Through the maze of uncertainty that some teams are going through before this offseason arrives, we have confirmation from at least one team on the GTD Pro grid that will be sticking around for 2027 and beyond.
Speaking to DailySportsCar.com before the Battle on the Bricks this weekend, Team RLL VP of IMSA Operations Ricardo Nault laid out the Indiana-based team’s current ambitions for its IMSA future, confirming that they’ll be back with their McLaren 720S Evo GT3 for 2027, while they have aspirations of expanding their operation in 2028.
With the next iteration of McLaren’s GT3 machine expected to be developed in time for a competitive debut in 2028, Team RLL are keen on being the team that brings that car to the grid.
Nault confirmed that Team RLL will have a single-car entry in next season’s Pro field, while adding that an expanded two-car effort is in the plans once the new GT3 machine ultimately arrives.
Not only that, the team isn’t giving up hopes of potentially being selected to run the McLaren MCL-HY should McLaren choose to bring the car to the States in 2028 at the earliest.
As Nault put it, Team RLL are keen on representing in the highest levels of endurance and sportscar racing, and if presented the opportunity they would jump at the chance to take on the MCL-HY in North America.
With the already-confirmed departures of Pfaff Motorsports and DragonSpeed from the GT side, along with the unconfirmed-yet-still-likely departure of Paul Miller Racing looming, and Acura taking their ARX-06 and going home, there has been a real downturn in the vibes heading into next season.
RLL was certainly one of those teams that hasn’t had it easy recently, having been punted from the BMW M Hybrid V8 GTP program after three seasons and switching brands from BMW to McLaren after a decade-plus-long relationship with the German manufacturer.
After losing out on a litany of BMW factory talent and shifting to the 720S GT3 Evo, RLL opted to put together what is easily the youngest driver pairing on the entire WeatherTech grid, with 23-year-old Max Esterson and 18-year-old Nikita Johnson.
The idea behind the move was intentional, as RLL essentially reset their program top-to-bottom and wanted to begin again with younger, moldable driver talent while also keeping a pipeline relation to their IndyCar endeavors.
Their workings could prove to pay dividends in the future as Johnson just recently wrapped up the Indy NXT championship, and the pair have competed together in each race thus far in the 2026 IMSA season.
Battling against some of the most experienced GT drivers on any grid in the world, Esterson and Johnson have held their own against the likes of AO Racing, Ford Racing, and the Pratt Miller Corvettes. With two races to go, the No. 59 currently sits ninth in the Pro standings, making them the last-place team among all full-season entries to this point.
Their best finish thus far in the campaign was a P6 result at Mosport.