Mercedes-AMG Teams Finish Record-Setting Rolex 24 at Daytona
Thomas Jaeger, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing Program Coordinator and Driver – No. 75 SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “This year’s race was not only extremely thrilling until the end, but also extremely demanding. During the 24 hours, track conditions changed significantly and we made setup changes over and over again. That was also very demanding for the drivers. Traffic was another factor: there was a lot going on and you had to be really careful to avoid any incidents. At the end of the day, the performance of all three Mercedes- AMG GT3 was very good, even though the No. 33 unfortunately didn’t make it onto the podium. That is a pity, but for the championship, it was important to pick up these points.”
Maro Engel, Driver – No. 75 SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “That was a very untypical Daytona 24 Hours: in total, there were only four safety car interventions. Last year, we had at least 15. Accordingly, we had no chance to make up for the laps that we had lost in the opening stages. At the beginning, we had to return to the pits at slow speed due to a loose wheel and we had to change the brakes. That cost us around five minutes that we were lacking later to be on the lead lap and battle for the lead with the others. The pace to do so was definitely there. But huge compliments to all drivers and the entire team for the super job they have done.”
Robby Foley, Driver – No. 71 P1 Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3: “I would argue that the Mercedes-AMG GT3 is easily the most reliable car in the field. We had no issues the entire time. Mechanically the car was sound for 24 hours which as a driver is nice because there’s no little issues coming up that you’re dealing with. It was smooth sailing. The car as a whole is great to drive, very easy to drive. I did two triple stints, nearly three hours in the car each time, and it was consistent during the run. I don’t have many laps in this car, I really didn’t have a lot of laps until the race, so I learned a lot about it and I’m a big fan of how it drives. I’m new to GT cars in general, but it’s definitely a good piece and served us well in this race. I’m lucky to have the opportunity with P1 Motorsports and to be able to finish was really the goal. A lot of people try this race many times and never end up finishing, so to finish my first one and the first one as a team is very special. I think we can be proud of what we achieved and we’ll take these experiences and move on to these next couple of endurance races for sure.”