IMSA: Mercedes joins GT ranks for 2017

The move was confirmed Wednesday morning by Mercedes-Benz USA and will feature a new entry under the "AMG-Team Riley Motorsports" banner and a second car for WeatherTech Racing, which transitioned its longstanding Porsche entry from Alex Job Racing to a Mercedes-AMG GT3 under Riley's care. A third car, entered by SunEnergy1 Racing, will give the German brand another customer team for its debut at January's Rolex 24 at Daytona and more of the 6.3-liter V8-powered coupes could be announced in the coming weeks.

"We are thrilled to see the three-pointed star compete in North America's premier endurance racing series in 2017," MBUSA president Dietmar Exler said. "Our Mercedes-AMG racecar has already proven itself in worldwide competition, and should quickly become a fan favorite. We are very excited about our prospects for the 2017 racing season."

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Among the worst-kept secrets in the IMSA paddock, longtime Riley customer Ben Keating and co-driver Jeroen Bleekemolen will share the No. 33 AMG-Team Riley Motorsports entry, and the inbound Cooper MacNeil, whose father David founded WeatherTech and sponsors the series, will continue his alliance with Gunnar Jeannette as they pilot the No. 50 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.

"This program is incredibly exciting," Keating said. "The Mercedes-AMG GT3 has performed so well in 2016 all over the globe, and this appears to me to be the perfect combination of one of the best GT3 cars in the world, one of the best endurance racing teams in the world and a great group of drivers. This should be a very strong package for 2017."

"When I first drove the Mercedes at Hockenheim in Germany I was absolutely blown away," Cooper MacNeil added. "I could tell within the first three corners that the car was so well balanced and was an absolute dream to drive. I'm excited to return to IMSA with our new sharper weapon. I'm really looking forward to bringing the new car to IMSA and seeing how it matches up against the other cars, which I think we should fare well. Riley has been a proven team for many years and it will be great to team up with them. They know how to manage their program very well and have done a great job with the Viper program over the past couple of years."

As noted last month, the return of WeatherTech Racing to IMSA represents an important development in the relationship between the MacNeils and the series that carries its name. Following a tempestuous split that saw its AJR-run Porsches taken out of GTD to be entered in the final two rounds of the Pirelli World Challenge series, the restoration of the union between both parties is among the most important developments for the series going forward.

And with the arrival of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 to the GTD ranks, IMSA has its third new manufacturer to welcome into the popular entry-level endurance racing class. On top of existing programs that utilize GT3 cars produced by Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche, factory-affiliated efforts from Acura and Lexus will also debut next year and should ensure GTD continues as the most heavily subscribed class in the WeatherTech Championship.