Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing Team JMF Motorsports and Mercedes-AMG Bring Extended SRO GT World Challenge America Championship Points Leads to Next Month’s Season-Ending Indianapolis 8 Hour at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A Second-Place Overall and Pro Class Finish in Sunday’s Three-Hour GT World Challenge America Race at Barber Motorsports Park by Co-Drivers Michai Stephens and Mikael Grenier and the No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 Team Increased Their Driver and Team Championship Leads to Nine Points, 114 – 105, Over the Nearest Challengers. Season-Long Success has also Given Mercedes-AMG a 14-Point Lead in the GTWCA Manufacturer Championship Standings, 114 – 100, Ahead of the Closest Contenders.
A second-straight overall and second-place Pro class finish by Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing team JMF Motorsports and co-drivers Michai Stephens and Mikael Grenier Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park gave the No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 team and its driver duo an expanded SRO GT World Challenge America Championship points lead heading into next month’s season-ending Indianapolis 8 Hour at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Starting and early race-leading driver Stephens and no-quit closer Grenier joined the No. 34 team in bringing a four-point championship lead after last month’s most recent race at Road America to Alabama this weekend where they more than doubled the leading margin to nine markers, 114 – 105.
Meanwhile, a season of success has also seen Mercedes-AMG build a GTWCA manufacturer championship lead going into the Indianapolis finale, 14 points clear of the nearest challenger, 114 – 100.
The Pro class No. 34 team delivered the top finishing result of the three Mercedes-AMG GT3 entries competing at Barber Motorsports Park. Their Pro-Am division teammates Jason Daskalos and Philip Ellis finished fifth in class in the No. 27 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 after some pit stop issues. Road America winners Brayton Williams and Daniel Morad and the No. 9 TR3 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 battled in the Pro-Am top three in the opening two hours of the race before retiring in the final 30 minutes.
Next up for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams in SRO America competition is the season-ending race weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, October 8 – 11.
“The Mercedes-AMG platform is nothing but exceptional. No matter what you throw at it, you always know that you can rely on the car to be there for you throughout the duration of the run. The JMF Motorsports team does a great job setting it up, and we always try to match the aggression with the objective. The final round of the championship is certainly going to be a fight, and that’s also what we all look forward to. At the same time, we now have a better understanding of our terms of engagement. We’re going to give it all that we have when we get there. Indianapolis is not far from my home in Illinois, so to be in and around the home front is always a privilege because you get to see your loved ones. You’re able to physically see them on the corners, which always personally gives me an extra little kick of motivation. But granted, it’s another track. It’s another objective when it boils down to it. However, this one has a championship title at stake, and we’re going to give it all we have.”
Michai Stephens, Driver – No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3
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