Daan Arrow (22) has had a flying start to the year and is gearing up for his first season in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. GT REPORT caught up with Arrow, who spoke about his bucket list, sharing a car with idol Maro Engel, and more.

Arrow’s 2026 season already got underway in early January. Together with Maro Engel and Sergey Stolyarov, he lined up for the 6 Hours of Abu Dhabi in the #16 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo fielded by Winward Racing.

“I’ve had a fantastic start to the year. We began in Abu Dhabi with a Winward front-row lockout,” Arrow told GT REPORT.

During qualifying at the Yas Marina Circuit, the #81 Winward Mercedes secured pole position, with Arrow and his teammates lining up in P2. 

“In the race, we were unlucky with an accident in the pit lane while Maro was driving,” Arrow added, referring to the incident in which the car was T-boned and suffered just enough damage to cause a DNF. 

Fortunately, it didn’t take long before Arrow was back behind the wheel, this time in Dubai. To add to the line up, Luca Stolz joined the #16 for the 24H race.

Arrow collected the GT World Challenge Europe Silver title in 2024 with Colin Caresani and Tanart Sathienthirakul.

“With the track being new to me, it was good to see we looked competitive. With the Creventic championship being a ‘pace race’ without safety cars, staying out of trouble was key. Whereas we might not have had the pace of the BMW’s, we were best of the rest, and finished third overall. A great result for the Winward crew, following a tough winter programme.”

“We had a bit of luck with a DNF ahead of us, but it was a strong weekend. No mistakes, we gained some positions through strategy, had a good start, and our Bronze driver performed really well. I was happy with my own performance, and it was great fun to share the winter season with Maro, Sergey and Luca.”

Friendship with Maro Engel

Arrow explains that he has always held Engel in high regard, which made sharing a car with him extra special.

“He has been an idol and role model for my career for a long time. Driving alongside him in 2024 in the sister car, I learned a lot and we built a friendship.”

“He was also the one who really pushed for me to get the seat. Being able to share a car with him was quite cool.”

After Dubai, there was no time to sit still, as Daytona was next on the schedule. Arrow did not contest the 24-hour race itself, but he did compete in the Michelin Pilot race held that same weekend. 

“For us, it was very clear: we’re going for the championship. Because the points system works differently than in Europe and the field for the season opener in Daytona was so large, it was crucial to reach the chequered flag. It was a four-hour race, and I drove three hours and nine minutes, if I’m not mistaken,” he smiles.

“At every restart I dropped back a little because I wasn’t as aggressive as the others, but luckily those same drivers took each other out. In the final hour I was able to make up ground and work my way forward. During the last three laps, I went from P5 to P3 to secure the podium. I was happy to spray champagne again, as in Dubai it was only riding a camel!”  

“When your dream is realized, it’s no longer a dream”

Last weekend, Arrow already headed to Sebring to test the Mercedes GT4, as he’s about to embark on a full season in the United States. In the meantime, he has also logged laps in an Aston Martin GT3 at Paul Ricard and a Porsche 911 GT3 R at Portimão. The Dutch driver has a bucket list to drive in all homologated GT3 cars.

“I’ve got 51 more to go!” Arrow laughs. He recently ticked off his seventh GT3 car — an impressive feat at just 22 years of age. Does he surprise himself sometimes with those statistics?

“Recently, an acquaintance reached out to buy a Porsche 997 Cup car to race. I wanted to get some insight into what it’s like to drive one, so I searched YouTube for an onboard video, and I came across a clip of myself.”

“That was one of those moments. Looking back at my season in Asian last year, I found footage of myself driving at Suzuka in the rain and thought: wow, that’s actually pretty cool, what I’ve already been able to do.”

For now, committing to one brand and one GT3 car is not on the agenda. Arrow enjoys the opportunity to hop between as many GT3 cars as possible.

“Being a factory driver has two sides. Of course, it’s the next step, but what I’m doing now, driving many different cars, offers many unique experiences. For now, I’m enjoying the luxury of being able to do that.”

“Becoming a factory driver is the next step, but it’s not my ultimate dream. For a long time, it was my goal, but I’ve let that go. Because then what? Once your dream is realized, it’s no longer a dream. I don’t know when it will happen, but I’m not in a hurry. I’m convinced I’ll get there.”