to go.Īs the field charged into turn one and the first few corners of the 3.56-mile road course's fast infield section, Ellis came together with a GTD Pro competitor and the contact ended what was looking like a storybook finish for the No. After multiple wins at Petit Le Mans and in the 12 Hours of Sebring, MacNeil steps away having finally completed the victory cycle in IMSA's three major endurance races.Įngel earned his first Rolex 24 win in 2021 in the GTD class with Winward Racing that, for the majority of this weekend's race, appeared in a strong position to score another victory. ![]() ![]() This weekend's race was MacNeil's 13th and final attempt at winning the Rolex 24 in what was his final race in IMSA competition. The victory was the second in the last three years for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing and Engel in the Rolex 24, but the first in America's premier twice-around-the-clock race for WeatherTech/Proton, Gounon, Juncadella and – most significantly – MacNeil. The WeatherTech co-drivers combined to lead a class-high 229 race laps over the 24 hours. 79 from the GTD Pro pole Saturday afternoon and 24 hours later was back behind the wheel of the white, red and blue Mercedes-AMG GT3 to take the checkered flag just under four seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. 79 WeatherTech Racing/Proton Competition Mercedes-AMG GT3 team and co-drivers Cooper MacNeil, Jules Gounon, Daniel Juncadella and Maro Engel secured the first IMSA GTD Pro class victory for a Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing team in the 61st Rolex 24 At Daytona this weekend at Daytona International Speedway (DIS).Įngel started the WeatherTech/Proton No. ![]()
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