JMF Motorsports led the Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing effort at Sebring International Raceway with a hard-earned Pro-Am podium in the 2026 GTWC America powered by AWS. During a chaotic three-hour contest, Jason Daskalos and Lorcan Hanafin delivered the No. 27 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 to third in class, earning their best result of the 2026 season so far.
However, the result came after a dramatic final hour that also brought heartbreak for the sister No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3. Michai Stephens and Mikaël Grenier had controlled the Pro class and overall order for much of the race before an oil leak forced them out while leading.
Meanwhile, Dome Motorsport also gave Mercedes-AMG a podium celebration in Pirelli GT4 America. Marc Miller and Allen Patten secured second in Pro-Am in Friday’s 60-minute race, finally converting their pace into a breakthrough result after a difficult start to the season.
Daskalos and Hanafin carry JMF to first podium
Daskalos and Hanafin entered Sebring aiming to turn early-season pace into a complete result. The No. 27 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 had already shown front-running potential across the opening rounds, yet bad luck had prevented the pairing from claiming the reward their performances deserved.
At Sebring, they led in Pro-Am several times during the 180-minute race and remained in contention as the contest moved into twilight. Hanafin, making his Sebring career debut, handled the pressure in the closing stages and kept the car in the lead fight after a late restart.
Then, another competitor crowded him out of the class lead while attempting a pass. Hanafin briefly lost momentum but quickly recovered and crossed the line fourth in class. However, officials later issued a timed incident responsibility penalty to the rival entry, which elevated the No. 27 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 to third in Pro-Am.
“It has been a rough year, leading every race into a pit stop and then just having some bad luck. Today again, and leading again, we had some bad luck, but that was a penalty for someone else. Lorcan is doing a great job, and we will just keep pushing forward and move on. The JMF Motorsport team is amazing. The car is definitely hooked up. We still have some things to work through, but I can’t say enough good things about JMF.”
Hanafin reflects on tough Sebring debut
Although the podium gave JMF Motorsports a meaningful breakthrough, Hanafin still recognised how close the team came to an even bigger result. The race demanded rapid learning from the young driver, who tackled Sebring for the first time in difficult conditions and intense competition.
Nevertheless, he praised the team’s effort and credited Daskalos for his contribution throughout the season. As a result, the No. 27 crew left Florida with renewed confidence and a platform to build on during the next phase of the championship.
“We had a really difficult start to the weekend, lots of issues, and it was my first time here. Not exactly the baptism of fire that I had anticipated. To be on the podium is just a testament to the team, and Jason has done a fantastic job all year. Glad to be on the podium. It is a shame it’s only P3 and not a win, but it swings and roundabouts – this is motorsport – and we will get there in the end.”
Stephens and Grenier suffer late heartbreak
While the No. 27 entry fought at the front of Pro-Am, the No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 appeared set to complete a two-class sweep. Stephens and Grenier had started from pole and dominated the Pro class and overall race order through the opening two hours.
Grenier held a lead of more than 20 seconds with 45 minutes remaining. However, an oil leak suddenly forced him to slow and retire the car from the lead. Race officials then deployed the only yellow flag of the race while crews cleared the No. 34 Mercedes-AMG GT3 and completed track clean-up.
Despite the retirement, Stephens and Grenier retained the Pro class championship lead by five points after winning the opening two races of the season at Sonoma Raceway and Circuit of The Americas. Still, Sebring delivered a painful reminder of how quickly endurance racing can change.
“This one stings. It cuts at the heartstrings, as I believe it rightfully should. Everyone put in a podium effort, at a minimum, but it’s the nature of motorsport that it’s beauty and the beast. We are very grateful to be here, very grateful to still be learning and be in these partnerships with Mercedes-AMG and everybody else onboard. These are the days that make you stronger, and we will continue to put one foot in front of the other and never lose sight of our goals.”
Dome Motorsport converts GT4 pace into podium
In Pirelli GT4 America, Dome Motorsport gave Mercedes-AMG another reason to celebrate. Miller and Patten had repeatedly shown speed in the No. 39 Dome Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4, but previous races had denied them a podium.
At Sebring, Patten started from his third consecutive Pro-Am pole position and immediately placed the team in the victory fight. Then, Miller took over for the closing stint and battled within a multi-class fight near the overall top five.
Unlike the previous round at COTA, where late contact removed Miller from contention through no fault of his own, the No. 39 crew reached the finish this time. Miller crossed the line second in Pro-Am, just .766 of a second behind the class winner, securing the team’s first podium in only its fourth GT4 America race.
Miller praises breakthrough result after tight finish
“It was pretty tight there at the end, but our focus was on the Pro-Am win. It’s easy to get collected in the overall battle as we saw in COTA, and by no fault on our end. It happens easily when guys get a little racy. It can happen, so I was a little extra careful. I wanted to win, and the team deserves a win, and we certainly are owed one or two or even three, but we also needed a finish. Getting on the podium was clutch. It was imperative, we really can’t be off the podium anymore this year, and we have the pace to do it.
“The entire team deserves a finish way more than anything else, and they gave us a car with a pace that was really good. We’ve got a great driver lineup, and Allen is just stellar and has three poles in a row. He had a great first stint, and honestly, if we weren’t just a little too conservative on our pit stop time, we probably would have come out in the lead and been able to battle for the win. That would have been a much better situation for us, but it was a good battle and super tight.
“It was a great first-time podium for the No. 39 team this year, so we’re pretty happy with it. A big, big thanks to all the guys that work their butts off to put the car where it is and be so competitive.”
Patten welcomes clean race after difficult start
Patten and Miller continued their strong weekend with a fourth-place finish in Saturday’s second 60-minute race. Consequently, Dome Motorsport left Sebring with its best results of the season and a stronger outlook in the GT4 Pro-Am championship fight.
Patten also highlighted the value of finally completing a clean race after a run of misfortune across multiple series. Although the Sebring heat created another challenge, the No. 39 Mercedes-AMG GT4 gave the pair the pace to compete at the front.
“It’s just been bad luck after bad luck across multiple series for me this season, so it’s good to finally get a result and just have a nice clean race. Big credit to our main competitors, we had some good racing that was super close. So that was awesome, super fun. We knew we were going to struggle a little bit in the heat, but honestly the car was amazing. The heat issues we had were just Sebring being Sebring, but the Dome team gave us the car to compete with. They are just an awesome group of people, and they bust their butts every single day, so you can’t ask for more than that.”
Mercedes-AMG teams turn focus to Road Atlanta
After a demanding Sebring weekend, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams now shift focus to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta from 12–14 June. GT World Challenge America powered by AWS and Pirelli GT4 America will both feature during the new SRO America race weekend event.
The Road Atlanta round will mark the mid-season point for both championships. Therefore, JMF Motorsports will aim to convert its GT3 pace into more silverware, while Dome Motorsport will try to build on its breakthrough GT4 podium and strengthen its Pro-Am title ambitions.
