Photo: Mercedes-AMG
The Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS race-winning No. 77 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo had only six seconds to spare from exceeding the maximum stint length, team director Darryl O’Young revealed.
Raffaele Marciello, Dani Juncadella and Daniel Morad combined to give the Hong Kong squad its first Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli victory in dramatic fashion in Saturday’s enduro at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
It came after the car nearly exceeded the maximum 65-minute stint length, which would have erased any chance of victory.
“The team on the strategy and the car was really good this weekend,” O’Young told Sportscar365. “But the strategy at the end… On the last stop we only made it in by six seconds.
“There was only one lap we could have stopped and that was six seconds on the limit.
“It was a very tight moment for everybody. We made it. The strategy was perfect and Lello just did everything he knew to take the win today.
“We’re so excited. We’ve been close too many times and this time was a bit too exciting there.”
Marciello completed the final three stints in the car, in what the recently crowned Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS champion said was a difficult closing stint in full dark conditions while up against the No. 71 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 of Antonio Fuoco.
“I was struggling a lot with the car in my last stint,” he told SPortscar365. “I was much quicker than Antonio before the last stint.
“The the last stint I started really strong, I think with the fastest lap, and then I had huge [tire] pickup on the right side.
“In two or three laps I was able to clean it but then when I went back in traffic I was again [getting] pickup, so I was struggling a lot.
“Also with the mirror inside, with the lights, I was completely blind at the end.
“It was not easy at the end but I’ve known Antonio for ten years or something, so there’s a lot of respect between us. I’m really happy.”
The win came after the car was forced to start from 15th on the grid due to not setting a time in Q1 because of a red flag that shortened the session.
Craft-Bamboo, as well as SunEnergy1 Racing by Akkodis ASP, both appealed the decision although their protests were thrown out just moments before the start of Pole Shootout.
“We know quali matters when everyone is playing BoP,” Marciello said. “It’s a pity because I like to do quali on low fuel and have the right feeling with the car.
“It is how it is. I knew the car felt really strong in the race.
“Both Danis did an amazing job. Daniel at the start recovered many positions. Dani then put the car in front and I had to fight with Antonio but we were in front so it was really nice.”
The win helped Mercedes-AMG clinch the IGTC manufacturers’ championship, in a season that has so far seen the brand undefeated following victories by SunEnergy1 and Akkodis ASP at the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour and TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa.
“It’s an amazing achievement for Mercedes-AMG,” Marciello said. “In the past year maybe we didn’t achieve as much as this year. We’ve worked a lot on the reliability side. The car is quite good on long distance races now.
“I have to say it’s a bit easier in Intercontinental GT this year. There is no Audi, there is no Porsche no BMW and Bentley is gone.
“It’s meant a lot at Spa because everyone was there. But a race like this where only us and Ferrari, it made the championship a bit easier.”
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