- Tuner Motorsport Turns Pro Victory into Championship Title
- GMG Racing Wins Pro-Am and Overall
- MAD Joker Racing Triumphs in Am
- Provisional Race Results
The 2026 DESDER Indianapolis 8 Hour delivered a thrilling conclusion to the season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with fierce battles, bold strategies, and championship titles decided in the final hours of competition as the year came to a close.
Turner Motorsport's Robby Foley and Justin Rothberg secured the Pro class championship following a hard-fought battle aboard their No. 29 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, while GMG Racing celebrated a commanding overall victory and claimed the Pro-Am championship with Kyle Washington. The eight-hour endurance showdown brought another action-packed edition of the event to a close at the iconic Brickyard.
Pro Class
As the second half of the DESDER Indianapolis 8 Hour unfolded, the No. 12 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3 continued to lead the way in the Pro class, while Turner Motorsport’s No. 29 BMW M4 GT3 EVO moved ahead of the No. 34 Team Mercedes-AMG JMF Motorsports to take over second place. The No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R remained in contention in fourth with French driver Kevin Estre, running an alternate pit strategy due to an early setback, but it ultimately did not pay off.
With two hours remaining, AF Corse USA brought its Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO into pit lane, with Frederik Schandorff taking over driving duties from Niklas Nielsen for the final stretch.
As Schandorff returned to the track on cold tires, Robby Foley was quick to close the gap. With one hour and 22 minutes remaining, Foley made his move into Turn 1 as Schandorff ran wide, taking over the Pro class lead.
Schandorff immediately fought back, but his pursuit was complicated when the Pro-Am class No. 69 Archangel Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 entry, driven by Aaron Telitz, moved between the two leaders, creating an additional obstacle in his chase.
The battle continued into the final round of pit stops, with Foley bringing his BMW into pit lane with just over an hour remaining. AF Corse USA responded one lap later, with Schandorff emerging ahead of his rival. However, Foley had already brought his tires up to temperature and wasted little time reclaiming the position, moving back into the Pro class lead and putting himself in the championship lead.
Foley went on to not only deliver the Pro class victory for the team, but in doing so he secured Turner Motorsport’s third consecutive GT World Challenge America championship title. After back-to-back Pro-Am crowns, the team now secured their first in the Pro category.
Team Mercedes-AMG JMF Motorsports remained third in class as the race entered its closing stages, with Maxime Martin securing the Intercontinental GT Challenge Drivers' Championship title and Mikaël Grenier and Michai Stephens taking a podium finish.
.jpg)
Pro-Am Class
The Pro-Am class battle remained equally compelling throughout the second half, with Archangel Motorsports and GMG Racing trading the lead as their contrasting pit strategies played out.
The No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche entry was handed a five-second time penalty for a pit exit merge line violation, which the team served during its next eligible stop with just over two hours remaining.
Meanwhile, Ryan Yardley handed over the No. 31 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R to Laurin Heinrich for the final portion of the race. The team remained firmly in podium contention, with valuable championship points also at stake as they were in the hunt for the title.
GMG Racing's alternate strategy began paying dividends as the race approached its final hour. The team found itself leading not only the Pro-Am class but also the overall classification, demonstrating the effectiveness of its approach.
With one hour and four minutes remaining, GMG Racing completed its final pit stop, maintaining a commanding advantage over its closest competitors. Archangel Motorsports ran second in class and overall, but nearly a full minute separated the two entries on track.
Further behind, Wright Motorsports made its final stop with 40 minutes remaining, returning to the circuit fourth in class. Heinrich immediately set his sights on the competitors ahead, completing the overtake on the No. 86 High Class Racing Porsche with less than 25 minutes on the clock to move back into podium position.
At the checkered flag, Ayhancan Güven brought the GMG Racing Porsche home to claim a remarkable overall and Pro-Am class victory, crossing the line with a 56-second advantage, the largest winning margin in the history of the Indianapolis 8 Hour.
The result also secured the Pro-Am Drivers' Championship for Kyle Washington and the Teams' Championship for GMG Racing, capping off a standout 2026 campaign for the team.
Ryan Yardley also clinched the SRO GT Academy championship, earning the prestigious prize and a run at the 24 Hours of Spa next year after his season-long performances.
.jpg)
Am Class
The Am class delivered another closely contested battle in the second half of the race, with Oswaldo Negri moving back into the lead aboard the No. 163 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO. Peter Dempsey remained close behind in the No. 11 MAD Joker Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, keeping the fight for class honors wide open.
As the race entered its final hour, MAD Joker Racing had gained the upper hand. However, a wide moment for Dempsey allowed Benny Simonsen to somewhat close the gap in the Ferrari, putting the leading Mercedes under renewed pressure. Despite the setback, Dempsey retained his advantage as the clock continued to wind down.
With less than 40 minutes remaining, an incident involving the No. 11 MAD Joker Racing Mercedes-AMG and the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche was noted by Race Control, with the entry being handed a post-race drive-through penalty converted into a time penalty. However, it was not enough to disrupt the final results, with MAD Joker claiming the victory. AF Corse USA finished second, with Scuderia Corsa rounding off the podium in third.
As the season came to a close though, it was Jay Schreibman who was awarded his second consecutive Am class championship with AF Corse USA.
.jpg)
Up Next
This marks the conclusion of the 2026 GT World Challenge America powered by AWS season. Join us next year for the 2027 season opener at Sonoma Raceway from April 2nd to 4th.