Win enough in the beginning of the season, and the rest of it can be a cruise. That was the approach Winward Racing took – intentionally or not – to winning its first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD title as a team, the drivers championship for Russell Ward and Philip Ellis, plus the Michelin Endurance Cup for the team, and Indy Dontje alongside Ward and Ellis. And along the way, they helped Mercedes-AMG to the manufacturers championships in both.
“This is the end goal, right?,” said Ward after securing the title at Motul Petit Le Mans. “You want to win races, you want to be competitive; but all of us have eyes on the championship, and its been an incredible result for the team. It’s been difficult but exciting at the same time. It’s really good to be able to bring it home.”
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Winward has had its successes in previous years – the team took victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona its first time out in 2021, and has seen victory in each subsequent season. But it really came together in 2024, starting with a sweep of the 36 Hours of Florida, the Daytona (with Daniel Morad) and Sebring double. They backed that up with a sprint race win at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and then added another endurance victory in the next outing, the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen.
The rest of the season wasn’t as successful. The team couldn’t defend its 2023 win at Indianapolis, and is still looking for a Petit Le Mans victory. But it wasn’t exactly a coast, either, with podium finishes at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and VIRginia International Raceway. That, combined with the big points lead amassed during the first half of the season, gave them the title by a hefty 230 points over Turner Motorsport and drivers Patrick Gallagher and Robby Foley.
“The team really made it easy this year,” said Ellis. “They did such a perfect job. We always had a great car, great strategy on the pit box. We were always one step ahead of the competition. And as drivers we just have to bring it home. I think we did the heavy lifting earlier this year, in the first half of the season, and then we had some more difficult races at the end, but we still kept it together. We didn’t really put a foot wrong.”
Pasadena, Texas-based Winward doesn’t just run in IMSA, of course, but is a worldwide operation. From its headquarters in Altendiez, Germany, the team also races DTM and GT World Challenge Europe. Maro Engel and Lucas Auer claimed the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup, and Engel was third in the DTM standings. With its European and American teams – Bryce Ward was seventh in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS – Winward is one of the largest Mercedes-AMG customer teams in the world.
“Congratulations to Winward Racing and our three drivers on winning the GTD class championship,” said Christoph Sagemüller, head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. “This great success means a lot to us as a brand and concludes our most successful season in IMSA since the start of our Customer Racing program. With Korthoff Preston Motorsports, Lone Star Racing and Winward Racing, we have strong teams at our side in North America, who together are responsible for this success with every single result. Many thanks to everyone who represented our brand so well throughout the season.”
This was a season to remember for Winward, and one that will be tough to top. But if the team can maintain some momentum from 2024, they’ll also be tough to beat in 2025.