Winward Racing And Mercedes-AMG Take Early Season IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Points Lead With 12 Hours Of Sebring Victory

Published: Tuesday, March 18, 2025, 4:50 [IST]

Winward Racing and Mercedes-AMG celebrated a significant victory at the 73rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, driven by Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, and Indy Dontje, secured an early lead in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona (GTD) standings. This triumph marked their second consecutive win in this prestigious race.

Despite starting from fourth place, Ellis quickly advanced to the front within 14 minutes of the race's start. Alongside Ward and Dontje, he maintained a leading position for most of the race. The team led 67 out of 327 laps, only briefly falling behind due to a penalty for a pit-procedure violation.

Winward Racing Leads IMSA GTD After Sebring Win

Ellis made a decisive move in the final stages, overtaking the leader with just over 12 minutes left. He then extended his lead, finishing with a margin of 3.265 seconds. This victory, combined with their fourth-place finish at Daytona, puts them ahead in the GTD driver and team championship standings with 690 points.

The No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 also showed promise during the race. Drivers Dan Knox, Eric Filgueiras, and Scott Andrews kept the car competitive throughout. Unfortunately, a cut rear tire near the end hindered their chances for a top-five finish.

Despite this setback, Andrews managed to bring the car home in ninth place after quick repairs by the team. The performance demonstrated their potential for future races in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup rounds.

Korthoff Competition Motors' Setback

The No. 32 Korthoff Competition Motors Mercedes-AMG GT3 faced its own challenges. Starting strong from second place on the grid, Kenton Koch led early alongside teammates Seth Lucas and Maximilian Götz. However, a driveline issue forced them out of contention midway through the race.

The team worked hard to resolve the problem but ultimately had to retire from the event. Despite this disappointment, they remain optimistic about their prospects for upcoming races.

Drivers Reflect on Their Experiences

Russell Ward expressed pride in his team's efforts: "I think I speak for the whole crew when I say we expect nothing less." He praised everyone involved for their dedication and hard work leading up to this victory.

Philip Ellis highlighted overcoming challenges: "This was huge. We had to come back from a penalty early on." He noted that careful strategy allowed them to seize opportunities without unnecessary risks.

Indy Dontje emphasized teamwork: "It's really important that everyone is coming back together." He acknowledged that while mistakes happened during the race, they managed to recover successfully.

Lone Star Racing's Positive Outlook

Scott Andrews remained positive despite setbacks: "I think we can all be really proud of ourselves collectively as a group." He commended his team for executing well despite unforeseen issues like punctures affecting their result.

Eric Filgueiras echoed similar sentiments about improvement since Daytona: "It's not the result that we wanted but...a huge improvement from Daytona." He appreciated how much progress they've made as they continue refining strategies moving forward.

Korthoff Competition Motors' Determination

Kenton Koch reflected positively despite not finishing well: "We have a lot of positives to take away." He acknowledged how everything came together perfectly until technical difficulties arose unexpectedly during what could have been an excellent run.

Maximilian Götz shared similar thoughts about returning stronger next year: "Sometimes racing is unfair...I need to come back next year with same approach." His determination remains unwavering as he looks forward towards future successes alongside his teammates at Korthoff Competition Motorsports.

The next event on Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing's calendar is set for April at Long Beach Grand Prix where teams will continue competing fiercely within IMSA WeatherTech Championship series events across various circuits worldwide throughout season-long journey ahead!