WATKINS GLEN, New York – Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series bring the momentum of recent race wins and points leads in several championships to Watkins Glen International this weekend at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, June 22 – 25. Mercedes-AMG GT3 teams WeatherTech Racing/Proton Competition, Team Korthoff Motorsports and Winward Racing compete in Sunday’s featured Sahlen’s Six Hours WeatherTech Championship race while four Mercedes-AMG GT4 entries do battle in the top-tier Grand Sport (GS) class in Saturday’s two-hour Pilot Challenge race.
The weekend’s races bring both the WeatherTech and Pilot Challenge series to the midpoints of their respective seasons in addition to Sunday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours serving as the third of four rounds in this year’s IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup (IMEC). The Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen starts this Sunday at 10:40 a.m. EDT with live coverage on the USA Network picking up at 2 p.m. EDT through the checkered flag and post-race coverage until 5 p.m. EDT.
Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella co-drove the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing/Proton Competition Mercedes-AMG GT3 to a GTD Daytona (GTD) Pro class victory one race ago at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The win was a GTD Pro series-leading second of the season for Gounon, Juncadella and the WeatherTech/Proton team after a victory in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona in January.
Combined with a third-place finish in March’s 12 Hours of Sebring, the No. 79 WeatherTech team and drivers come to Watkins Glen leading the Endurance Cup GTD Pro championship four points ahead of the nearest challenger. The early-season success also has Mercedes-AMG atop the GTD Pro IMEC manufacturer championship standings by the same four-point margin, 29 – 25.
The Laguna Seca win also moved the No. 79 squad nearer to the overall GTD Pro championship leaders. The team is second in GTD Pro points, just 41 shy of first place, heading into the weekend with both Gounon and Juncadella set for their debuts on the legendary Watkins Glen Grand Prix circuit.
The other Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer Mercedes-AMG GT3 contenders at The Glen include the No. 57 Winward Racing and No. 32 Team Korthoff Motorsports entries.
Winward looks to avenge a heart-breaking loss in last year’s Sahlen’s Six Hours when team driver Philip Ellis crossed the finish line first only to see the No. 57 stripped of the victory as one of several teams narrowly missing modified driver-time requirements due to a late and race-delaying rainstorm.
Ellis returns to upstate New York co-driving the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 with full-season teammate Russell Ward and their longtime endurance race partner Indy Dontje.
Korthoff, that made its major league racing debut in IMSA GTD competition at Watkins Glen in 2021, returns for this weekend’s endurance race on the 3.4-mile circuit with full-season co-drivers Mike Skeen and Mikael Grenier and their endurance-race teammate Kenton Koch.
Competitive runs in both the Rolex 24 and the 12 Hours of Sebring have the Korthoff team second in the GTD Endurance Cup point standings ahead of Sunday’s race. The No. 32 team and drivers are just three points out of first place, the same number that has Mercedes-AMG currently ranking a close second in the GTD Endurance Cup manufacturer championship standings.
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer teams are also championship contenders and recent winners in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS competition coming to The Glen. Murillo Racing and Winward have combined to win the last two Pilot Challenge races with a pair of first-time series winners.
Kenny Murillo and Christian Szymczak scored their first Pilot Challenge victory last month at Laguna Seca in the No. 72 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4. The breakout win moved the No. 72 team and drivers to first place in the GS championship, a lead they have built to 100 points over the nearest competitor, 1000 – 900, coming into The Glen.
Bolstered by the two victories in the year’s first four races, Mercedes-AMG has also added to its GS manufacturer championship lead ahead of Saturday’s race. The current tally of 1300 points is 60 clear of Mercedes-AMG’s nearest competitor.
Russell Ward’s father, Bryce Ward, and his co-driver Daniel Morad secured their first Pilot Challenge win with a convincing victory in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 earlier this month at the Detroit Grand Prix. Winward’s victory followed a then season-best finish of third at Laguna Seca and was the first for Bryce Ward in five years of Michelin Pilot Challenge competition.
Murillo Racing brings a pair of entries to Watkins Glen, with Jeff Mosing and Eric Foss coming off of a season-best fifth-place finish at Detroit in the No. 56 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4. The hard-earned top-five came after Mosing started 14th in the 22-car field.
The final Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer entry at Watkins Glen is the No. 27 Lone Star Racing/Bluff City Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 co-driven by Anton Dias Perera and Scott Andrews. The No. 27 team and drivers have been strong all season and look for their first podium showing of the year at The Glen after competitive but ultimately frustrating races at Laguna Seca and Detroit since the team finished a season-best fourth at Sebring in March.
A four-day event, the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen weekend begins with opening Pilot Challenge GS practice Thursday afternoon. Final GS practice is Friday morning before that afternoon’s GS qualifying session at 3:55 p.m. EDT.
The WeatherTech Championship practices for the Sahlen’s Six Hours take place for the first time Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. EDT with final practice Saturday morning setting the stage for GTD and GTD Pro qualifying at 1:20 p.m. EDT.
Sunday’s schedule begins with a 20-minute WeatherTech Championship warm-up session at 8 a.m. EDT with the weekend’s featured Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen running from 10:40 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. EDT.
Kenton Koch, Driver – No. 32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3: “I think going into any race you go in trying to do the best that you can. You can’t really look at what the result might be – obviously everybody wants to win – but you just have to look at doing the best that you can. Jumping back in with those guys again as the third driver is great, but we definitely need some luck going our way. We have had plenty of speed, and Watkins Glen may suit the Mercedes-AMG GT3 well, as far as I can tell. If we can have a little bit of luck, maybe we can finally get a result the team deserves. Korthoff is probably one of the best run teams that I have ever been a part of. The collection of people that they have under the tent just flows really well. Always fun running with this group of guys and I hope we can translate the hard work everyone has put into this season into a result.”
Jules Gounon, Driver – No. 79 WeatherTech Racing/Proton Competition Mercedes-AMG GT3: “I am looking forward to exploring the Watkins Glen circuit. I wasn’t able to participate in the test as I was racing in Europe, but Dani told me it is an amazing track. It looks like another great U.S. track. The fast corner that leads to the Bus Stop looks great. I am a big fan of fast tracks. We have done well at the long races so far this year with our win at the Rolex 24 and the podium at Sebring. We want to keep that podium streak going this weekend at The Glen.”
Daniel Juncadella, Driver – No. 79 WeatherTech Racing/Proton Competition Mercedes-AMG GT3: “I got my first real taste of The Glen just 10 days ago. It is fast, high grip, one of the best discoveries of the year. We are coming in from a really strong showing in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Championship as well as coming off of a win at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Having the test is really going to benefit us this weekend. Neither Jules nor I have raced there before. I have been talking to him already, and I am excited to race this track for the first time this weekend.”
Daniel Morad, Driver – No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4: “This year has been incredible. A complete change of teams and atmosphere and it has really unlocked the true potential inside myself. Since winning the Indy 8 Hour at the end of last year, building off of that momentum has been unbelievable. I just have so much confidence and self-belief, and I am in great programs. A huge part of that is your environment, and Mercedes-AMG as a family is an amazing place to build your career. The support is unbelievable, and the teams I am driving with – including Winward Racing – are just the best I could have ever asked for.”
