DAYTONA BEACH, Fla (January 25, 2026) – Leading North America’s most prized sportscar race with only minutes remaining, Magnus Racing and the No. 44 Virtual Energy Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO took an incredible runner-up finish at this year’s 2026 edition of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, taking the checkered flag after one of the most highlighted end-of-race battles in race history. While the closing 30 minutes would populate highlight reels worldwide, the result also served as the team’s fifth podium at Daytona, and most notably marked the team’s return to form.

“How fortunate are we to be disappointed in second,” stated Magnus Racing team owner and co-driver John Potter. “We’d be lying to say the last few minutes weren’t disappointing, but ultimately, we’re happy to be on the podium knowing the team performed so well. To be leading with such a strong car, and only minutes remaining, is a testament to how everyone executed. The drivers performed well, the crew was faultless, the car was fast, and the strategy put us in the right place at the end. It’s great to see everyone rewarded for such hard work getting to here. I can’t thank our fans, and of course incredible partners at Virtual Energy, for all of their support through this.”

In typical Rolex 24 fashion, this year’s twice-around-the-clock classic featured no shortage of trials and tribulations.

With team owner John Potter taking the green flag, a flawless opening two hours would demonstrate John’s pace in combination with his experience, passing multiple cars while putting a premium on maintaining a clean car. As his double-stint continued, John’s pace would take the car to the top-10 by time he stepped out.

Unfortunately, an ill-timed caution period two hours into the race would send the team one lap down, however an equally well-time caution period would allow the team to get the lead lap back just 45 minutes later. Knowing how critical a clean car would be for the end of the race, the next eight hours would be an effectively smooth process, with Potter, Spencer Pumpelly, Madison Snow, and Nicki Thiim all taking their turns to simply manage their time.

As the night progressed, however, the coastal community of Daytona Beach would be engulfed in a long period of dense fog, forcing the field to run under caution for over six hours. Running through the night and into the morning at safety car speeds, the team shifted from enduring through the night to focusing on performance for the next day, knowing that when the green flag fell it would become a seven-hour sprint race.

Once racing resumed, the intensity of the race would ramp up significantly. Fighting his way into the top five, Spencer Pumpelly took opening honors to place the car in a strong position for the races closing hours. Unfortunately, strong contact from behind by a lap-down Ferrari would send him spinning in the bus stop, luckily with minimal damage but a frustrating loss of track position.

Swapping to Nicki Thiim under the six-hour mark, the pace of the car began to show, with Nicki making his way through the field and sending a clear message on the car’s pace.

The next three hours would rotate from Thiim to Madison Snow, with the usual ebb-and-flow of track position and offsetting sequences placing the car a little further back, however a timely caution just under the three-hour mark would set the stage for a wild finish.

With Nicki back in the car to the finish, it was a hard-fought restart that would dramatically change the tone of the race. Taking the green flag in fifth, an unreal and impossible-to-describe series of passes through the first six turns would vault the team to first, and with it a strong feeling that victory was a real possibility. As the race evolved to the final 90 minutes, the car would drop back to second briefly due to offsetting strategies with another Aston Martin, but ultimately the strategy and pace of the No. 44 would prevail, and the team continued to lead after the final round of pit stops.

With no pit stops remaining and no concerns on needing to save to the end, all focus was simply on getting to the finish, with the team now leading with a palpable sense of excitement.

However, with only minutes remaining, the No. 57 AMG Mercedes arrived with a surprisingly strong pace that had not existed prior. Taking an opportunity in prototype traffic to take the lead, the Mercedes succeeded but with the Aston giving strong chase to take victory back.

With just over 10 minutes remaining, the battle for the race lead came to a head. Following a strong exit in the famed bus stop chicane, Nicki would make a run past the Mercedes down the front straight, only for the Mercedes to make a dangerous block at the Magnus No. 44 at over 170 MPH, making contact and allowing the No. 57 to maintain the lead. It was a move largely considered illegal by both fans and industry insiders alike, but despite a protest from the team no real penalty was issued to the Mercedes.

With not enough time to make another move, the team would settle for a runner-up finish, which given a difficult 2025 season, will ultimately be seen as a positive.

It was the third runner-up finish in five years at Daytona, and a strong sign of the team’s potential moving forward.

Also worth noting, the team’s tradition of pitside webstreaming continued, with their 24-hour stream of all pitside communications and strategic discussions being put on YouTube for all to see, garnering over 6,000 viewers in the process.

For Spencer Pumpelly, adding yet another podium to his roster of success at Daytona was a welcome one.

“I can’t thank everyone on this team enough for their hard work,” stated Pumpelly. “The level of competition in IMSA is so high in the current era, and we put ourselves in a position to win at the end. It came from everyone executing perfectly, and I couldn’t be prouder of where we are as a group.”

For Madison Snow in his team debut, a solid performance capped off an enjoyable event.

“It was great to be part of this team,” stated Snow. “I’ve known so many people here for most of my career, so even if it was my first race it didn’t feel that way. The car was incredibly fast, and the results speak for the quality of the crew. It was an honor to be here and I look forward to how the rest of the season continues.”

Finally, for Nicki Thiim, a combination of joy and heartbreak would summarize his event.

“I wanted to take this team to victory more than I can describe,” stated Thiim. “They did an incredible job preparing the car and putting us in a position to fight. I don’t know what else to say. The video and public reaction says everything I need to say, it just means we’ll come back that much harder next year.”

Having committed to select endurance events throughout the season, the next event for Magnus Racing will be announced soon, with the team opting to simply enjoy the moment for the time being.

Rounds 1 and 2 – Daytona International Speedway Road Course
Daytona Beach, Fla. – January 23, 2026

The AAG Racing team brought fast cars to the Daytona International Speedway Road Course for the season-opening Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup doubleheader. The team gave relentless effort and battled through both races. Chuck Mactutus led the way for the third-year AAG Racing team, running solidly inside the top-10 in both races and ending Race 2 with the team’s first top-10 finish of the 2026 season. Teammate Fernando Luque Jr. improved with each session and navigated his way to a top-20 in Race #2 to cap off his Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup debut.

FERNANDO LUQUE JR. No. 25 AAG RACING/CLARKE CONSTRUCTION GROUP MAZDA MX-5
RACE 1:
START: 35TH FINISH: 21ST
RACE 2:
START: 32ND FINISH: 17TH POINTS: 13TH

Fernando Luque Jr. and the No. 25 AAG Racing/Clarke Construction Group team turned a challenging start to the week into a respectable finish to cap off the 17-year-old driver’s Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin debut. The Mexico City driver came into Rounds 1 and 2 having only raced cars for two seasons. Luque has amassed multiple karting championships in Mexico. Luque, who was born in Arlington, Va., has a racing resume that includes being the 2025 North America-Central America (NACAM) Formula 4 vice-champion.

In Race 1, Luque took the green flag from the 35th starting position in a record-breaking 45-car field for the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup at Daytona. He quickly gained three positions in the first 10 minutes of the race following a restart after the first full course yellow flag occurred. With 25 minutes left in the event, Luque was up to 30th before advancing to 29th five minutes later. Seven minutes remained and Luque ran in 25th place. At the white flag, Luque crossed the line in the 24th position before making a move into turn 1 to gain two spots into 22nd on the grid. After post-race incident reviews involving other cars, Luque earned a 21st-place finish.

Race 2 was an improvement from Race 1 and Luque was able to navigate his way from the 32nd starting position to 21st in the first three minutes of the race when the first full course yellow flag waved. The restarted with 32 minutes to go before another full course yellow flag came out just two minutes later. Luque remained in the 21st position before being pushed off in the Le Mans chicane where he dropped to 26th following the restart with 20 minutes to go. A restart with five minutes remaining gathered the field back together and allowed Luque to regain momentum in the draft. Luque took the white flag running 25th before getting a great run in the final turn to finish 20th on the grid. After post-race incident reviews involving other cars, Luque was awarded a 17th-place finish to close out his Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup debut week at the historic 3.56-mile, 12-turn road course.

“The team put in hard work, especially my coach Sam (Paley), my spotter Skyler (Cottrell), my crew chief Brett (Clemenzi) and my team owner, Chris Clarke, who guided me throughout the weekend and spearheaded my progress. We worked incredibly hard in every post session debrief and gave 100 percent,” said Luque. “I’m very thankful to be working with very talented people. I’m proud of the result (in Race 2), but I hold myself to high standards. I know we have more performance to unlock, and I’m confident we’ll show that. It was an amazing experience to race in MX-5 Cup at Daytona. The team was incredible to work with and I loved the track, as well as the racing. I learned a lot and improved every session, but there is still work to be done. Overall, it was a blast and I’m very excited for what’s coming.”

CHUCK MACTUTUS No. 60 SALTY DOG CAFE/AAG RACING/CLARKE CONSTRUCTION GROUP MAZDA MX-5
RACE 1
START: 10TH FINISH: 24TH
RACE 2
START: 28TH FINISH: 7TH POINTS: 7TH

The 19-time winner between Spec-Miata and Spec-MX-5 in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) translated his competitive pedigree into a strong Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin debut. As with any race on a drafting track, Daytona presents the highs and lows, and if your strategy is successful, you can come away with a solid finish in the season opener. For Mactutus, Daytona has treated him well and prior to his Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup debut at the famous circuit, he had finished second in the 2025 South Atlantic Road Racing Championship (SARCC) race there back in August. Mactutus and the No. 60 Salty Dog Cafe/AAG Racing/Clarke Construction Group team ended the week on a high note rallying back from a cut tire.

Race 1 began strong for Mactutus, who rolled off 10th on the grid before dropping back to 11th place in the opening six minutes of the race when the full course caution was displayed. After the restart with 38 minutes remaining, Mactutus held his position. With 20 minutes remaining in the event, Mactutus caught a draft on the outside to advance from the seventh position up to fourth. Going to the infield section, Mactutus was running seventh with 18 minutes to go and had to check up due to slow cars ahead. On the same lap, into Speedway turn 1, Mactutus’ car had a small amount of smoke as the two cars he was battling next to, got on to the curbing and collided. Mactutus continued with no issue. Four minutes later, the No. 56 car went off track into the grass in front of Mactutus causing low visibility which led him to follow directly behind through the grass. With 10 minutes remaining in Race 1, Mactutus was running 15th when an apparent tire rub occurred causing him to lose the draft and fall back to 18th. When the white flag waved, Mactutus ran in the 19th position. After post-race incident reviews involving other cars, the Little Mountain, S.C., driver earned a 24th-place finish.

In Race 2, Mactutus took the green flag from 28th on the grid. Unlike Race 1, Race 2 had three full course yellow flags. The first full course yellow came out in the first three minutes of the race and Mactutus had gained 10 spots to move into the top-20. The race restarted with 32 minutes to go and was green for two minutes before another full course yellow flag occurred. At this point in the race, Mactutus had gained one spot since the last restart and ran in the 17th position. Ten minutes later, the race restarted and Mactutus had a strong restart on the outside and advanced to 13th. The full course yellow flag was displayed again with 10 minutes remaining in the event. When the race restarted with five minutes to go, Mactutus was running 14th. With two laps remaining, Mactutus was in the 13th position going into speedway turn 1. He caught a strong draft in speedway turn 4 and took the white flag running 11th. The next time through speedway turn 4 coming to the checkered flag, Mactutus got another big run and made a pass to advance from 10th to eighth place. After post-race incident reviews involving other cars, Mactutus brought the No. 60 Salty Dog Cafe/AAG Racing/Clarke Construction Group Mazda MX-5 home in seventh.

“Overall very pleased with my MX-5 Cup debut battling and surviving in that hyper competitive top-10 both races,” said Mactutus. “With the help of my crew chief Cory Collum in Race 2, I was able to time the restart to perfection with 20 minutes remaining and gain five positions by Turn 1. After that, we made up another two positions out of the bus stop with my Salty Dog Cafe sponsored friend, Bobby Gossett. That put us solidly in the battle for the top-10. When the white flag came out, I was 10th going into the bus stop and took the checkered flag, ending up with a 7th place finish, gaining 21 spots overall in an extremely competitive field. I’m very pleased with the result. I’d like to thank my sponsor Salty Dog Cafe, the entire AAG team for their fantastic car prep/strategy calls/coaching, and my family for coming down to Daytona to support. Race 2 Fernando and I were very close to drafting but with all the mix-ups/incidents it never quite worked out, closest it came was just one car between us!”

The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin heads to the streets of St. Petersburg for Rounds 3 and 4, Feb. 27–March 1, during the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Live coverage begins with Race 1, Sat., Feb. 28, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. ET and continues Sun., March 1, from 4 p.m. to 4:40 p.m. Both races will stream live on IMSA.tv and the IMSA and RACER YouTube channels.

The Mercedes-AMG GT3 once again proved its competitiveness with strong results by Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams at this weekend’s 64th Rolex 24 At Daytona at Daytona International Speedway: First and Sixth place in the GT Daytona (GTD) class and Second, Third and 11th place in the GTD Pro category. A hard-fought GTD victory was secured by two-time and reigning IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar GTD Champions Russell Ward, Philip Ellis and endurance race co-drivers Indy Dontje and Lucas Auer in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.

The GTD Pro double podium included the No. 75 SunEnergy1 75 Express Mercedes-AMG GT3 team with Kenny Habul, Chaz Mostert, Will Power and Maro Engel in second and the debuting No. 48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Scott Noble, Jason Hart, Maxime Martin and Luca Stolz in third place. It was the first double podium showing at the Rolex 24 for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams since Winward and 75 Express secured a one-two finish in GTD in 2021.

With Ellis starting the race, the No. 57 moved into the early GTD lead in the race’s opening hour to lead a strong performance by all five competing Mercedes-AMG GT3 entries. The No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Scott Andrews, Lin Hodenius, James Roe Jr. and Ralf Aron joined Winward in GTD while the No. 69 Bartone Bros. Racing with Team GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG GT3 team of Anthony Bartone, Fabian Schiller, Jules Gounon and Maximilian Götz joined 75 Express and Winward in the GTD Pro division.

As night fell, thick fog descended on the Daytona International Speedway. Due to increasingly poor visibility, the race continued behind the safety car just before Midnight and continued to circulate under the yellow flag for six hours and 33 minutes – the longest full-course caution period in the history of the Rolex 24. The previous record was three hours and 58 minutes in 1989.

After the race went back to green flag conditions Sunday morning, the Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing teams continued their strong performances. All five Mercedes-AMG GT3s continued to hold their own within the leaders in their classes during this phase.

With just under four hours remaining until the end of the race, the No. 69 Bartone/GetSpeed entry dropped from winning contention after losing several laps resolving an electronics issue.

In the dramatic final hours, the lead in the two GTD classes changed hands several times due to different fuel and pit stop strategies. Ellis took the lead in the GTD field in his final stint and successfully fended off all challengers until he crossed the finish line with a 1.367-second margin of victory. The winning Winward entry led the race eight different times for a total of 69 laps.

Lone Star finished sixth in GTD, the team’s best result to date as it starts its third season of IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup GTD competition at the Rolex 24. The team’s previous best Rolex 24 finish was eighth in its 2024 debut in the race.

The victory was Winward’s third Rolex 24 triumph since winning in its GTD debut in 2021. The No. 57 team and drivers also won the Rolex 24 in 2024.

Including 32 points earned by Ellis and the No. 57 team by qualifying second for the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the No. 57 Winward Racing team and drivers leave the season-opening race already with a comfortable 46-point GTD championship lead over the nearest challengers, 382 – 336. The No. 57 team and drivers earned 350 points for the Rolex 24 race win. Mercedes-AMG has in turn built an early 27-point lead in the GTD manufacturer standings, 382 – 355, over the nearest challenger.

Winward also left IMSA’s season-opening races at Daytona as the only team to secure a podium finish in every series and class in which it competed. In addition to the GTD win and GT Pro P3, the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Bryce Ward and Daan Arrow secured third in the Grand Sport (GS) class in Friday’s four-hour IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race. In his Daytona debut, Arrow pulled off a last lap pass for the final podium finishing position.

The Friday GS race also marked the return of Murillo Racing to IMSA with the newlywed driving duo of Aurora Straus and Kenny Murillo. Murillo Racing is back in partnership with the P1 Motor Club and Straus and Murillo co-drive the No. 24 Murillo Racing P1 Motor Club Mercedes-AMG GT4. The No. 24 showed top-10 pace early in Friday’s four-hour race and persevered to a lead-lap finish after rebounding from some typical endurance racing setbacks.

Next up for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition is the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, March 18 – 21 at Sebring International Raceway.

Stefan Wendl, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing: “I am simply overwhelmed by the performances of our four teams and all the drivers. Winward Racing with their third victory here at Daytona – incredible. In the GTD Pro class, 75 Express and Winward Racing were rewarded with podium places. But Bartone Bros with GetSpeed and Lone Star Racing also did a great job. We certainly did not have the fastest car over the entire race distance, but we were fast enough at the right time to finish on the podium, which is just great! I am very proud that we got all five cars to the finish line. It was a strong performance all around from all the teams. I can only thank everyone involved.”

Russell Ward, Driver – No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “When we walked into this weekend, just the atmosphere of the team felt just like 2021 and 2024. So, I just knew that we had a chance. From the moment the race started, you could see the pace in the car. The guys did an incredible job, just keeping it clean. I mean, we went from the back to the front more times than I thought were possible. We had to take two emergency service penalties, endure some bad luck throughout the whole race and really had to fight for this one. The boys earned this in pit lane and on the track and hats off to the entire team and Philip for that final stint. He managed to get by for the lead and stay in front and just drove the wheels off that thing! This race went by as one of the quickest I can remember, but those last few minutes felt like another 24 hours! My heart rate is going to still be coming down in the next week or so!”

Philip Ellis, Driver – No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “I’m super stoked that we came out on top. It was super rough. It changed as well as the race went on. Sometimes other cars had the upper hand when it was a bit colder and then it looked like we got the upper hand when it was a bit warmer towards the end. Of course, the team put us in a great spot as well with good strategy calls, so that was the basis of all of it. And then yeah, I can’t thank my teammates enough. They’ve done an outstanding job this entire week and, in the race, and the team of course gave us a sort of rocketship. Yeah, I couldn’t be happier.”

Kenny Habul, Driver – No. 75 SunEnergy1 Racing 75 Express Mercedes-AMG GT3: “Thanks to Mercedes-AMG for an always strong car and strong support. Chaz and Will drove amazingly, and Maro at the end there is what he does. My stints were fast, I am very happy, just a couple seconds off the other. For us, this is a victory. We gave it our all, all that we could do. I am very happy, and now off to Bathurst.”

Will Power, Driver – No. 75 SunEnergy1 Racing 75 Express Mercedes-AMG GT3: “There’s some seriously good drivers on this team. Honestly, seriously good drivers throughout the field, and it’s really cool to drive with the 75 Express team in a Mercedes-AMG. I really enjoyed it, I enjoyed it in Indy last year, and I really want to do more. It’s so much fun, and I can’t believe this is my first time here at Daytona. I definitely plan to come back. Kenny is so fast. At his age, and for a guy whose day-to-day job is running a huge business and is not in the car very often, his pace is amazing. The last time we shared a podium was 27 years ago in Formula Ford, so it was pretty cool to share one again. The actual racing itself over the last nearly two weeks, it was great to experience that and the level of competition. I expected tough competition, but I like just how much fun the driving was. I really enjoyed it. It’s very important at this stage of my career to have fun driving, and I think when you’re really competitive, you’re having fun. As long as I’m competitive, I’ll continue to drive.”

Maro Engel, Driver – No. 75 SunEnergy1 Racing 75 Express Mercedes-AMG GT3: “First of all, a big thank you to Kenny and the entire 75 Express team. Kenny put together this ‘Aussie Express’, as we nicknamed it, with Chaz and Will, and brought me into the team. It was great fun driving with them. We gave it our all in the race and are very happy with second place. Of course, it was close, but that’s how it is sometimes in sport. It was a great race by everyone.”

Chaz Mostert, Driver – No. 75 SunEnergy1 Racing 75 Express Mercedes-AMG GT3: “It’s just such an honor to be part of his programs. I mean, I’m obviously a bit of the wing in, you know, like Indianapolis, or whenever he needs me. I’m always on call and I’ll always be there for Kenny, and it was just an awesome privilege to be back at the Daytona 24. I haven’t been here since 2020, and you always just have to be in it to win it, and we fought all the way to the end. Maro did a super job. Kenny and Will both kept the car safe and had plenty of speed throughout the race too. I’m not going to lie, and there is a bittersweet taste in my mouth after coming up just so short of the win. I hope we can run it again and come back stronger next year. The fog overnight made for some of the toughest stints I’ve ever done. Your heart rate even gets lower because you are going so slow, have a half empty fuel tank, the fog is heavy, the visibility low and you are in a nice warm car. It makes you want to go night, night! It was pretty tough, but we got through it. We made the big trip over with our young daughter for her first major international race. She’s not even two yet, and this is the furthest flight she’s done, and it was great. Now we’re looking forward to getting home, back to a bit of normality before the Australian 12-hour race kicks off, and then straight back into Supercar.”

Scott Noble, Driver – No. 48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “It’s my fifth year of racing and my coach, Jason Hart, searched long and hard to find the right team with the right culture, with the right car, with the right brand. Jason put it all together, and when you have Mercedes-AMG together with Winward Racing, you know you have the right combination. Being a bronze and a gentleman driver, it is by far the easiest and best race car I’ve ever driven. I knew that right away in our first test just a couple of months ago. So, for it to all come together and see everybody – how smart they are, how hard they work, how much we train, how much we practice – and we end up on the podium in my first time at Daytona is kind of stupid, crazy fun! It’s a life journey for many. I’m 63 years old, and I couldn’t be happier with Mercedes-AMG. They are so supportive. I mean, I have never been in those types of meetings before. It is just great to see all of the love and all the caring. They truly care about the car and the client. So here we are, on the podium at Daytona, and thanks to Winward, Mercedes-AMG, my great co-drivers and coach and teammate Jason. I went out in my first run and planned a double stint. It was going so well, I felt great and the car was so easy to drive. I said, ‘let’s get a triple out of the way to give you guys more options for strategy, and that really worked out in the long run, because we’re able to put the two Mercedes-AMG performance drivers, Maxime and Luca in there, and they just tore it up. Jason more than held his own when he was in there too and did the majority of the night and the long caution in the fog, but he had a great first drive in the sun and a great last stint in the sun too.”

Jason Hart, Driver – No. 48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “I want to thank Scott and the Noble family for their commitment and trust in me with their father. Trusting me with their husband and father as we go off and do all of these races. Huge thanks to Mercedes-AMG for the drivers they provided us with on the factory side, and of course, Winward, who made it all happen. All of their crew men and women the incredible effort they put in. We can’t thank them enough. We are very appreciative to them for having us, and for them to win a race again here at Daytona, and for us to be on the podium too, it is just unbelievable. I did most of the driving in the fog and the hardest thing was staying awake. I kept wanting to go to sleep, like in a foggy drive from Dallas to Houston or something when you’re just trying to stay awake because it’s so boring because you don’t see much. Plus, race cars are smoother at speed. I dreamed of being in a race car all my life, but I never dreamed of driving in the fog, under caution for over four hours, but I’ll take it. We were on the podium in Daytona!”

Maxime Martin, Driver – No. 48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “It’s amazing. It’s amazing for the team. It’s amazing for everyone. I think it’s fantastic for Scott, in his first time at Daytona, to be on the GTD Pro podium. Winward took a win in GTD and third in GTD Pro, which is great for them. I think if we could have known this before the race, we would have all signed off on it. It’s an amazing result, and now we just have to enjoy it. At the moment, Daytona is not too bad for me! Fifth in GTD Pro last year and a podium in 2026. I have done worse, and this is really quite good with Mercedes-AMG.”

Lin Hodenius, Driver – No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “My first race as a Mercedes-AMG Junior Driver was quite nice but challenging. I was sick last week, so it was very physically demanding. Still, it was an amazing experience to put everything together and be part of this race. The night stints especially were a very special experience. Finishing in sixth place is a great result after a very exciting final. I’m really proud of myself, my teammates, and every member of Lone Star Racing.”

Ralf Aron, Driver – No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “Our goal for the race was to have, let’s say, a boring race until the last couple of hours. No penalties or major mistakes and that was perfect. The crew didn’t get any penalties, and the drivers didn’t get any penalties. So, I think everyone did a fantastic job and the car was in great shape for the end of the race. I have to thank my teammates for keeping the car in one piece as well. We had the chance to fight for the finish. We couldn’t charge as hard as we wanted for the end, but the winning Winward car wasn’t far ahead of me at that point. I’m really happy that I got the chance to be there at the end to fight for it. The team really deserves it, and I’ll be cheering them on all year. I think if they keep doing the same things, racing clean and so on, they’ll win some races this year.”

Maximilian Götz, Driver – No. 69 Bartone Bros. Racing with Team GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG GT3: “Our focus was on the race right from the start, and strategically everything went according to plan. The fuel saving and energy management worked well, we received few penalties and were able to maintain our pace. A big thank you to everyone at Team Bartone Bros with GetSpeed. The cooperation was excellent throughout and everyone gave their all. It makes it all the more bitter that we ultimately fell back due to an electronic problem and were no longer in a position to fight for the class victory. With over three hours under full course yellow, I probably drove the longest stint of my life in this race, and I can say one thing: driving behind the safety car on the oval for that long is definitely more exhausting than driving at full speed.”

Bryce Ward, Driver – No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4: “Congratulations to the team to start with. The whole team, the tire changers, the fuelers, the spotters and Russell and the boys back home. They prepared that car amazingly, and we had a great long run car. It showed in the end. We needed all four hours, or actually three hours and 58 minutes to get to where we wanted to be. It was mega and a beautiful way to go. I think for me personally, it was one of my best races. I really had a great start. While I dropped a few places in the beginning, I didn’t get disheartened. I knew we had a good car, it improved and the car came together, the crew came together, and honestly, I am so happy to be leaving Daytona in third place.”

Daan Arrow, Driver – No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4: “I think it was understanding what we had, which was a very long race and really nothing to win in the first few hours. I was listening to the advice I was given and trying to learn, so I was falling back actually every stint, but in the end all of those learnings came together and we could move forward. We kept the car in one piece, which was very important, and we made it to where we wanted to be. The crew is amazing and did my first stop so well and so quick, I didn’t expect it and I stalled the engine because I didn’t expect we could be done already! So, they outperformed my expectations, and I have high expectations! It was a really good start to the year.”