Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing gets 2024 IMSA season underway with another Daytona victory

A successful start into the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing: WINWARD RACING has won the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the GTD class for the second time. After 24 challenging hours and a total of 731 laps, the quartet of Indy Dontje (NED), Philip Ellis (SUI), Daniel Morad (CAN) and Russell Ward (USA) stood in victory lane. The team put in a faultless and competitive performance, crossing the finish line after a late yellow with a tiny margin of 2.731 seconds over the second-placed car.

Team Korthoff/Preston Motorsports, meanwhile, remained unfazed by multiple setbacks and in spite of a drive-through penalty and a penalty pit stop remained in contention for a podium finish until the end. Eventually, Maximilian Götz (GER), Mikaël Grenier (CAN), Kenton Koch (USA) and Mike Skeen (USA) were classified fifth in the GTD class with the #32 Mercedes-AMG GT3. Rui Andrade (ANG), Scott Andrews (AUS), Adam Christodoulou (GBR) and Salih Yoluc (TUR) took the chequered flag in eighth place with the #80 Mercedes-AMG GT3 run by Lone Star Racing. In the GTD Pro class, the race ended prematurely for SunEnergy1 Racing. Due to technical problems, the team withdrew the #75 Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Maro Engel (GER), Jules Gounon (AND), Kenny Habul (AUS) and Luca Stolz (GER) already during the night.

In the prestigious Michelin Endurance Cup, the endurance race standings of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, defending champions Mikaël Grenier, Kenton Koch and Mike Skeen are leading after the Daytona 24 Hours, together with their teammate Maximilian Götz. For these standings, points are attributed at Daytona after six, twelve, 18 and 24 hours. During the Rolex 24, the Korthoff/Preston Motorsports quartet racked up a total of 13 points for the Michelin Endurance Cup.

>> Results Rolex 24 At Daytona

Podium result at the start of the 2024 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge 2024

A support category of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the Michelin Pilot Challenge also got its 2024 season underway at Daytona International Speedway. In the four-hour season-opening race, Daniel Morad and Bryce Ward (USA) took the chequered flag in second place with the #57 WINWARD RACING Mercedes-AMG GT4.

Mercedes-AMG Race Facts, Rolex 24 At Daytona 2024 

- Third class win for Mercedes-AMG GT3 at Daytona after 2021 (GTD) and 2023 (GTD Pro)

- Second GTD class victory for WINWARD RACING after 2021

- Indy Dontje, Philip Ellis and Russell Ward were already part of the winning driver quartet back then

- Daniel Morad is now also a two-time class winner at Daytona and won for the first time since 2017 (GTD)

- In total sixth podium result for Mercedes-AMG in its eighth participation in the Rolex 24 since 2017

- Distance of the winning Mercedes-AMG GT3: 731 laps / 4,187.899 km

- The race was interrupted by a total of 14 full-course yellows

- Maximilian Götz, Mikaël Grenier, Kenton Koch and Mike Skeen lead Michelin Endurance Cup standings with 13 points

“A great start for us into the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship! Our Customer Racing Teams have worked in an extremely focused way in what was yet another very intense race.  großartiger Start für uns in die Saison 2024 der IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship! Congratulations to WINWARD RACING on this great success, the second one the team has achieved with us in the Rolex 24. This victory fills us with pride. For our #75 SunEnergy1 car, I feel really sorry. Retiring with a failure in spite of the promising opening stage for the team is incredibly bitter!”

Christoph Sagemüller, head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport

“We have done a flawless job. Our Mercedes-AMG GT3 was in a top condition in the closing stages as well and that is the basic requirement to be able to push at the end. Generally, WINWARD RACING has done a great job. The strategy was always right and that is how we were able to work our way up step by step and remain in front. At the end, we had to give it our all once again, but fortunately, we had the better outcome. I am simply just grateful for being here.”

Philip Ellis, WINWARD RACING #57

“It simply was a perfect weekend that already started in a successful way with our podium result in the Michelin Pilot Challenge. I already had the feeling all week that we would be able to be in contention at the front. We have prepared intensely and had one of the best driver line-ups in the field on top of that. Everyone of us has put in his performance and brought us in a position in which we were able to fight for the win. WINWARD RACING provided us with a perfect car. Our Mercedes-AMG GT3 managed the tyres perfectly and that was the big advantage.”

Daniel Morad, WINWARD RACING #57

„We didn’t come here to finish fifth. We were fast in many conditions, but on the oval, we were slightly lacking top speed. Therefore, we weren’t really in a position to attack. We will analyse this and then definitely will make a step forward at Sebring. But Mercedes-AMG has won thanks to WINWARD RACING, congratulations to the team!”

Mikaël Grenier, Team Korthoff/Preston Motorsports #32

“We had a good car and a great team. Many thanks to SunEnergy1 Racing! The team spirit was grear and the car handled really well at the beginning of the race. However, we had an issue with the fuel system that forced us to retire. Sadly, something like that happens at times, there isn’t much one can do about it. Too bad, but we will fight back and compete for victory again next year. The atmosphere at Daytona was really great thanks to the record crowd.”

Maro Engel, SunEnergy1 Racing #75