Click it and Unblock the Notifications
Mercedes-AMG Clinches 2024 IMSA GTD Manufacturer Championship At Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Winward Racing and Korthoff Preston Motorsports secured the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar GT Daytona (GTD) Manufacturer Championship at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The six-hour endurance race saw these teams aiming for additional team and driver accolades. The No. 32 Korthoff Preston Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 achieved a third-place finish in GTD, maintaining its lead position throughout the race.
The No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, driven by Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, and Indy Dontje, finished fifth, just behind Korthoff Preston. This season, Winward and Korthoff Preston have collectively achieved five victories and four podium finishes in nine races. This success has given Mercedes-AMG a significant lead in the GTD manufacturer points.
Mikael Grenier's performance was pivotal in securing the championship by winning his second GTD pole in three races on Saturday. The only requirement to clinch the title was for the Mercedes-AMG GT3 GTD cars to start the race. With this achievement, only the Motul Petit Le Mans 10-hour race remains on the 2024 schedule.
Winward Racing has led both driver and team championships all season after their first win at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January. They carry a 222-point lead into the Petit Le Mans finale. With favourable tiebreaker scenarios as leaders in GTD race wins, finishing ahead or close behind their sole rival will secure their first IMSA GTD championships.
Korthoff's recent successes have propelled them to third place in both team and driver standings. Although catching up with the second-place competitor is challenging due to a 271-point gap, they are comfortably ahead of their nearest challenger by 300 points.
The IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup (IMEC) titles are also at stake in the finale, rewarding top performers in endurance races. Korthoff's third-place finish at Indianapolis secured Mercedes-AMG's IMEC GTD Manufacturer Championship for a second consecutive year.
Endurance Cup Battle
Korthoff and Winward are part of a tight three-way contest for driver and team titles. Korthoff, Skeen, and Grenier are defending champions and aim to retain their titles this year alongside Winward.
The Winward team leads both championships with 35 points while Korthoff holds third place with 31 points. The second-place competitors have accumulated 34 points.
Lone Star Racing's Return
The return of Lone Star Racing's No. 80 Mercedes-AMG GT3 bolstered Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing efforts at Indy. Co-drivers Salih Yoluç, Rui Andrade, and Scott Andrews faced wet conditions initially but gained pace as it dried.
Despite showing potential towards the end of the race, an incident with a competitor over 20 laps down hindered their progress. After being retrieved from a gravel trap, they finished four laps down in 15th place.
SunEnergy1 Racing's Comeback
The No. 75 SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 returned to compete at Indy for the first time since Daytona. Team owner Kenny Habul enlisted Chaz Mostert and Jordan Love for this six-hour challenge.
Despite technical issues on Friday and challenging wet conditions early on, they improved significantly during the final two hours but ultimately finished seventh on the lead lap due to time constraints.
Mikael Grenier expressed satisfaction with their strategy execution: "We made the right calls at the right time... It's great; I love racing with Mercedes-AMG."
Russell Ward acknowledged challenges but remained optimistic: "A really tough weekend... if we can go into the finale and do [well], we will win."
Rui Andrade reflected on missed opportunities: "It's always a bit sour leaving these races when we know we could have done more... Our positive is that [the car] was good."
Chaz Mostert appreciated his experience: "Any time you can race in IMSA... is really cool... I thoroughly enjoyed it."
Jordan Love shared his thoughts: "It was my first IMSA race... It was good fun – sharing a car with Kenny and Chaz is always good fun."
Continue with Google