- Mercedes-AMG and BMW Duel in Pro Class
- Porsche Leads Pro-Am Effort
- Ford Finds Pace over Ferrari in Am Class
- Practice 1 Results
The first GT World Challenge America powered by AWS and Intercontinental GT Challenge practice session for the Indy 8 Hour got underway Thursday evening at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, marking the beginning of a high-stakes weekend that will surely close out the 2025 season in dramatic style, much like in previous years.
As the sun set over the Brickyard, teams and drivers tackled the 1.5-hour Free Practice session that transitioned from daylight to darkness, offering the perfect prelude to Saturday’s endurance race under changing track conditions.
Pro Class
Lone Star Racing asserted itself early, topping the overall timesheets and setting the benchmark for the evening. The No. 80 Mercedes-AMG GT3, shared by Lin Hodenius, Maxime Martin, and Jules Gounon, dominated the session from start to finish with a best lap of 1:23.215 set by Gounon, remaining untouchable at the top.
They were followed by a trio of BMW entries, led by the No. 46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO, which slotted into second place, while the No. 777 Team WRT sister car ranked fourth. Splitting the pair was the No. 51 Random Vandals Racing BMW GTWCA entry driven by Varun Choksey and Bill Auberlen, joined by Philipp Eng for the finale, who secured third overall.
GT World Challenge America championship contenders RS1, Random Vandals Racing, and JMF Motorsports remained tightly grouped on the timing sheets, signaling another weekend of fierce Pro Class competition. The No. 18 RS1 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Alex Sedgwick, Jan Heylen, and Alessio Picariello edged out the No. 99 Random Vandals Racing BMW of Connor De Phillippi, Kenton Koch, and Conor Daly, while JMF Motorsports’ Mikaël Grenier, Michai Stephens, and Lucas Auer kept within striking distance in their No. 34 Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Pro-Am Class
In Pro-Am, the No. 21 Blattner Company by Herberth Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) led the way through the early stages of the session, setting the pace in class.
Reigning champions and current GTWCA Pro-Am points leaders Justin Rothberg and Robby Foley settled into second aboard the No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO, joined once again by Patrick Gallagher, maintaining the same winning lineup that delivered victory in 2024.
Rounding out the top five were the No. 16 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3 of Marcelo Hahn, Christian Hahn, and Allam Khodair, the No. 10 Wright Motorsports Porsche shared by Patric Niederhauser, Antares Au, and Loek Hartog—the latter also competing in Pirelli GT4 America—and the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R of Tom Sargent, Kyle Washington, and Klaus Bachler.
Am Class
The opening chapter of the Ford vs Ferrari duel leaned in Ford’s favor, as Scott Dollahite, Eric Powell, and Stefano Gattuso took an early advantage in the No. 16 Dollahite Racing Ford Mustang GT3, leading the Am Class standings after the first session.
The No. 163 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3, driven by Jay Schreibman, Oswaldo Negri, and Conrad Grunewald, kept the pressure on, closing out the top two in class.
Let’s Get Racing
The GT World Challenge America powered by AWS and the Intercontinental GT Challenge field will return to the track for Indy 8 Hour Pre-Qualifying on Friday morning, October 17th at 9:50 AM ET.
If you can’t make it to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, be sure to tune-in to SRO’s free live streams all weekend long on YouTube (GTWorld) and Twitch (SROMotorsports) and follow all the action through our social media channels and the event hashtag #Indy8H.