All-star Pro Mercedes-AMG lineup of Raffaele Marciello, Jules Gounon and Maximilian Götz confirmed
Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing set to defend Indianapolis 8 Hour crown
MSI featured as team returns to classic green and white livery on their Mercedes-AMG GT3
The reigning champions of the Indianapolis 8 Hour Presented by AWS return as Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing looks to defend its throne at The Brickyard. The Hong Kong team is set to take on the 8-hour endurance with a Mercedes-AMG Pro driver lineup of Raffaele Marciello (SUI), Jules Gounon (AND) and Maximilian Götz (GER). Set to take place at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway from the 5th to the 7th of October, the fourth round of the 2023 Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli (IGTC) will see the #77 Mercedes-AMG GT3 partner with MSI, Lone Star Racing, Pikes Peak International Raceway, and Theodore Racing, to fight for the top step of the podium once again. With only 9 points separating Mercedes-AMG from first place in the IGTC Manufacturer Standings, the upcoming race will provide the German manufacturer with an opportunity to take over the lead before heading to the final round of the championship. Mercedes-AMG superstar Marciello returns with Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing after a stunning victory in the 2022 Indianapolis 8 Hour. The 28-year old Swiss’ experience with the team will play an important role in their efforts to defend the title. Returning to the squad is Gounon after competing for the team at Indy in 2021, who currently leads the IGTC Drivers’ Championship and also won the Bathurst 12 Hour earlier this year. The pair achieved a sensational runners up podium at the 24 Hours of Spa and will look to bring this momentum to Indianapolis, while the 2021 DTM champion Goetz rounds off the all-star lineup. The German has been a regular with the Hong Kong squad with a full season campaign at the 2023 Fanatec GT Asia and will bring a wealth of experience for this event, making it a formidable trio. As per the last two years at the Indianapolis 8 Hour, Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing will once again partner up with Lone Star Racing from Texas, who will be providing the car, technical preparation as well as the equipment for the team in the USA. This combination has proven to be a winning formula and the team will look to emulate their successful partnership since 2021 by claiming back to back victories this weekend. Known as the racing capital of the world, the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway has played host to a series of celebrated events over the years such as the Indy 500, Brickyard 400 and the F1 Grand Prix. The 3.9km road course layout of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway possesses a variety of technical corners and long straights, providing drivers with different overtaking opportunities. It calls for exciting racing action with part of the track layout utilizing the oval and a challenging infield section. Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing are gearing up to defend their Indianapolis 8 Hour crown, which came after a fairytale finish despite starting in P15. The Hong Kong outfit battled hard and executed flawless strategy, fighting hard throughout the day and into the night to fend off a charging competitor and eventually cross the line less than a second in the lead. The team had a challenging weekend during their last venture in the IGTC at the Bathurst 12 Hour, finishing P8 after a spin during the latter stages of the race. The team is confident and optimistic to repeat its 2022 success at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and will be looking to score maximum points for the Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing as well as for Gounon and Marciello, who are currently P1 and P4 respectively in the IGTC Drivers’ Standings.
INDIANAPOLIS 8 HOUR PRESENTED BY AWS SCHEDULE
*All times are in UTC-4
Wednesday, 4 October
10:30 – 12:00 | Test Session 1
15:00 – 16:30 | Test Session 2
Thursday, 5 October
15:25 – 15:55 | Bronze Test
18:45 – 20:15 | Free Practice
Friday, 6 October
11:25 – 12:55 | Pre-Qualifying
15:35 – 15:50 | Qualifying 1
15:57 – 16:12 | Qualifying 2
16:20 – 16:35 | Qualifying 3
18:45 – 19:00 | Pole Shootout (Top-10)
Saturday, 7 October
12:15 – 20:15 | Race
Darryl O’Young | Team Director, Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing
“Ever since last years' race we’ve been looking forward to come back and try to defend our title at the Indy 8 hour. We have 3 world class drivers and having worked with all of them previously allows us to hit the ground running to fight for the win. The team have been working really hard to ensure strong preparation and our focus will be on having a clean 8-hour race with an aim to help Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing's fight in the IGTC Drivers and Manufacturers titles.”
Raffaele Marciello | Driver, #77 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing
“I’m really happy to be back at Indy with Craft-Bamboo Racing after our amazing win last year! Even though we have the best team to fight for the win this year, it will be hard to repeat our victory from 2022 but we will give it our best shot. We also have another target of scoring strong points in the IGTC for AMG and Jules, so it will be a big race for us but we are prepared to fight.”
Maximilian Götz | Driver, #77 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing
“It's been a busy few weeks but I am glad to head to Indy 8 Hour with Craft-Bamboo Racing this weekend. I know the team well having competed together the entire Asia season, and of course Lello and Jules are great teammates to have. It's a close fight in the IGTC standings so I will give it my best here in Indy to help Mercedes-AMG and the team repeat their win from last year.”
Jules Gounon | Driver, #77 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing
“Very looking forward to driving with Craft-Bamboo Racing again along with Marciello and Götz. We just won the championship in Barcelona so we are hyped up. We hope we will have a good race at Indy, Craft-Bamboo Racing won there last year and they are always very strong there so we have high hopes coming into this weekend. We will do everything we can to deliver a strong result for the Hong Kong team.”
