- Mercedes-AMG Remains on Top in Pro and Pro-Am
- Ford Leads Ferrari in Am Class
- Practice 2 Results
Competitors from the GT World Challenge America powered by AWS and Intercontinental GT Challenge championships hit the track Friday morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Pre-Qualifying practice session, the final opportunity to refine setups ahead of this afternoon’s Qualifying and Pole Shootout. The 90-minute session delivered fast times and tight competition across all classes, led by another commanding performance from the fleet of Mercedes-AMG machinery.
Pro Class
It was a Mercedes-AMG lockout at the top of the timing charts, as Mikaël Grenier set the overall pace early aboard the No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3. The Canadian driver’s lap stood unbeaten through the remainder of the session, securing the top spot ahead of Will Power in the No. 75 Express car, who continued to impress in GT3 competition.
Lone Star Racing maintained its strong Indianapolis form with Lin Hodenius posting the third-fastest time in the No. 80 Mercedes-AMG GT3, building on the pace teammate Jules Gounon showed in Thursday night practice when the team topped the timesheets.
Random Vandals Racing broke the Mercedes run in the closing stages, with the No. 51 BMW M4 GT3 of Varun Choksey, Bill Auberlen, and Philipp Eng climbing to fourth overall. The No. 61 Earl Bamber Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) of Adrian D'Silva, Ricardo Feller, and Sven Müller rounded out the top five, giving three different manufacturers representation in the Pro class top five.
Pro-Am Class
In Pro-Am, it was Colin Braun who led the charge for CrowdStrike by Riley, topping the charts in the No. 04 Mercedes-AMG GT3. Just behind, Robby Foley and Turner Motorsport continued their title-contending form, going second fastest in the No. 29 BMW M4 GT3 after a strong showing across both practice sessions.
The No. 10 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) held firm in third after another consistent performance, while DXDT Racing’s No. 11 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, piloted by Blake McDonald, Matt Bell, and Alec Udell, secured fourth as they look to close the gap in their championship battle against Turner Motorsport. Rounding out the top five was the No. 91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Jeff Burton, Philip Ellis, and Daan Arrow, continuing Mercedes’ strong presence across the classes.
Am Class
In Am, it was the No. 6 Dollahite Racing Ford Mustang GT3 that turned heads by leading the category and going an impressive sixth overall in the combined order. Scott Dollahite, Eric Powell, and Stefano Gusso showed excellent pace in the new Mustang platform. Meanwhile, AF Corse USA’s No. 163 Ferrari 296 GT3 of Jay Schreibman, Oswaldo Negri, and Conrad Grunewald continued to dial in their setup ahead of qualifying.
Let’s Get Racing
The GT World Challenge America powered by AWS field will return to the track for Qualifying on Friday afternoon, October 17th at 3:35 PM 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.