Winward Racing Triumphs Again, Extends IMSA GTD Lead At The Glen

Published: Wednesday, June 26, 2024, 2:06 [IST]

Winward Racing, part of the Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing team, triumphed in the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Co-drivers Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, and Indy Dontje secured their fourth GT Daytona (GTD) class win of the season at Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday. The race, held at Watkins Glen International, was marked by heavy rain and delays.

The victory was particularly sweet for Winward Racing after a similar wet-weather race in 2022 saw them lose due to a minor infraction. This time, they executed flawlessly. Ward started the race and handed over to Dontje after a strong double stint. Dontje kept the car in contention before passing it to Ellis as the weather worsened.

Ellis began his stint in dry conditions but soon faced intermittent rain that turned into a downpour. Despite the challenging weather, Winward Racing made a crucial decision not to pit for rain tires. This choice proved decisive as IMSA slowed the field under yellow flag conditions due to flooding on the track.

After a 40-minute delay caused by flooding, the race resumed with only 16 minutes left. Ellis led from the restart as competitors pitted for tire changes. He managed to fend off an overtake attempt and crossed the finish line with a margin of .884 seconds.

This win bolstered Mercedes-AMG's lead in all six IMSA GTD championships across both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup (IMEC). Although standings remain provisional pending IMSA's review, Winward's victory is not contested. The No. 57 team now holds a season-high 315-point lead in the WeatherTech GTD championships.

Winward Racing has dominated this year's endurance races, winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and now Sahlen's Six Hours. Their fourth win this season came last month at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Korthoff Preston Motorsports' Performance

The No. 32 Korthoff Preston Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 also showed strong performance initially but faced setbacks. Drivers Mike Skeen, Mikael Grenier, and Kenton Koch led for 41 laps but were penalised during an emergency pit stop for low fuel during a caution period. Despite recovering well, they finished 11th.

The No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 also performed admirably despite challenging conditions. Drivers Salih Yoluç, Rui Andrade, and Scott Andrews managed to finish on the lead lap after enduring typical endurance race challenges.

Driver Reactions

Russell Ward expressed his relief and joy: "It feels amazing. It's redemption for us... I was pretty nervous at the end... It's good to get redemption." Philip Ellis described the race as chaotic due to mixed weather conditions but credited their strategy: "For the most part of the race... we were always on the right tires at the right time." Indy Dontje praised their strategy: "We stayed the whole race on slick tires... Really happy to win again in IMSA at The Glen."

The next event for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams is scheduled for July 12-14 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.