Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing Team JMF Motorsports Secures First Race Win with New No. 27 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Team and Co-Drivers Jason Daskalos and Philip Ellis at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
First-Year JMF Motorsports Driver Jason Daskalos Joined “Super Sub” Philip Ellis to Secure a Milestone Victory in the No. 27 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Sunday in the Three-Hour GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Daskalos Led the Race in the Opening Hour and Closing Driver Ellis Took Control in the Race’s Final 20 Minutes to Secure the First GT World Challenge America Overall and Pro-Am Class Win for Daskalos in His Second GTWCA Season and First with JMF Motorsports. The JMF Team and Mercedes-AMG are the First Team and Manufacturer to Score Overall GT World Challenge Race Wins With Two Different Cars in the New Three-Hour Race Era. The No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 Team and Co-Drivers Mikael Grenier and Michai Stephens – Which Extended its Pro Class Points Lead with a Second-Place Class Finish at Road Atlanta – Secured the Overall and Class Victories at the Season Opening and Inaugural Three-Hour Race at Sonoma Raceway in March.
BRASELTON, Georgia – Champion Mercedes-AMG Motorsport driver Philip Ellis received a late call to drive in this weekend’s GT World Challenge America race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta and then joined teammate and co-driver Jason Daskalos and the No. 27 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 team in sending a clear message to the competition with a convincing victory in Sunday’s three-hour race on the 2.54-mile road course. Daskalos led the majority of the race’s opening hour and then closing driver Ellis continued the fight up front, passing Mikael Grenier in the sister No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 with less than 20 minutes remaining and then conserving fuel to finish for a 2.525-second margin of victory.
The overall and Pro-Am class victory was the first for veteran Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing driver Daskalos in his second season in GT World Challenge America and comes in his first year with JMF Motorsports. The stage was set for the breakout victory last month at Sebring where Daskalos and full season co-driver Lorcan Hanafin – who was competing at Le Mans this weekend to open the door for Ellis – secured their first podium together with a third-place Pro-Am finish.
Sunday’s breakout victory was a nearly flawless performance on track and in the pits and began before the race even started when the No. 27 team made the strategy call to begin the race on slick tires despite a heavy rain shower just before the scheduled start time. One of the few contenders not on rain tires, Daskalos soon worked his way into the lead as the track dried and the majority of the field pitted for slicks.
The “slick” move gave the No. 27 team the key track position they would maintain for the entire race. Ellis moved into top three contention in the race’s final hour but made the move on his teammate for the lead only when other competitors pressured both JMF entries from behind and a clear track ahead was needed for fuel conservation.
Up to that point, Grenier and co-driver Michai Stephens led a majority of the race only to see a late power-loss issue emerge in the closing minutes. Grenier faded to sixth but was still classified second in the Pro class, surviving the late scare to not only make it to the finish but maintain and even increase the No. 34 team’s Pro division championship lead. Heading into the series’ traditional two-month summer break, the No. 34 team and drivers unofficially lead the Pro class championship standings with 78 points, eight clear of the nearest challengers.
Sunday’s victory gives both JMF Motorsports and Mercedes-AMG the distinction of being the first team and manufacturer to secure overall race wins with two different entries just four races into the new GT World Challenge America three-hour race era. Grenier, Stephens and the No. 34 team won the inaugural three-hour race in class and overall in March’s season-opening race at Sonoma Raceway.
This weekend’s milestone victory was also fueled by a large amount of family love and support, both at Road Atlanta and well removed from the track. Daskalos hosted seven family members at the track, including his mother Soula and father Pete. The elder Mr. Daskalos, at 91 years-old, even joined his son and Ellis on the victory lane podium for a picture that will no doubt be a keepsake for years to come.
Meanwhile, Ellis literally had to go the extra mile – hundreds of them actually – to be with and have the mutual support of his family. He and his fiancée had long planned an engagement party in St. Louis on Friday, and Ellis accepted the offer to race this weekend with the request to also make attending the festivities in Missouri a priority. He drove in Friday’s opening practice and then joined a new friend, an experienced pilot, who kindly flew him to St. Louis. Ellis enjoyed the party and then joined his pilot buddy in traveling back to Atlanta where he reached his hotel room near the track after a full day plus around 2:30 a.m. EDT early Saturday morning.
Two other Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams were in action at Road Atlanta this weekend, including the No. 9 TR3 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Brayton Williams and Daniel Morad in Sunday’s three-hour race. After Williams turned in one of the best drives of his rookie season to open the race, Morad took over the No. 9 and had a clear shot at both the Pro-Am and overall victory, mixing it up with both JMF Mercedes-AMG GT3 entries and the other front runners.
Unfortunately, a slight miscue on the minimum driver time requirements forced some costly pit stops and an extra driver change. The No. 9 was knocked from winning contention after the extra time in the pits, but Morad still persevered to a seventh place Pro-Am and 10th place overall finish.
CJ Moses drove his No. 58 Random Vandals Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the weekend’s twin 40-minute GT America powered by AWS races for his second drive of the season in his return to Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing. Moses scored top-10 overall and ninth place class finishes in both weekend races as he continued to improve his lap times until the weekend’s final checkered flag as he gets reacquainted with the Mercedes-AMG GT3.
In the weekend’s Pirelli GT4 America doubleheader, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing pacesetters Dome Motorsport was joined by another competitive and locally based Mercedes-AMG GT4 team in a hot and harried but encouraging pair of 60-minute races.
Fresh off of their first podium finish of the year last month at Sebring, the Pro-Am class No. 39 Dome Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4 team of co-drivers Marc Miller and Allen Patten made it to victory lane again in Saturday’s final race. Miller took the checkered flag second in Pro-Am in the first race at Sebring, but at Road Atlanta Patten had the opportunity to take the No. 39 to the checkered flag for a third-place showing.
The Dome frontrunners were joined by Road Atlanta based team Off Leash Motorsports who truly had a breakout performance on their home track in what was essentially just the team’s second Pirelli GT4 race weekend. Team drivers Kevin Clifford and Harry Gottsacker both showed top pace in the No. 40 Off Leash Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4, with Gottsacker racing into the Pro-Am top three late in Friday’s opening race.
Unfortunately, a pit procedure penalty – not uncommon as teams learn the nuances of a new racing series – dropped the No. 40 out of the podium finishing position at the checkered flag. A rebound run was in the cards early in Saturday’s final race only to see Gottsacker knocked off course in a tight battle with several competitors. Clifford later took over and drove the stricken No. 40 to the finish and joined his team and co-driver in leaving Road Atlanta motivated by their strong performance despite the disappointments.
Dome’s Am-class entry with team owner and driver Eddie Killeen and teammate Laura Hayes also showed well once again at Road Atlanta in the No. 37 Dome Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4. After Hayes led the race briefly during pit stop sequencing in Friday’s first race, she joined Killeen in putting together their best result of the weekend with a fourth-place class finish on Saturday, just over eight seconds behind the first-place class finisher.
Next up for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams in SRO America is a full weekend of SRO America competition at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, August 28 – 30. More than two months away, the Road America event kicks off a final three-event stretch of races that will close out the 2026 season.
“Having my family here was great, and we are leaving for Europe this week and going to Greece for a month. Having Philip was incredible, it’s exciting, he is such a pleasure, and we are glad to have him. We are looking forward to more victories in this championship. I just can’t say enough about this JMF Motorsports team. It was challenging starting the race in the wet on slick tires, but I was fortunate that we did some testing and we had some wet conditions. They asked me before the start, and I said ‘slicks’ right away. It was challenging the first few laps but worked out well.”
Jason Daskalos, Driver – No. 27 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3
“We had high expectations. Jason is one of the best drivers in the series, so we were for sure going for the win. We had a difficult tire decision to make for his opening stint, and maybe slicks were a little bit riskier, but it was the only option really. I was surprised we were one of the few cars that went for slicks, but Jason did a great job staying on track and going to the lead. It was a little bit damp, but he built a big gap and gave me the car after a safety car period. There was a lot of tire management, and it seemed like a lot of competitors were really using their tires early in the stint even though it was super-hot and the track had a lot of tire degradation. I tried to manage as best I could without losing any track position. Then, with the late full course yellow, it became a fuel race as well, which made it a bit tough to really know what to do behind our sister car with some others coming. I opted to go for the overtake, tried to build a gap and was able to save fuel until the end. Family is your backbone, it is always super important to have their support, at or away from the track, and Jason had a big group here. In my case, I was supporting my family and my fiancée back in St. Louis and on Friday I flew to our engagement party between sessions. It was a no-brainer to try and get it done somehow. This opportunity was a late call-up to race, but it all worked out. I did practice one on Friday and then flew to St. Louis for the party with my fiancée, family and friends. Then I came back and gave Jason his first win and first overall victory as well. It was a perfect weekend.”
Philip Ellis, Driver – No. 27 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3
“I am proud of the guys because we had a really challenging weekend from Friday on. We had some issues we had to fix. In practice we were nowhere, but in qualifying we were quite decent, but I made a mistake on my lap. The pace was fine, but in the race, we had some issues at the end, and we have to try to understand what happened. The win was possible, but we will regroup and Road America should be a good race for us.”
Mikael Grenier, Driver – No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3
“The challenge is what makes the journey. You have peaks and valleys that go with every accomplishment and every defeat. This weekend, we came out on top given the circumstances at hand. We had a lot going on with some elements within our control and some out of our control, but the team, Mercedes-AMG and all of our affiliated partners just continue to do an exceptional job. It’s unique in motorsports, particularly in our position, as you always have to think about both the big picture and the short term. You have to think the championship big picture but to be present in the moment and take what you can.”
Michai Stephens, Driver – No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3
“One of the things that we found, just like everybody else knows, is that the more seat time I can get back in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 the more it will help. You can actually see it progressing through the entire weekend, cutting seconds off with every session, and it is the same thing in the races. It wasn’t as much in Sunday’s final race because of the heat and running on qualifying tires, but overall, working sector by sector and zone by zone, we are getting better. The Mercedes-AMG GT3 is amazing. The only thing I need to tighten up on this car is the ‘loose nut’ behind the wheel! Road Atlanta is very much a big commitment track, and I’ve only driven Touring Cars here back in the day. GT America is a lot tougher now as well. We have a pretty deep and stacked group here, but Random Vandals Racing is kicking butt. My next race is the Indianapolis finale and that is a track where I feel very comfortable and have some good experience.”
CJ Moses, Driver – No. 58 Random Vandals Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
“First of all, it is super fun to be back at Road Atlanta. This is the closest track to me and my home in Greenville, South Carolina. I don’t know if I can call it my home track, because I don’t drive it that much, but it’s definitely one of my favorites. It is super rewarding when you’re kind of on the back foot and fight forward with the team. Those are kind of like the best kind of weekends as far as driver development and team development. So, super happy with how it all turned out. Marc executed, the team executed, put me in the car in a nice timely yellow and back out right up there. I just had to battle through some chaos in front of me and ended up on the podium. It was all in-class cars battling, and you can’t ask for more at the end of the race.”
Allen Patten, Driver – No. 39 Dome Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4
“We definitely had to have a strategy because we knew some of our competitors would be good on the straight bits. We were strong in the brake zones, our car was good in braking and good just about everywhere else, but we knew that this track was going to be a little tough, especially after qualifying. It was a tough race. Some of the other cars are quick until they get hot, but our Mercedes-AMG GT4 comes in a little bit later. I did try to manage everything to give Allen as clean a car as possible, I never had any type of real incident, and I was happy with our track position when we pitted. I think at the point we knew if it went all green, we would end up on the podium. Allen went out and his pace was fantastic and he clearly drove his way into the podium position. I was pretty happy with the result. We should definitely be on the podium more, and we’re going to fight to do that at every race from here on out. Honestly, at all of the tracks ahead, I think we should have a good chance.”
Marc Miller, Driver – No. 39 Dome Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4
“I am super proud of our entire Off Leash Motorsports operation and all of the guys and girls on the team. We are working really tirelessly to get this program off the ground and to get the car to where it is competitive. In Friday’s first race, we had great pace and were probably on track for a podium until we had a slight slip up in the pit lane. We are new to the series, so these are kind of growing pains, but we will get better with that on our end. The car was phenomenal Friday and great again on Saturday. Our Mercedes-AMG GT4 was super fast and I am really proud to be working with such an awesome brand. We just had a little bit of an unfortunate incident with another competitor that damaged our car pretty heavily on Saturday. At the end of the race for me, unfortunately, it was either preserve the car and live to fight another day or potentially not have a car at the end of the session. We will get there, we will continue to grow as a team, continue to evolve, and we’ll get more competitive as the season goes on. This series takes a summer break for a couple of months after this race, and it was everything to get this result and have some momentum built up before we go into and carry through that. Then on top of it all, this was our home race. We are based like only a quarter of a mile down the road. We’ve got great testing data here. I love this track. This is my home track, and Harry had lots of success here in the past as well. We know what we need to work on and we know that we’re capable of doing it.”
Kevin Clifford, Driver – No. 40 Off Leash Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4
