Mercedes celebrates its first success of the year at the 24h of Daytona, the opening race of the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship which saw the AMGs fly along Florida’s International Raceway.
It had already been noticed in Free Practice that things could go well for the cars of the Stuttgart Star, then Philip Ellis arrived to set the fastest time in Qualifying by conquering the Pole Position of the GTD Class, while Maro Engel followed close behind centering the primacy in GTD PRO.
And it was precisely the latter that gave the German manufacturer the victory at the end of another endurance race that turned out to be… sprints, with brawls and fights up to the last lap that put the AMG on the first step of the category podium #79 prepared by WeatherTech Racing-Proton Competition.
Engel together with Jules Gounon, Daniel Juncadella and the local idol Cooper MacNeil, as well as financier of the program, made the Mercedes weekend sweet, also because the car of Ellis and his companions from Winward Racing was knocked out by an accident in the frenetic restart phases from one of the last Full Course Yellow-Safety Car.
However, it must be said that the Mercedes have never hidden since practice and have fully exploited their potential by fighting strenuously against Aston Martin (winners in GTD), Corvette and Lexus, and Engel had just the last part of the race deservedly led him to cross the finish line as a winner.
#79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes AMG GT3: Cooper MacNeil, Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon, Maro Engel
Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images
“Guys, these restarts have been a war! It was a fight to the death with Lexus and Corvette, but in the end we got it, so thanks to my team mates, the whole WeatherTech family and Mercedes-AMG for the car that worked brilliantly “, Engel commented as he got out of the car.
“I knew the pressure was on, but I woke up yesterday morning and told everyone I was feeling particularly energized. The last stint was definitely emotional in the car, and I can only imagine what it was like to watch from the outside.”
Emotions also experienced in a particular way by MacNeil in front of his public and for what was his last race in the series.
“The number 13 brought me luck, being my last IMSA race, so I couldn’t be happier to win here with WeatherTech, Mercedes and Proton Competition. It was tough because everyone is trying to win the Rolex watch,” says the American.
“In 2015 we came close, finishing second, but this year Mercedes were in contention throughout the event. We put the best AMG drivers we could find in the world in the car, and they drove brilliantly.”
“Once you put on the helmet, you no longer think about the rest and focus only on the work to be done. My job was to go out on the track and keep the car in place, on the lead lap and in contention, so giving it back to the other guys to fight for the win, like you saw Maro do. Winning my last IMSA race is fantastic.”
“It was a lot of fun, a very balanced event, the cars have been in the neck-to-neck for a long time. We have always been at the front, staying out of dangerous situations and we have been there when needed. Everyone did an excellent job, starting from Mercedes-AMG in Affalterbach to the staff on site. I’m almost in tears because I finally managed to win here. I couldn’t be happier.”
#79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes AMG GT3: Cooper MacNeil, Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon, Maro Engel
Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images
Gounon added: “Fantastic, we did it! Thanks to all the team. Winning here is simply extraordinary. The long season ahead could not have started in a better way. I could not have imagined all this in my dreams.”
Juncadella is also celebrating: “I’m delighted and I still can’t believe it. It was a difficult and hard-fought match, especially in the last few hours. Maro brought it home in a dominant way. Starting the new year with a victory like this is simply incredible I am looking forward to more exciting races.”
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