Lone Star Racing
Race Entry
About Lone Star Racing
Lone Star Racing is a Texas-based racing team — the name is a nod to Texas's iconic Lone Star flag and identity, and the team brings a distinctly Texas character to the IMSA paddock. Founded and backed by Ron Andrews, an American gentleman driver from Texas, the team campaigns the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the GTD class.
Texas has a strong motorsport culture, from NASCAR oval racing to road racing at Circuit of the Americas (Austin's Formula 1 venue). Lone Star Racing represents the region's enthusiast community at the national professional racing level — a team whose identity is rooted in a specific place and the passion of its founder.
The Car: Mercedes-AMG GT3
The Mercedes-AMG GT3 has been one of the most successful and dominant GT3 platforms globally for several years. Built by AMG — Mercedes-Benz's high-performance motorsport division — the car uses a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine derived from AMG's road car powertrains. The combination of strong power delivery, excellent aerodynamic balance, and robust reliability has made it a go-to choice for customer GT3 teams worldwide.
At this event, Lone Star Racing's #80 joins Winward Racing's #57 as Mercedes-AMG GT3 entries in the GTD class — giving the Stuttgart manufacturer multiple chances to succeed in the class. The Mercedes platform's consistency and AMG's customer support make it a strong choice for a team like Lone Star Racing that wants reliability alongside performance.
The Gentleman Driver Experience
GTD celebrates the tradition of the gentleman driver — the passionate car enthusiast who has the resources and commitment to compete professionally at a world-class circuit. Ron Andrews exemplifies this: a successful Texan businessman who built a racing team around his love of motorsport. Competing at Sebring requires serious preparation, physical fitness, and driving skill that most people never develop, making the achievement genuinely impressive.
Ron Andrews (USA) is the American founder, team principal, and driver of Lone Star Racing. Building a professional GT3 team from the passion of a Texas businessman is exactly the kind of story that defines GTD racing. Andrews brings commitment, funding, and genuine love of motorsport to the #80, enabling competitive professional co-drivers around him while fulfilling his own racing dreams.
Juho Hodenius is a professional GT racing driver who brings technical expertise and professional pace to the Lone Star lineup. Professional co-drivers in GTD serve a crucial function: they drive the car at its limit during their stints, maintain the team's competitive position, and provide technical feedback that helps the team develop the car setup through the race. Hodenius's professional contribution keeps the #80 in championship contention.
Ronan Roe completes the three-driver lineup, providing additional professional depth for the 12-hour distance. Having three drivers — each doing multiple stints — is essential for managing physical fatigue and keeping pace over the full race duration.
AMG in GTD
The Winward Racing #57 also runs the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in GTD — and it is the two-time defending Sebring GTD class winner (2024 and 2025). See how the two AMG GTD entries compare on race day. See Winward Racing →
What is GTD?
GTD requires at least one Silver-rated or lower amateur driver per car. It celebrates the gentleman driver tradition that has been central to endurance racing since the sport began. Learn more →