Winward Racing took one other decisive step towards a possible third consecutive IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD title on Sunday, leveraging flawless pit technique and clear driving to win the Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix at Highway America.
The victory marks the third GTD win of the 2026 season for drivers Russell Ward and Philip Ellis, who have been rejoined by endurance teammate Indy Dontje within the #57 Mercedes-AMG GT3. The triumph dramatically reshapes the championship image, reducing Ward and Ellis’s deficit to simply 24 factors behind general chief Eduardo “Dudu” Barrichello. Barrichello managed solely a Fifteenth-place end in Coronary heart of Racing Workforce’s #27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO alongside co-drivers Tom Gamble and Zacharie Robichon.
Regardless of taking the checkered flag, the Winward drivers admitted the afternoon was removed from seamless.
“I feel we struggled a bit with our automobile steadiness and tempo, and other people tried various things to get in entrance of us on pit stops,” Ellis mentioned. “That made it much more troublesome immediately, however the crew had excellent pit stops, and Russell and Indy did an ideal job as nicely retaining the automobile in a single piece whereas additionally making up positions on observe and taking alternatives once they arrived.”
#57 WINWARD RACING Mercedes-AMG GT3: Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, Indy Dontje
Photograph by: Brandon Badraoui / Lumen through Getty Photos
For Winward, capitalizing on a clear observe run was a welcome flip of fortune after mid-season incidents dampened their early momentum.
“The unhealthy luck we have had all year long has been a results of different rivals’ poor driving, crashing early in these endurance races, taking us out,” mentioned Ward, who additionally co-owns the group along with his father, Bryce. “After we can have some semi-clean racing, that is what this group is able to. We ran this race like an endurance race, actually centered on the ultimate pit cease, ensuring that we pushed the gasoline all the way in which to the top so far as we may.”
Dontje pointed to scrub execution within the pit lane as the ultimate differentiator.
“In the long run, good calls from the group, nice pit stops – additionally we have now no scratch on the automobile,” Dontje mentioned. “I feel that is additionally actually vital within the race. Gave us the win immediately.”
The Highway America triumph provides to Winward’s 2026 victories on the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, bringing the Ward-Ellis duo to 14 profession WeatherTech Championship race wins.
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