Indy Dontje will join Brayton Williams and Daniel Morad at TR3 Racing for October’s Indianapolis 8 Hour, completing the team’s Pro-Am line-up for the 2026 GT World Challenge America powered by AWS season finale.
The three-time Rolex 24 at Daytona GTD class winner brings considerable Mercedes-AMG endurance experience to the #9 entry as TR3 prepares for the longest race of its season. Dontje and Morad already share significant history, including victory together at Daytona in 2024, while Williams and Morad arrive at Indianapolis after securing TR3’s first Pro-Am victory of the season during the most recent GTWC America round at Road America.
The Indianapolis 8 Hour will take place from 9-11 October and serves both as the GTWC America season finale and the concluding round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge. It will also mark the event’s final appearance at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before moving to Circuit of The Americas in 2027.
Dontje joins Williams and Morad for Indianapolis
Dontje arrives at TR3 with an endurance racing record that includes three GTD victories at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. He was part of Winward Racing’s winning Mercedes-AMG line-ups in 2021, 2024 and 2026, with Russell Ward and Philip Ellis alongside him on all three occasions. His most recent Daytona success came earlier this year alongside Ward, Ellis and Lucas Auer.
The Dutchman will now switch to another Mercedes-AMG operation for Indianapolis, where he joins Williams and Morad in the Pro-Am class.
“I’m really happy to join TR3 Racing for the Indy 8 Hour,” said Dontje. “I want to say thank you to Daniel for connecting me with Brayton and TR3. Daniel and I have won Daytona together, and our goal is, of course, to win at Indy
“I’m really looking forward to working together with the boys and TR3 Racing. Hopefully we can put everything together and fight for the win.”
His reunion with Morad carries particular significance. The pair shared Winward’s #57 Mercedes-AMG with Ward and Ellis when the team won the GTD class at the 2024 Rolex 24, giving TR3 two drivers who already understand how to work together during a major endurance race.
TR3 builds on Road America breakthrough
Dontje joins the team at a point when the #9 Mercedes-AMG has begun converting its underlying pace into results.
Williams and Morad had shown flashes of competitiveness throughout the opening rounds without securing a class victory, but that changed at Road America. Williams kept TR3 in contention through a race repeatedly reshaped by caution periods and varying pit strategies before Morad produced a decisive charge during the final portion.
Morad passed Ryan Yardley and Jan Heylen in quick succession before inheriting the Pro-Am lead when the off-sequence Chicago Performance Lamborghini completed its final stop. He then controlled the remainder of the contest to give himself and Williams the class victory, with the #9 Mercedes-AMG also finishing third overall. TR3’s Road America breakthrough provided the team with valuable momentum before the closing stages of the campaign.
TR3’s Road America performance also contributed to Mercedes-AMG’s advantage in the global GT World Challenge manufacturers’ competition, with the marque leaving Wisconsin ahead of Porsche. Mercedes-AMG’s global championship position after Road America underlined the importance of results from customer teams such as TR3.
TR3 praises Dontje’s endurance experience
Team owner Gregory Romanelli believes Dontje adds another proven element to a line-up that has developed considerably during the season.
The Dutchman has spent much of his GT3 career competing with Mercedes-AMG machinery and has become an important part of Winward Racing’s IMSA endurance programme. Beyond his three Daytona victories, he has contributed to seven of Winward’s 15 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship wins as an endurance driver.
That experience becomes particularly valuable at Indianapolis, where GTWC America’s regular three-hour format expands to eight hours and introduces a third driver for most full-season entries.
“We’re excited to have Indy join us for the 8 Hour. He has been an essential part of Mercedes’ endurance racing program and brings a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge to the team.
“We’ve had incredible pace with Brayton and Daniel throughout the season, and adding a proven driver like Indy will only elevate an already strong lineup.
“We’re looking forward to seeing what this group can accomplish at the 8 Hour.”
The expanded Indianapolis format makes experience in long-distance racing particularly important. GTWC America introduced a three-hour race structure for its regular rounds in 2026, replacing the previous pair of 90-minute contests, but Indianapolis retains its traditional eight-hour duration and combines the domestic championship with the international IGTC field. Pit Debrief outlined the endurance-focused 2026 format before the start of the season.
Morad already knows how to win at Indianapolis
Morad brings his own major advantage to TR3’s line-up: he has already won the Indianapolis 8 Hour outright.
The Canadian formed part of Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing’s victorious 2022 crew alongside Daniel Juncadella and Raffaele Marciello. Starting 15th, the trio worked their way through the field before Morad helped secure victory by only 0.8 seconds over AF Corse’s Ferrari after eight hours of racing.
That previous success gives TR3 a driver with first-hand knowledge of what is required to win the event, while his existing relationship with Dontje should reduce the adjustment required when the three-driver crew begins working together.
“It’s been an amazing year so far with Brayton Williams,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed watching his progression throughout the season and seeing how much he’s learned every weekend. Adding Indy Dontje to the lineup makes this one even more special.
“Indy and I have a great history together, including winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 2024, so I know exactly what he brings to a program like this. I think we have a really strong combination of drivers, and I’m looking forward to putting everything together with TR3 for one of the biggest races of the year.”
Morad’s presence has also provided continuity for Williams during his first full GTWC America campaign. Their Road America victory demonstrated how that partnership has progressed, with Williams keeping the car inside the competitive Pro-Am group before Morad completed the final charge.
Williams continues development during 2026 campaign
Williams has been the constant in the #9 Mercedes-AMG throughout TR3’s season, initially sharing with Will Bamber before Morad joined the programme from the second round onwards. Morad and Williams have subsequently contested the majority of the campaign together, gradually building towards their Road America breakthrough.
The Indianapolis 8 Hour will present Williams with another step in that development. While the standard 2026 GTWC America format has already demanded significantly more endurance-oriented preparation than previous seasons, eight hours around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course introduces additional strategic, traffic-management and driver-rotation demands.
Adding Dontje gives Williams two highly experienced endurance teammates for that challenge. Morad has already won the event outright, while Dontje’s Daytona record demonstrates his ability to deliver in races lasting considerably longer than the regular GTWC America format.
Mercedes-AMG representation strengthens for Indianapolis
TR3 will form part of a substantial Mercedes-AMG presence when the GTWC America and IGTC grids combine at Indianapolis.
The race traditionally attracts additional international and one-off entries alongside the championship’s regular teams. SRO’s first look at the 2026 field confirmed that this year’s running is expected to produce the largest Indianapolis 8 Hour grid to date, with multiple manufacturers bringing strengthened line-ups for the season-ending race.
Other GTWC America teams have already begun confirming their additional drivers. Kellymoss, for example, has added Kay van Berlo, Lars Kern and Aaron Jeansonne across its three Porsche entries, while Chicago Performance has confirmed Lamborghini factory driver Loris Spinelli alongside Mads Siljehaug and Nicolai Elghanayan.
TR3’s addition of Dontje therefore continues the wider trend of full-season teams strengthening their crews with established endurance specialists for the finale.
Indianapolis offers opportunity to continue TR3 momentum
Before Indianapolis, GTWC America heads to Barber Motorsports Park for the penultimate round of the season, where Williams and Morad will attempt to build on their Road America victory.
The championship’s final regular three-hour contest will take place from 25-27 September before the series switches to its expanded format at Indianapolis. The eight-hour finale then begins at 12:30pm local time on Saturday, 10 October, following testing, practice and three qualifying sessions earlier in the event.
For TR3, the addition of Dontje gives the team a line-up combining different forms of experience. Williams has developed throughout the full GTWC America season, Morad has already delivered both a class win for TR3 and outright Indianapolis success, while Dontje brings three Daytona victories and extensive Mercedes-AMG endurance knowledge.
Road America demonstrated that the #9 can win in Pro-Am. At Indianapolis, the target becomes considerably larger as TR3 attempts to carry that momentum into the longest and most prestigious race on the GTWC America calendar.
