The hallowed "Brickyard". Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Today, it plays host to the third annual Indianapolis 8 Hours, the American round of the globetrotting SRO Intercontinental GT Challenge for GT3 cars. No GT4 invitational entries this year, should make the race a tad easier and perhaps even more competitive. Mostly American teams are entered this year, and sadly, defending champions from Audi Sport Customer Racing, have not fielded an entry. Nonetheless, 25 potent cars, and 75 drivers have answered the bell for this one. 25 cars and a who's who of GT racing stars. The finale of Fanatec GT World Challenge powered by AWS and the third event in the Intercontinental GT Challenge. We join Ryan Myrehn, Calvin Fish, Bob Varsha, and Amanda Busick for the coverage.
Sunset in Indianapolis, we are racing to 8PM and see twilight, first time we have seen that at Indianapolis. Foyt, Unser, Mears, Castroneves, have raced here. Today's motor race will be amazing. Ten cars on track in the top ten shootout, penalties, protests and so on, and then, Jules Gounon sets the pole lap and uncorks a new track record. Holy mackerel! The man of the hour is Jules Gounon taking us on a track lap. Down the start/finish straight at 270 kilometers an hour, brake late and watch the wall. Open the corner, hit the power.
Turn three, off camber, watch the apex. To the chicane, flat out from the downforce. Check in on the radio. Arrive at the bumpy braking zone before the esses. Be close to the grass. Hit the backstretch, oversteer and then get back to the oval before late braking to the chicane. Back to the straight, watch the oversteer again, and go through the last corner onto the front straight. That was an energetic track lap, mate. Winward Racing feel they have the setup. Russell Ward starts the car. Keep it clean for the first half and go for it in the second half.
You drive for show and putt for dough, an old golf adage. They are not too worried about the title yet. Jules Gounon wants to run well with co-drivers Philip Ellis and Russell Ward. Jules Gounon is a great talent. Qualifying yesterday was a bear during Q1 and there was a red flag. A lot of the keen runners are going to be down the order. Raffaele Marciello and Daniel Juncadella in the Craft Bamboo Mercedes and the red AF Corse Ferrari's are going to be pushing. We start at high noon and so we have about 20 minutes to prepare ourselves.\
There is the famed museum, a repository of history at the most venerable track in motor racing. Not long ago, only IndyCar raced here. Sports car racing is a great fit for Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Formula 1, the Indianapolis 500, sports cars, NASCAR, MotoGP motorcycles, they have all raced here. 65-minute stints in cool weather with 40-degree ambient temperatures. The cars will stay consistent, or they might fall off a wee bit as the race goes on. Am drivers will be starting most of the cars. It is a long race. Settle in and think about the long game. This is the third edition of this great race which started in 2020. Surviving is key according to Alessandro Balzan driving the #34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 488 GT3.
Balzan is sharing with Cedric Sbirrazzuoli and Daniel Mancinelli under the direction of team boss Eric Bachelart. Bachelart, a former driver, and someone who has run the Indianapolis 500 before. Balzan off the pole by five hundredths of a second. Yikes! Their driver lineup is really consistent and they could win overall. Four Ferrari's in the top ten but none are AF Corse entries. The #3 K-PAX Racing Lamborghini is starting fourth. Jordan Pepper sharing with Misha Goikhberg and Franck Perera. The South African, the Canadian, the Frenchman. Tires will be crucial. Pit stops and strategy will be crucial.
The sister #1 K-PAX Lamborghini is also stacked with talent. The all-Italian trio of Andrea Caldarelli, Michele Beretta, and Marco Mapelli. Andrea Caldarelli is the new GTWC America champion. K-PAX though have been the class of the field in SRO America and in SRO on an global level, an international level. K-PAX has sprint and endurance experience, both. They know the strategy. Keep the big picture in mind. 50 degrees ambient. A cool, mild day. The fans are ready and here to watch. The pre-race traditions begin here at Indianapolis. It is breezy for the flags atop the pagoda. Victoria Ruble, sings The Star Spangled Banner.
Drivers getting strapped into their cars. Time to go racing, shortly. It is brisk this afternoon in Indianapolis. Stay warm, stay limber. It is autumn, championship season, colors are changing, and there are 16 different countries represented in this field. International and American championships in this race. Recognize who you are running against. There is a fierce Pro-Am battle between Wright Motorsports, 14 points ahead of Riley Motorsports/Crowdstrike Racing, and Racer's Edge Motorsports. If Braun and Kurtz win, they clinch, sharing with Ben Keating. Double points. 50 for a win. 36 for second.
IMS President Doug Boles says it is historic to see these cars and we will see them race into the twilight. SRO America President and CEO Greg Gill is really excited. There will be a long-term commitment for SRO and the speedway. This is going to be fun! Fans flock to the track. All GT3 cars. No invitational GT4 cars this year. It ought to clean up the racing this year and we had many yellows last year. But we have seen a lot of chaos this weekend already, during qualifying. Bill Auberlen and Jeff Burton had a contretemps in quali yesterday. When the Stars & Stripes waves we are going to see drivers with their elbows out.
Russell Ward and Charlie Scardina, Nick Wittmer, George Kurtz, Charlie Luck, these are some of the starting drivers for the first stint. Get the hot Pirelli P Zero's on the cars soon but the low ambient and track temps are going to really play a factor. Let's go racing. Driver's start your engines! Let's go! 25 GT3 cars thunder to life. We are ready to go racing. This is the sixth IGTC race in the United States. Three at Laguna Seca Raceway and now this is the third at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The field roll out for two formation laps. Make the most to ensure the tires, the brakes are bedded in. Get the tires on with five minutes to go before the command to fire engines.
Work the aceelerator and the brake at the same time to generate heat in your tires. Two pit lane starters. People thought the folks who wanted cars other than IndyCars at the speedway were bonkers. But I am glad to see so many different kinds of racing at the speedway, a home of the sport writ large. The second formation lap underway before we explode into action. Lights out on the safety car. Russell Ward starts the polesitting car alongside Alessandro Balzan. We look at the rest of the grid. Here they come. The stars and stripes wave! We are off and racing!
Who will get the lead? It is Russell Ward. Charlie Scardina and Marco Mapelli slicing and dicing already and there's contact between K-PAX and Turner Motorsports. Side by side stuff and Misha Goikhberg makes a move to the escape road. Russell Ward has the jump and Alessandro Balzan is right on top of him and here comes Marco Mapelli. Wow. Michael Dinan had a great start as well. He is a lonely fourth. Top three opening the gap. A clean first lap of the motor race. Phew! Thank goodness! Mario Farnbacher for Racer's Edge Acura is in the fight and poor old Scardina has dropped like a stone.
Nick Wittmer in the ST Racing BMW M4 GT3, car #38 around the #13 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari. Hammer and tongs, look, between the top three and here comes Daniel Serra, the Brazilian and son of former Formula 1 driver Chico Serra. 65 minutes the stint length. All Pro classs cars in the top three before the Pro-Am leader Mario Farnbacher pressing Misha Goikhberg. Mario Farnbacher gets tons out of an Acura NSX GT3. Tires should be hitting their sweet spot right now. Nick Wittmer has cruised to seventh place. They did not think they were in the pole shootout, tore the car down and then put the M4 GT3 back together. His team boss and co-driver Samantha Tan, she could not believe it.
Bill Auberlen and Miguel Molina were demoted for avoidable contact in qualifying yesterday. Harry Gottsacker, the third driver for ST Racing in the BMW. Daniel Serra right on top of Daniel Morad in the #77 Craft Bamboo Racing Mercedes with the Theodore Racing livery and team boss Teddy Yip who ran the Indianapolis 500 in 1981 and ran third with sports car ace Vern Schuppan at the wheel. Oh man! Misha Goikhberg has spun! Jeepers creepers! That was ugly! He could have gotten T boned! That is so dodgy as Shane Lewis on debut with Shane Lewis is moving ahead. At the formation lap there was contact between Charlie Luck and George Kurtz going for Pro-Am honors!
Egad! Well, well, well. As I was saying, the #39 Mercedes AMG GT3, that is the Stephen Cameron Racing entry of Shane Lewis, Chris Cagnazzi, and Guy Cosmo. Daniel Morad is stuck behind Conrad Grunewald. Grunewald in the Triarsi Ferrari and Serra makes it three wide into turn one! That was a wild move! That was great! Chico Serra, Daniel's dad, ran British Formula 3 in the 1980s. Serra also has multiple championships in Brazilian stock cars. Half a dozen Ferrari's in the field. Incident between Farnbacher and Goikhberg being studied by the stewards. A pit lane drive through penalty would be a real bugaboo. Somewhere, Teddy Yip is smiling, a casino magnate in Macau. The team came to the Indianapolis 500, ran in Formula 1.
Vern Schuppan finished behind Bobby Unser and Bobby Rahal. The #6 US Racetronics car was damaged in qualifying. This is a brand new car. Stephen Agakhani sharing with Loris Spinelli and Tristan Vautier. The old cartoon anvil has found the #6 boys more often than not this year. Russell Ward still leads the motor race. Ward, from Texas. Marco Mapelli is right on Alessandro Balzan's decklid. Michael Dinan falling into the shadows as they scream down Hulman Boulevard. Michael Cooper has the wheel of the #43 RealTime Racing Acura NSX GT3 sharing with Erin Vogel and I cannot remember who their third driver is.
Mario Farnbacher, incident responsibility, drive through. Nick Wittmer leads Silver, fourth overall, passing Michael Dinan. All three Pro-Am title contenders have had tales of woe and we are just a dozen minutes into the race. Bill Auberlen and Jeff Burton, too, starting in the lane, they are on the back foot as well. Jeff Westphal holds sixth and there goes Daniel Serra into turn seven past the older Ferrari for Andretti Autosport and Vital Speed in car #218. Corey Lewis and Shane Lewis, no relation, battling each other. James Sofronas too, a man with massive World Challenge experience. Corey Lewis driving the #91 Lamborghini.
Auberlen to the inside of Goikhberg. Misha Goikhberg slams the door in his face. Auberlen, the winningest driver in IMSA history. Auberlen and Goikhberg have raced in IMSA over the years. Lewis lunges to Goikhberg's inside and gets the door slammed in his face aboard the #91 TR3 entry. Pierre Ragues in the #51 Ferrari, he thought the final turn was flat out and he backed that car into the fence. Ragues, 13th overall in the #51 car sharing with Davide Rigon and Miguel Molina. Alessandro Balzan is very patient and Marco Mapelli, he wants to go by Balzan and Russell Ward. Witmmer, Dinan, Westphal, Morad, Grunewald, Habul, Cooper, a who's who of GT3 driver talent.
Scardina, Ragues, Agakhani, Pierburg. Ward is passed by Balzan for the race lead. Conquest Racing in only their third GT3 start, getting on the podium at Sebring last time out. Alessandro Balzan has really shown what a great driver he is and he is back. He had medical troubles a few years ago. He could very well team up with Manny Franco in SRO America next year. Balzan leads by a second over Russell Ward. Frantic opening minutes here at Indianapolis and there's boatloads more to come. Stay with us.
Balzan, Ward, Mapelli. The top three. Russell Ward has had lots of seat time. Winward Racing contest many championships all over the world. Ed Hall, team manager, is the glue holding the team together. They won five races in a row between IMSA and SRO. Daniel Morad, sixth, passing Michael Dinan. This is the #77 Craft Bamboo Mercedes AMG GT3. Morad sharing with Raffaele Marciello and Daniel Juncadella. Daniel Morad, former Rolex 24 at Daytona class winner, and he could be bumped up to a Gold driver rating by the FIA. Misha Goikhberg still in recovery mode. He has his game face on, pushing like crazy.
No damage to the K-PAX Lambo. Jordan Pepper wants a win here at Indy, with Frenchman Franck Perera, the third driver. At Racer's Edge, they are at the back of the pack. Ashton Harrison, she is confident. Early doors, they are making up time, sharing the car with Mario Farnbacher and with Christina Nielsen. Ashton Harrison might be ready to step into the car. They want to go forward and start passing cars. They are looking for a win today and the title. The Pro-Am title. It is a three-way fight between Racer's Edge, Wright Motorsports, and Riley Motorsports/Crowdstrike Racing. Farnbacher passes Charlie Luck in the #45 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R. Luck sharing with Jan Heylen and Elia Erhart.
Mario Farnbacher running with Ashton Harrison and Christina Nielsen. Erin Vogel and Taylor Hagler share the RealTime Racing #43 Acura NSX GT3 with Michael Cooper. Four female drivers in this race. The third driver has to run more than an hour to have classification in the official results sheet when the race is complete. These GT3 cars sound wonderful. All kinds of engines. Six cylinder, eight cylinder, ten cylinder, you name it. It is here. Russell Ward keeping Marco Mapelli at bay. Mapelli and Andrea Caldarelli won all three GTWC Europe titles in 2019. Sprint, Endurance, and overall. Russell Ward has raced recently but is still a relative newcomer and he is improving all the time.
Daniel Serra now up to fourth place chasing after Mapelli, Ward, and Balzan. Nick Wittmer is moving up and is now fifth with Daniel Morad sixth. We have nearly raced half an hour, clean and green. Bill Auberlen also pushing after starting from pit lane passing Charlie Scardina for third in Pro-Am. Auberlen and Chandler Hull have yet to win. They have Richard Heistand as their third driver. They had a bunch of spiraling disappointment at Sebring. Mapelli to the inside of Russell Ward. Ward gives it up. He is dealing with a twitchy handling race car for that #33 Mercedes AMG GT3. Indianapolis has significant bumps even on the road course in turn seven after the Hulman straightaway.
Conquest Racing leading the motor race making team boss Eric Bachelart happy I am sure. Balzan leads by 3.5 seconds over Marco Mapelli. Ward, Serra, Wittmer, complete the top five. A decal could be flapping on the side of the Lambo. Daniel Serra closing the gap to Russell Ward and the rest. 1:23.9 for Serra. 1:24.1 for Balzan. Nick Wittmer, fifth, in the #38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3. They are the only Silver entry, scoring points for Intercontinental GT Challenge. Spa, they were there. They did not race the Bathurst 12 Hours in May but will be at the Gulf 12 Hours in December at the end of the season.
ST Racing is trying to race around the world but stick to North America next year. Craft Bamboo Racing, and Andretti Autosport battle. Jarett Andretti sharing with Ryan Briscoe, and Jeff Westphal. At U.S. Racetronics, the #6 Mercedes, did welding work on the Mercedes AMG GT3, but there is a vibration in the front splitter. Loris Spinelli has to wonder. They are trying to stay motivated. Their pace is not the best but there is a long way to go. The team is ready to make a pit stop soon. Spinelli says they are not sure about fixing that splitter, sharing with Steven Agakhani and Tristan Vautier. The handling will be very inconsistent. Understeering, oversteering. The Mercedes splitter is bolted to the subframe and that will be a hard thing to fix.
George Kurtz is digging back through the field. a class winner at the 24 Hours of Spa in July. Daniel Serra is now third overall. Marco Mapelli is drawing a bead on Alessandro Balzan. Sounds like an Italian race to me. Make the Pirelli P Zero's last. Mapelli and Serra are both pushing hard. Lapped traffic ahead, the #88 Am class Zelus Lamborghini ahead. #1 and K-PAX had trouble for four races and found their true pace at Sebring, breaking the broom out and sweeping. Jason Harward in the Zelus car, led by Tigh Isaac, former Olympic speed skater. Harward sharing with Seth Lucas and a third driver I cannot remember but will shortly.
A lead battle brewing between Marco Mapelli and Alessandro Balzan. Mapelli and Lamborghini want past that Ferrari and another Ferrari, that's Daniel Serra, the speedy Brazilian. Don't do anything silly. We have been very clean. Oh no. Don't jinx it now, Skip, whatever you do! The #3 K-PAX Lambo is two seconds slower. Team boss Thomas Blam is trying to assess rear end damage. They will say out until the pit window opens. Misha Goikhberg has dropped to 19th overall. During the pit stop after 65 minutes, they will take a good look. Seven stops and a splash and a dash if the motor race stays green. We have been pretty clean. Don't back time the race just yet. We have a long way to go.
Any time you put fuel in the car you have to be stationary for 92 seconds total. 52 seconds of pass through time, 40 seconds for a stop. It's more open if you are pitting only for tires and driver changes. 65 minutes maximum, you could drive through the lane. But you have to come to the box and shut off the motor and then restart it. That is hard because hot race engines are hard to crank again. James Sofronas in the yellow and blue Ukraine livery Porsche being harried by Shane Lewis in the Mercedes for Steve Cameron with engineer Kent Stacy. Gary Rubio too, a former driver and now team manager. George Kurtz pushing as Goikhberg gets to turn one too hot and gets into the ABS.
That takes brake pressure away and you wash out with no frint grip. Left front damage on that #3 Lambo at K-PAX. Downforce so important into the turn and under braking. Shane Lewis has been contesting international races in GT3 spec Mercedes' such as in the Creventic 24 Hour Series. James Sofronas being monstered. Sofronas sharing the GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3R #32. Mapelli has passed and gapped Balzan by a second. K-PAX #1 moving up having passed the Conquest Racing Ferrari. Mapelli leads the motor race.
He has driven a great stint, now 45 minutes in. As for the #32 GMG Porsche it is James Sofronas sharing with Kyle Washington and Austrian Klaus Bachler. Daniel Serra after starting way down the order, he is making hay while the sun shines, 15-20 seconds down after the delay from the spin on the formation lap, the recon lap. Mario Farnbacher, "Super Mario", uncorked fastest lap so far. Not sure what the time is. He is coming in a hurry as well. Marco Mapelli leading the motor race ahead of Alessandro Balzan and Daniel Serra who is rocketing up from 18th on the grid. Balzan's car dipped over the turn seven bump, while Serra's car is compliant, floating over the bumps.
Maybe Conquest has a different setup. You want to float through the braking zone and don't porpoise. The Ferrari 488 will be retired soon as we will see the new 296 GT3 model next year. But the old girl is still in the game, and she has the pace. Daniel Serra, 1:23.7, he has the pace deep into the stint as Farnbacher continues uncorking fastest laps in the 1:23 range. They have the pace but have lost track position after the drive through penalty. Remember, Farnbacher is going for a Pro-Am championship in SRO GTWC America. Onofrio Triarsi and Charlie Scardina have sewn up the Am championship. In years past, the American title has been called at three hours. Not this time. You have to go the distance of 8 hours and work for it.
Top speeds overall at 166-168 miles aj hour and Nick Wittmer and Bill Auberlen with the BMW M4 GT3's they are rocket ships right now. The fastest cars are not the race leader. Cornering is where time is gained and lost. Would you rather have top speed or cornering? It is dependant on downforce. You have to find a balance. Handling is probably more desirable, cornering is more desirable with a car than ouright speed. Mario Farnbacher is working to atone for the early contact we saw. 1:23.242, Crowdstrike fastest lap for Farnbacher so far.
Serra has made the move on Balzan. AF Corse now ahead of Conquest! Drafting down Hulman Boulevard. The experience is there for both of these drivers. 52 minutes on the board. Mapelli leads. Serra is on the charge and coming in a massive hurry. Balzan is getting a wriggle on at the moment. Oh boy. Mapelli laps Goikhberg. What a contrast at K-PAX! There is no wave by procedure, so if you go a lap down you have to fight for it. There will be a situation of being on the lead lap if the safety car appears. The safety car will wave you by to make a lap up and join the queue. But that is no in affect for this race. You cannot score "the lucky dog".
Mapelli, Goikhberg (a lap down), and now Serra, pushing hard. Goikhberg playing a blocker. He has pace and is not obligated to move over. Ah. He does give it up. So, Serra can chase Marco Mapelli. 39 laps in the bag. 95 miles. Russell Ward, fourth, the polesitting car, being chased down by Nick Wittmer and Daniel Morad. Wittmer in the #38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT4 and Morad in the #77 Craft Bamboo Racing Mercedes and that car will be shared by Raffaele Marciello and Daniel Juncadella. Morad, the least heralded driver in that trio. Again, this is the Theodore retro liveried car, #77. Morad won Formula BMW at Indianapolis. He fell through the net with Red Bull Racing but has found a home in sports cars in IMSA and in SRO in 2017 and 2018.
Michael Cooper, quietly moving forward. He dives around the outside of Conrad Grunewald for the Pro-Am lead for ninth and tenth overall. Yikes! RealTime atre pushing hard because they have had a horrid season so far. They just haven't found the sweet spot but maybe they are finding it now. Cooper, Erin Vogel, and Taylor Hagler. Pit stop time for Craft Bamboo and new boots on the car, new Pirelli P Zero's. They can run to 65 minutes. Seven stops. This is a strategy call to pit before a possible yellow. You are allowed three non cumulative jokers. Save those for the end.
Russell Ward and Charlie Luck also both in the lane.
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