Winward Mercedes-AMG Continues Winning Ways in GTD
By John Oreovicz
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Pfaff Motorsports scored an emotional Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class victory Sunday at the Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix at Road America, claiming both the first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and North American race win for the new-for-2026 Lamborghini Temerario GT3.
Pfaff played a key part in the development of Lamborghini’s latest production-based racer, and their effort was rewarded when Lamborghini Squadra Corse factory driver Andrea Caldarelli guided the No. 9 Pfaff entry he shared with Sandy Mitchell over the finish line out front after six hours of competition at the renowned Wisconsin road course.
Nick Tandy and Harry King finished second in the Motul Pole Award-winning No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (992), while Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg took third in the No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R in a race that ended under caution after a late incident.
Based out of suburban Toronto, Pfaff is one of the WeatherTech Championship’s most popular teams, with its cars often sporting plaid-themed liveries to honor the organization’s Canadian heritage. At Road America, the Pfaff Lamborghini matched the race title sponsor with a bright and updated red and white livery.
Pfaff won back-to-back IMSA championships in 2021 (GTD) and ’22 (GTD PRO) in association with Porsche, but the team had endured a 36-race winless streak dating to the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March 2023.
An improved brake package for the Temerario introduced for this race gave the drivers more confidence and helped produce the first IMSA victory for the model.
“I’m proud of everybody at Pfaff Motorsports and Lamborghini,” said Pfaff Motorsports general manager Steve Bortolotti. “It was a great weekend for our partners at Motul, and I’m thankful to all the partners who stuck with us through the dark days. It’s been a long time and I’m proud of everyone at Pfaff Motorsports for digging deep.
“Also really proud of everyone at Lamborghini,” he added. “This is a brand-new car they developed completely in-house. I said from the start at my first time with the car in June of last year at the first rollout it was incredible how it ran so much issue-free, and it continues to. The reliability of this car is incredible, and the pace with come with time. I’m just so proud of everyone.”
Caldarelli, who earned his second IMSA race win Sunday at Road America – and surprisingly, his first since the 2020 Rolex 24 At Daytona – paid tribute to the work put in by Lamborghini Squadra Corse.
“I’m coming into my 10th year with Lamborghini, so I feel like I am part of the walls back in the office,” he smiled. “It feels really special because I saw where we were literally 12 months ago, and to come here and win, it’s insane to think about what in 12 months the guys in Italy have done. We don’t have to underestimate how hard it is for a small group of people, because at the end of the day, we are not as big as other manufacturers.
“This result really shows how dynamic we are and how we really care about this project.”
It was the first IMSA race win for Mitchell, who’s raced intermittently in the WeatherTech Championship but was only making his 11th start in his first full season.
“The Porsches and the Corvettes were super quick, and we were just trying to hang on to the back of them,” he said. “But we had a couple absolutely amazing strategy calls from the guys at Pfaff. A couple times we managed to dive in before yellows, we got absolutely everything right, and a little luck fell our way as well. Consistency is a real strength of the Temerario at the moment.”
A tough day for GTD PRO points leaders Neil Verhagen and Connor De Phillippi that resulted in an 11th place finish tightened up the standings considerably with three races to go. The Paul Miller Racing BMW duo lead Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg by 15 points, with Tandy and King another 16 markers back.
GTD: Winward’s Third 2026 Win Helps Pursuit of Third Straight Title
Russell Ward and Philip Ellis have won the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) championship the last two years. But they haven’t shown the same kind of relentless consistency in 2026.
Still, the duo’s second consecutive race win and third of the ’26 campaign at the Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix at Road America put the ledger back on the positive side for the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.
In what’s now an intense championship battle, they’re unofficially just 24 points behind championship leader Eduardo ‘Dudu’ Barrichello. Barrichello finished just 15th at Road America in the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO with Tom Gamble and Zacharie Robichon.
Winward’s other wins came at the Rolex 24 At Daytona at Daytona International Speedway and the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
“If we can avoid other competitors’ poor driving and crashing early in these endurance races and taking us out so we can have some semi-clean racing, this is what this team is capable of,” said Ward, who also co-owns Winward Racing with his father, Bryce.
“We ran this race like an endurance race, really focused on the on the final pit stop and making sure that we push the fuel all the way to the end as far as we could,” he added. “Then at the end, Philip kind of jumped a couple of people, so I think it’s just a combination of how good the Mercedes-AMG is around this place and good strategy on our part.”
Ward and Ellis have now combined for 14 WeatherTech Championship race wins in addition to their two championships. At Road America, as usual for IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup races, they were joined by Indy Dontje.
“I think we struggled a bit with our car balance and pace, and people tried different things to get in front of us on pit stops,” Ellis said. “That made it a lot more difficult today, but the crew had perfect pit stops “The crew had perfect pit stop and Russell and Indy did a perfect job as well keeping the car in one piece while also making up positions on track and taking opportunities when they arrived.”
A strategy play helped Triarsi Competizione ascend to second in the No. 023 Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO, with Robert Megennis joining 2025 Road America GTD winners Kenton Koch and Onofrio Triarsi for their best result of the season. They pitted with 77 minutes to go, but three late full-course cautions ensured they had enough fuel and energy to make the flag.
Car Blanche secured its second podium in as many GTD starts, with the trio of Valentin Hasse Clot, Marius Fossard and Trenton Estep sharing the No. 068 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo. Initially listed fourth on the unofficial results, the No. 068 car will be placed third when provisional results are posted, ahead of the No. 81 DragonSpeed Corvette Z06 GT3.R, as a post-race review by race control revealed that the No. 81 did not complete its pass prior to the race’s final caution.
IMSA’s GT classes will have the spotlight to themselves for the only time in 2026 at the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR, set for August 21-23 at VIRginia International Raceway. The next round for all classes of the WeatherTech Championship is the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks, September 18-20 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.