Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams are making a powerful statement in the IMSA racing scene, leading a combined total of five championships across two different IMSA series. As they gear up for this weekend’s Motul Petit Le Mans at the iconic Road Atlanta, the stakes are high for the season-ending races of both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge racing series.
Motorsport enthusiasts worldwide can witness the thrilling conclusion of the IMSA WeatherTech Championship season with the Motul Petit Le Mans 10-hour race broadcast live on FOX Sports networks this Saturday, October 13, starting at 10:30 a.m. EDT on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). The coverage will continue on FOX Sports 2 (FS2) from 12 p.m. EDT until the checkered flag waves. For international viewers, a live stream will be available at www.IMSA.tv.
Mercedes-AMG Aims for Endurance Cup Glory at Petit Le Mans
Last year’s Petit Le Mans was a resounding success for Mercedes-AMG Team Riley Motorsports. Drivers Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen in the No. 33 Mercedes-AMG GT3 clinched both the team and driver GT Daytona (GTD) championships in the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup (TPNAEC). Their stellar performance also secured the 2017 TPNAEC GTD manufacturer championship for Mercedes-AMG.
Returning to Road Atlanta for this year’s finale, Keating, Bleekemolen, and their 2018 endurance race co-driver Luca Stolz, along with the No. 33 team and Mercedes-AMG, are once again at the forefront of the TPNAEC standings. The No. 33 team and drivers currently hold a narrow two-point lead over their closest competitors, while Mercedes-AMG leads the manufacturer standings by a single point, and is two points ahead of the third-place manufacturer.
The TPNAEC, a championship within the WeatherTech Championship, encompasses the year’s four major endurance races. The No. 33 team’s journey this season includes a fourth-place finish at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, a third at the 12 Hours of Sebring, and a fifth at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, demonstrating consistent performance across these demanding races.
Points for the TPNAEC at Petit Le Mans will be awarded not only at the finish but also at the end of the race’s fourth and eighth hours, adding strategic layers to the 10-hour endurance battle.
TeamTGM Leads GS Championship in Continental Tire Series
In the IMSA Continental Tire series, Mercedes-AMG GT4 co-drivers Hugh Plumb and Owen Trinkler, representing TeamTGM, are heading to Road Atlanta with a commanding lead in the top-tier Grand Sport (GS) class championship.
Plumb and Trinkler have been a force to be reckoned with, driving the No. 46 TeamTGM Mercedes-AMG GT4 to victory in three of the last four Continental Tire series races. Remarkably, they are the only full-season team in GS to have completed every single race lap this season, a testament to their reliability and consistency.
This impressive run has placed the No. 46 Mercedes-AMG GT4 and its drivers a substantial 31 points ahead of the second-place contenders in both the GS team and driver championships as they approach Road Atlanta. With a maximum of 35 points available for a race win, Plumb, Trinkler, and the No. 46 team simply need to start Friday’s race and ensure each driver meets the 45-minute minimum driving time to secure the 2018 championships.
Fans can catch the Fox Factory 120 live on www.IMSA.tv this Friday, October 12, at 1:15 p.m. EDT.
Nine Mercedes-AMG Teams Ready for Road Atlanta Challenge
Including the Mercedes-AMG Team Riley No. 33 and TeamTGM No. 46 entries, a total of nine Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer teams are set to compete at Road Atlanta this weekend, highlighting the brand’s strong presence in IMSA racing.
First-year GTD entrant P1 Motorsports is focusing on the TPNAEC this season. Team owner and driver JC Perez will be making his Petit Le Mans debut in the No. 71 P1 Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3, joined by Felipe Fraga and official Mercedes-AMG driver Maximilian “Maxi” Buhk.
The No. 46 is part of a class-leading seven Mercedes-AMG GT4 entries competing in the GS division, which features a total of 25 cars this weekend.
TeamTGM is fielding a second car, the No. 4 Mercedes-AMG GT4, for team owner and driver Ted Giovanis, who will share driving duties with Guy Cosmo.
Winward Racing/HTP Motorsport also presents a two-car effort with the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT4 for Bryce Ward and Indy Dontje, and the No. 33 Winward Racing/HTP Motorsport car of Russell Ward and Damien Faulkner. Faulkner and Russell Ward achieved a personal-best third-place finish at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) in July, marking the first podium for the Mercedes-AMG GT4 in the IMSA Continental Tire series.
Murillo Racing adds to the Mercedes-AMG GT4 contingent with two entries: the No. 56 driven by Jeff Mosing and Eric Foss, and the No. 65 car shared by Brent Mosing and Tim Probert.
Ramsey Racing, which secured the Mercedes-AMG GT4’s first pole position in North America at CTMP, will be at Road Atlanta with co-drivers Mark Ramsey and Roger Eagleton in the No. 92 Ramsey Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4.
Official on-track activities at Petit Le Mans commence on Thursday with practice sessions for all divisions, including a 90-minute night session for IMSA WeatherTech Championship competitors at 7:30 p.m. EDT, and Continental Tire series GS qualifying at 5:20 p.m. EDT.
Friday’s schedule includes a final one-hour practice session for the IMSA WeatherTech Championship at 11:15 a.m. EDT, followed by GTD qualifying in the afternoon at 3:55 p.m. EDT.
The Fox Factory 120 IMSA Continental Tire Series finale, a two-hour race, is set to begin at 1:25 p.m. EDT on Friday.
Motul Petit Le Mans race day on Saturday will start with a final IMSA WeatherTech Championship warmup session at 8:30 a.m. EDT, leading up to the official start of the 10-hour race at 11:05 a.m. EDT.
Ben Keating, Driver – No. 33 Mercedes-AMG Team Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3: “I am incredibly excited about going into Petit Le Mans with the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup (TPNAEC) lead. I love the TPNAEC format. I love the longer races. I am thrilled to be in position to compete for it again in 2018. The whole point system of the TPNAEC makes our race strategy totally different than most other cars in the race. Most teams are racing for the win at the 10-hour mark, and hopefully so are we, but if we can get enough points at the four- and eight-hour marks, then we can clinch the TPNAEC before the end. This will create different strategies on pit stops, tires and fuel. Overall, I think the Mercedes-AMG GT3 has been better for the full season this year than it was in 2017. Road Atlanta should reward the Mercedes-AMG GT3. Unfortunately, it is less about the performance of our car and more about what other teams have been holding back. We know we are at the top of our game in the Mercedes-AMG GT3, and we hope to come away with a win. However, you never know at Petit Le Mans, because sometimes teams show up with nothing to lose and really let it all hang out.”
Jeroen Bleekemolen, Driver – No. 33 Mercedes-AMG Team Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3: “The Mercedes-AMG GT3 has been running well this season. The whole field has been very close. Some tracks work better than others, but I believe Road Atlanta and Petit Le Mans should be good. Turn 1 and the Esses should be where we are going to be strong. It’s great going into the final race leading the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup. We have a strong Mercedes-AMG GT3, team and driver lineup, so we expect we can fight for that title and bring home another top-three result in the overall championship. I really like Petit Le Mans. The track is great to drive, the atmosphere is always amazing, it’s one of the big endurance events. It’s a good track for us, we have all won there before and we all like it. So, we should be in a strong position and I am looking forward to it. For sure it’s going to be very close with some of our competitors!”
Ted Giovanis, Team Owner – No. 46 TeamTGM Mercedes-AMG GT4: “TeamTGM is very positive about Road Atlanta but cautious at the same time. We know and understand the track but there are always the unknowns. The team members have worked hard all year, even through some difficult times, and we are gratified to be where we are in the championship. Winning the championship would by far be the highest achievement for TGM and myself. This is a goal that we have desired since we started in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, and to have it actually happen would be a great accomplishment. The Mercedes-AMG GT4 seems to be best on the longer runs, and we strive for that in our setups. We sub- optimize attaining absolute fast times in favor of longer runs. We are targeting just that for Road Atlanta in that we want a stable enduring platform for this race, particularly with so much on the line.”
Hugh Plumb, Driver – No. 46 TeamTGM Mercedes-AMG GT4: “I could not think of a better team than TGM, the personnel within Mercedes-AMG and my co- driver Owen Trinkler. Of course, the manufacturer and car that has brought us total success this year is the Mercedes-AMG GT4. Everyone is highly-motivated to win this Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Championship. Any championship at a high-level is very hard to achieve. In our sport, I think it is a direct result of so many pieces of the puzzle: team personnel, ownership, leadership. The dedication of Ted Giovanis and his family to this really big effort, mixed with a new manufacturer in the series with Mercedes-AMG, makes it all that much more rewarding to me as a driver. I’m confident that going to Road Atlanta TeamTGM, will give us a great race car. The Mercedes-AMG GT4 does a lot of things really well and has been one of the most consistent race car platforms I have ever driven. Four podiums and three wins speaks for itself, and I’m hoping to add to this car’s success this weekend.”
Owen Trinkler, Driver – No. 46 TeamTGM Mercedes-AMG GT4: “It’s been so good all year that we keep the same attitude heading into each race. We are riding this high that we have been on the last few races. Our mood hasn’t even changed since we first went out at Daytona. We just continued to focus on sticking to our plan all year long. Now, heading into Road Atlanta we will do just the same. The Mercedes-AMG GT4 definitely excels over the long run, and I think we have taken that strength and really capitalized on it this year. We have focused a lot during practice sessions to make sure we have a good car in the long run, and it’s done us well. The long run capabilities have really allowed us to be consistent and have a solid balance of the car. At the halfway point of the season we really got a good hold on the car, and we knew what we needed to do to have a strong race.”
Further information from Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes-Benz USA is available online: www.media.daimler.com, www.mercedes-benz.com and www.mbusa.com.
For more information on Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing, please visit www.mercedes-amg.com/customerracing.
