Alegra Motorsports and SunEnergy1 Racing Carry the Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing Flag at Detroit Grand Prix 10.06.2021: Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing Teams Compete This Weekend in 100-minute IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup Championship GT Daytona (GTD) Race in Detroit

Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing Teams Compete This Weekend in 100-minute IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup Championship GT Daytona (GTD) Race in Detroit
 




Mercedes-AMG GT3 teams Alegra Motorsports and SunEnergy1 Racing will carry the Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing flag on the streets of America’s Motor City this weekend, competing in the 100-minute Sports Car Classic IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup race at the Detroit Grand Prix.



Full-season competitors Michael de Quesada and Daniel Morad co-drive the No. 28 Alegra Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3, while Kenny Habul and the No. 75 SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 team return to Detroit with co-driver Mikael Grenier.



The Sports Car Classic is one of just two street course and 100-minute races on the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship schedule, sharing both unique distinctions with this September’s IMSA WeatherTech race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, which is a 100-minute sprint on the streets of that Southern California city.
 


This weekend’s venue is a 2.3-mile, 14-turn street course twisting through Belle Isle, a scenic island park in the middle of the Detroit River just a few miles from Downtown Detroit.
 


The featured 100-minute Sports Car Classic IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup race airs live at 5 p.m. EDT this Saturday, June 12, on the NBC Sports Network (NBCSN). International viewers can watch live at www.IMSA.tv.
 
 


 
The IMSA WeatherTech Championship has been a fixture at the Belle Isle Detroit Grand Prix since 2012. Competitors and race fans alike look forward to the return of the popular race this weekend after the 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 


The Mercedes-AMG GT3s that Alegra and SunEnergy1 campaign will run in the WeatherTech GT Daytona (GTD) class, which competes only for IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup Championship points in Saturday’s race.
 


The IMSA Sprint Cup was introduced in 2019 as a competition within the overall WeatherTech Championship, awarding the top GT Daytona (GTD) class performers in each season’s sprint races.
 



Alegra makes its first appearance at Belle Isle since 2017 when Morad and his co-driver were battling for the top three only to settle for a 10th place finish after a pit stop penalty. This weekend’s Motown appearance will be Alegra’s debut at Belle Isle with the Mercedes-AMG GT3, which the team campaigns for the first time this season.
 


Morad, de Quesada and the Alegra team have been competitive in the year’s opening three races at Daytona, Sebring and Mid-Ohio, but look to Detroit this weekend to convert that performance into a top-five or better finish.
 
 
 
SunEnergy1 Racing is set for its first sprint race of the year after competing only in the Rolex 24 at Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring endurance events. The team’s best result in the opening pair of races was second in GTD at Daytona where Habul and Grenier were part of the driver lineup.
 


SunEnergy1 has twice competed in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 at Belle Isle in 2017 and 2018. An eighth place GTD finish by Habul and then co-driver Bernd Schneider in ’18 (pictured above) is the best result in those races.
 


On-track action this weekend begins Friday at Belle Isle with morning and afternoon practice sessions and GTD qualifying at 3:30 p.m. EDT.
 


The featured 100-minute Sports Car Classic IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup race starts at 5:10 p.m. EDT this Saturday, June 12, with the live coverage on NBCSN beginning at 5 p.m. EDT. International viewers can watch live at www.IMSA.tv.
 


Daniel Morad, Driver – No. 28 Alegra Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3: “I really like street circuits and Belle Isle in particular. The last time there with Alegra in 2017 we were on for a really good result, minus a pit stop infraction that dropped us to the back. Before that we were running solidly in the top three. We are looking forward to going back because there is no testing before a race on a street track. It really levels the playing field coming in and the margins are so fine, which I really like.


Personally, I am a driver that likes to adapt quickly to variable conditions and circumstances. So, Detroit plays into my hand and Alegra’s as well because a few members of the team have been brought up there or spent a lot of time there. Overall, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 has been pretty strong on the street circuits. It really is a well-balanced car on all circuits.”
 
 
 

Mikael Grenier, Driver – No. 75 SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “I have never raced at the Detroit Grand Prix, so I am really looking forward to it. I am a really big fan of street circuits, but they do not forgive and we can’t make any mistakes. We should have a good Mercedes-AMG GT3. I am always happy to race again with my friend Kenny.”
 
 
 
Adam Saal - photos Mercedes