Hawksworth, Ellis React to GTD-Deciding Sebring Contact

Jack Hawksworth was left ‘obviously disappointed’ by the late-race contact with Philip Ellis that decided the battle for GTD class honors at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in favor of Winward Racing.

Ellis, Russell Ward and Indy Dontje secured a second consecutive class win in the Florida endurance classic, with Ellis fighting his way past Hawksworth’s No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 deep within the final hour of the race.

The deciding move came after the two drivers had already been engaged in battle for several laps, with Ellis getting an opportunity after Hawksworth got caught up behind the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R.

Ellis subsequently went for a move into Turn 5, with the right front of the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo making contact with Hawksworth’s left-rear, sending the Briton sliding wide and allowing the Swiss racer to get by into the lead.

After the race, Hawksworth voiced his disapproval regarding the move, although he added that the Mercedes-AMG’s strong pace would have made an overtake at some point likely regardless.

“I don’t mind hip and shoulder, but he ran into the back of me and moved me out of the way,” Hawksworth told Sportscar365.

“So, look, he’s got one coming. That’s racing. Obviously, I’m disappointed. But they were really fast and they were probably going to get it anyway.

“But look, for me, today has been so good. The team executed perfectly. We really needed that. Parker [Thompson] drove amazing there to give me the car in the lead.

“Frankie [Montecalvo] had some amazing stints earlier, the team, the pit stops, everything was just clicking and we really needed that after Daytona.

“So now I feel like we’ve got something we can build on going forward. So yes, I would have loved to have won that race.

“[Ellis] was faster than us, so he was going to put me under pressure for the next nine laps.

“And when you’re under constant pressure, there’s always a chance you’re going to lose a position.

“So I think ultimately they had more pace. But we might have been able to hang on. Who knows?”

When asked about his viewpoint on the contact, Ellis replied: “I wouldn’t be happy if I lost first place either. I understand that he’s not super happy with it.

“To be honest, I just gave him back what he gave me a couple laps before in Turn 7.

“We all know Jack. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a great guy. But that’s how he races as well. You reap what you sow.”

Ward: Consistency Key to Winward’s Repeat Victory

Ward hailed the significant of the back-to-back win for the Texan squad, noting that the victory is the result of several factors.

“The preparation is all done at the shop,” he said “Really hats off to all the crew at Winward Racing, the full-time guys working day and night to make the car perfect.

“The car really suits this track really well. It’s good on the tires. It’s good in the heat. It’s reliable.

“If you keep it on the paved surfaces, you really have a good chance in winning the race. If you look at the three cars in the mix at the end, none of us put a foot wrong.

“It’s really what it comes down to in these endurance races, is consistency and being there for the last two hours.”

Winward appeared to stumble when the team was given a drive-through penalty for a crew member working on the car from behind the wall during a pitstop.

That dropped the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG down the order, only for Ellis to take the car back into contention.

“When we got the penalty, we had quite a good lead as well, to most of the cars,” said Ellis. “I think there were two or three cars close by that actually jumped through that drive-through.

“And then it was a full push at that point, trying to make up as much time as we could again, and crawl back to where we were before.

“We were a bit lucky as well with the full course cautions. We would have been off cycle to some of the other cars. That basically brought us back into the game.”