Tag: Indianapolis 8 Hour

American Teams Lock Out Front Row for Indianapolis 8 Hour at IMS

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From IMS:

  INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Oct. 17, 2025) – The world’s best GT3 sports car racing teams have come to Indianapolis Motor Speedway to compete this weekend, but American teams defended home soil by locking out the front row Friday for the Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS.
BMW factory driver Philipp Eng joined Random Vandals Racing, based in Concord, North Carolina, this weekend for the season finale of the Intercontinental GT Challenge and GT World Challenge America powered by AWS series and won the pole for the eight-hour endurance race Saturday.
SEE: Pole Shootout Results
Eng, from Austria, turned a top lap of 1 minute, 22.271 seconds in the No. 51 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 that he will share with Americans Varun Choksey and Bill Auberlen in the race, which starts at 12:20 p.m. ET Saturday and finishes in darkness with race car headlights at 8:20 p.m. Eng won this race in 2023 driving with Sheldon van der Linde and Dries Vanthoor in a BMW fielded by Team WRT.
“When we rolled the car off the truck straightaway, it was so well prepared by Random Vandals,” Eng said. “We improved the car step by step, and I’m very happy for the guys because this is my first time joining the team, first time being a Random Vandal, and I love it.
“I was very happy with the car, with the lap. It’s a long race ahead. We’ll see how tomorrow goes.”
Jules Gounon, from France, qualified second at 1:22.283 – just .012 of a second shy of pole — in the No. 80 Mercedes-AMG fielded by Mercedes-AMG Lone Star Racing, based in Denison, Texas. Gounon will share that car with Lin Hodenius of the Netherlands and Maxime Martin of Belgium.
The 10-car Pole Shootout session was tight, with just .235 of a second separating the top six drivers.
There will be 25 cars competing in the eight-hour race from renowned manufacturers Aston Martin, BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Ford, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche. These are all GT3-specification sports cars, which resemble their showroom counterparts.
Particular attention will be paid to Row 2 of the starting grid, occupied by the two drivers vying for the season championship in the global sports car series driving for the same team, Team WRT.
Raffaele Marciello of Italy qualified third at 1:22.316 in the No. 777 Team WRT BMW M4. Teammate Kelvin van der Linde qualified fourth in the No. 46 Team WRT BMW after a best lap of 1:22.408. Van der Linde’s team includes MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, who is making his four-wheeled IMS debut.
Van der Linde leads Marciello, 85-80, in the standings with 25 points available to the winner Saturday.
Van der Linde and Marciello teamed up to win this season at Nurburgring and Suzuka for the WRT BMW team, but they were separated at Bathurst and Spa and will continue to be rivals this weekend at IMS. There’s little to separate the two drivers, as van der Linde has three victories and Marciello two. The WRT team also has won the Indianapolis 8 Hour the last two years, so there’s no team advantage for either driver.
Row 3 was claimed by two teams featuring NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers. Connor De Phillippi qualified fifth at 1:22.445 in the No. 99 BMW M4 fielded by pole winners Random Vandals Racing. He will share that car with popular INDYCAR SERIES driver Conor Daly and Kenton Koch.
The No. 75 75 Express Mercedes-AMG will start sixth after Chaz Mostert’s best lap of 1:22.506. Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion and 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power will compete in his first sports car race since 2003, sharing the car with fellow Australians Mostert and Kenny Habul.
Click these links to buy tickets and parking, to see the event schedule or to plan ahead for the Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS. 

Saturday at IMS

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INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Oct. 17, 2025) – Information about Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS track activity Saturday, Oct. 18 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
SCHEDULE (All times local):
8 a.m.: Public Gate Opens
8:10-8:35 a.m.: TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School Race 1
8:50-9:35 a.m.: Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Cup North America Race 1
9:50-10:50 a.m.: GT4 America Race 1
10:50 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Intercontinental GT Challenge Pre-Race
12:20-8:20 p.m.: Intercontinental GT Challenge Race
8 p.m.: Public Gate Closes
TICKETS: $45 for General Admission seating for selected grandstands, infield viewing mounds, garage area access and Track Limits Live area in Pagoda Plaza. Children 15 and under are admitted free with a paying adult.
PUBLIC GATE OPEN (8 a.m.-8 p.m.): Gate 6PARKING: Paid parking is available in Lot 2 for $10. ADA parking is also available in Lot 2 for $10.
CASHLESS OPERATIONS: Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a cashless facility. Please be prepared to complete your ticket, credentials, parking, concession and merchandise purchases with ease during your event via debit or credit card.Tap-to-pay phone payments will be accepted, as will credit and debit transactions.
MUSEUM: The IMS Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission tickets are $25, seniors (55 and over) are $23, and military (former and active) are $18. Tickets can be purchased online at https://imsmuseum.org/tickets/. Indianapolis 8 Hour gate admission must be purchased as well as Museum admission.

Tomorrow at the Track

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Friday, Oct. 17  INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025) – Information about Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS track activity Friday, Oct. 17 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
SCHEDULE (All times local):
8 a.m.: Public Gate Opens
8:05-8:35 a.m.: Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Cup North America Practice 2
8:50-9:05 a.m.: TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School Qualifying
9:20-9:35 a.m.: GT America powered by AWS Qualifying
9:50-11:20 a.m.: Intercontinental GT Challenge Pre-Qualifying
11:35 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: GT4 America Practice 2
12:35-12:50 p.m.: Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Cup North America Qualifying
1:40-2:30 p.m.: McLaren Trophy America Race 2
2:45-3:20 p.m.: GT4 America Qualifying (two groups)
3:35-4:35 p.m.: Intercontinental GT Challenge Qualifying (three groups)
4:50-5:30 p.m.: GT America powered by AWS Race 1
5:45-6 p.m.: Intercontinental GT Challenge Pole Shootout
6 p.m.: Public Gate Closes
TICKETS: $20 for General Admission seating for selected grandstands, infield viewing mounds and garage area access. Children 15 and under are admitted free with a paying adult.
PUBLIC GATE OPEN (8 a.m.-6 p.m.): Gate 6
PARKING: Paid parking is available in Lot 2 for $10. ADA parking is also available in Lot 2 for $10.
CASHLESS OPERATIONS: Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a cashless facility. Please be prepared to complete your ticket, credentials, parking, concession and merchandise purchases with ease during your event via debit or credit card.Tap-to-pay phone payments will be accepted, as will credit and debit transactions.
MUSEUM: The IMS Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission tickets are $25, seniors (55 and over) are $23, and military (former and active) are $18. Tickets can be purchased online at https://imsmuseum.org/tickets/. Indianapolis 8 Hour gate admission must be purchased as well as Museum admission. 

2025 IMS Event Tickets On Sale Now at IMS.com, Ticket Office 

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From IMS:

 INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024) – Tickets for marquee events in 2025 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – including the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG and the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks – are on sale online at IMS.com and at the IMS Ticket Office.
The IMS Ticket Office is located on the first floor of the IMS Administration Building at 4790 W. 16th St. in Indianapolis. Hours of operation are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. Tickets also can be purchased by calling 317-492-6700.
“After an unforgettable 2024, it’s now time to start looking forward to the 2025 schedule at IMS and welcoming fans back to the Racing Capital of the World for another racing season,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said.
“Other than renewal, buying now provides the best available seats at the lowest prices we offer and is a perfect time for our fans to make plans to be part of the many great racing events at IMS in 2025.”
Tickets for the following 2025 events are on sale at IMS.com/tickets and the Ticket Office:
Sonsio Grand Prix: Saturday, May 10
Miller Lite Carb Day: Friday, May 23
Legends Day presented by Firestone: Saturday, May 24
109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge: Sunday, May 25
Indy 500 Coors Light Snake Pit: Sunday, May 25
Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational: Saturday, June 14-Sunday, June 15
NASCAR Xfinity Series Pennzoil 250: Saturday, July 26
NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 presented by PPG: Sunday, July 27
IMSA TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks: Friday, Sept. 19-Sunday, Sept. 21
Intercontinental GT Indianapolis 8 Hour: Friday, Oct. 17-Sunday, Oct. 19
Customers also can purchase admission to practice, qualifications and the Indianapolis 500 public drivers’ meeting, as well as parking, camping, hospitality and public credentials (Bronze Badge, Silver Badge, garage passes, pit passes) for these events at IMS.com.
Fans also can purchase infield camping for the Sonsio Grand Prix, Brickyard Weekend and the IMSA TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks.
All products are on sale at their lowest remaining prices, with increases coming in 2025. The $4 per-ticket service fee will be waived on items purchased before Jan. 6.
Kids 15 and under will continue to be admitted free in general admission locations to all 2025 racing events at IMS when accompanied by an adult general admission ticketholder.
Miller Lite Carb Day and Coors Light Snake Pit concert lineups will be announced soon.
The Firestone Legends Day concert once again will be held at the Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park.
Performers and ticket sale information will be announced later
.Fans can apply to receive tickets for the 2025 Driven2SaveLives BC39. Dates for this event will be announced later. 

BMW Team Wins This Indianapolis 8 Hour in Unique Fashion

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From IMS:

 
INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024) – The Indianapolis 8 Hour Presented by AWS at Indianapolis Motor Speedway literally came down to a race against the clock.
Wright Motorsports’ Laurin Heinrich of Germany held the late-race lead – comfortably, in fact – but he knew a five-second penalty was coming from an infraction on the final pit stop for the No. 120 Porsche 911 GT3 R. Heinrich ran some of his best laps in the final minutes, but he crossed the finish line 4.74 seconds ahead of Belgium’s Dries Vanthoor and the Team WRT’s No. 31 BMW M4 GT3.Thus, Vanthoor officially won the eight-hour endurance event by .260 of a second. Last year, BMW’s margin at the finish was 53.110 seconds – and it actually was the car that took checkered flag first.
“I don’t know what to say at the moment,” said Vanthoor, who spent the final hour of the race virtually matching Heinrich’s lap times on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course at the Racing Capital of the World.
“I gave it everything I had. It was an amazing fight. Yeah, I gave it everything I had. I’m exhausted. Yeah, we did it!”
Heinrich said he was told of the impending time adjustment quite a while after it was announced, and he didn’t have enough laps left to keep the necessary advantage. He was disappointed to have lost the top spot on the podium in that manner
.“It’s a bit of a shame (to) somehow lose the overall win,” he said. “I was told (on the team’s radio) nine minutes before the end of a five-second penalty. I drove my heart out. I could extend the gap a bit but, I mean, I was clearly faster.”
The late-race drama as darkness settled over the historic motorsports facility was heightened by the fact both frontrunners were low on fuel. In fact, Vanthoor’s machine ran out on the cooldown lap, and it had to be towed to Victory Lane.
“It was a fuel race to the end, but we managed to do it,” Vanthoor said. “I’ll need a few days to recover, but I’m very happy to be a back-to-back Indy winner.”
Vanthoor also won last year’s race co-driving with Sheldon van der Linde of South Africa. The new driver in this year’s group was Charles Weerts of Belgium.This event brings together the Intercontinental GT Challenge and the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS. In an interesting twist,
Vanthoor and Heinrich both led their cars to Indy victories as their programs race in different categories. Heinrich also helped deliver a season championship for Florida’s Adam Adelson and California’s Elliott Skeer, who fought back emotions on pit lane after overcoming a 33-point deficit to ST Racing’s BMW.
“Funny enough, how we came into the race it was the exact same scenario,” Skeer said. “Two cars against each other and whoever (finishes ahead) comes out the champion. Ultimately, last year didn’t go to plan, but this year we won this thing overall on track. Not only did we beat the car we need to, we beat every single car on track. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”
The 23-car field included several drivers with IMS ties, including reigning and three-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou, who won the pole for last year’s Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Palou’s No. 4 Mercedes-AMG Team Lone Star Racing was already three laps off the pace with electrical issues when the Spaniard climbed behind the wheel, and he helped bring it home in 13th position. Still, that was good for third place in the Intercontinental GT Challenge Pro class.
Former INDYCAR SERIES drivers Zach Veach and Gabby Chaves co-drove the No. 93 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 with Luca Mars that finished fourth overall and second in the Fanatec GT World Challenge America event. They finished 53.149 seconds behind the race winner, one of six cars on the lead lap.The No. 99 Random Vandals Racing BMW that included INDYCAR SERIES driver Conor Daly finished 21st.
Bell, Rowe Shine in Saturday’s Support Races
Saturday morning’s single-make Toyota Gazoo GR Cup North America race featured many drivers with familiar motorsports names and celebrities
.Jaxon Bell, the son of 10-time Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge starter and NTT INDYCAR SERIES television analyst Townsend Bell, battled back from a drive-through penalty to become the highest finisher of those drivers – in 18th place in the 33-car field — in the No. 98 Copeland Motorsports Toyota.
Driving for Eagles Canyon Racing powered by Fast Track Toyota were YouTube star Cody Jones finishing in the 23rd position and Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves 25th as the last driver on the lead lap.
USAC standout Jade Avedisian finished 27th in the No. 24 Nitro Motorsports Toyota GR86.The race was won by Gresham Wagner, the driver of the No. 5 Copeland Motorsports Toyota who beat pole sitter Lucas Weisenberg (No. 46 Lucas Racing Toyota) by .733 seconds.
The series’ second race of the weekend is Sunday at 11:55 a.m.
INDY NXT by Firestone veteran Myles Rowe earned a spot on the podium in his class in the first Pirelli GT4 America race of the weekend, held Saturday. It was the first sports car race of Rowe’s career.Rowe and co-driver Isaac Sherman finished third – seventh overall – in the Pro-Am division in the No. 098 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4.
The 60-minute race was won by Corey Lewis and Tyler Gonzalez driving Smooge Racing’s Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO. Lewis crossed the finish line 5.172 seconds ahead of the field. The season-ending race is Sunday at IMS at 10:35 a.m. ET.

IMS Release: Sports Cars To Drive into Spotlight This Fall on IMS Road Course 

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From IMS:


 INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022) – Sports cars will reign this fall on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course as Porsche and the Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli return for events in September and October, respectively.The Porsche Sports Car Together Fest is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 2 through Sunday, Sept. 4, with the Indianapolis 8 Hour taking place from Friday, Oct. 7 through Sunday, Oct. 9. These unique race weekends provide an exciting, fan- and family-friendly conclusion to the 2022 season at the Racing Capital of the World.
Tickets for both events are available at IMS.com.
A look at the upcoming events at IMS:
Porsche Sports Car Together Fest – Sept. 2-4Porsche returns to IMS for the second annual Sports Car Together Fest, a three-day celebration of all things Porsche and car culture, along with trackside activities for families and fans of all ages. The full weekend of fun will highlight Porsche’s highest-performance models, including the GT line of road cars and the top one-make race series.
The weekend is expected to be the world’s largest gathering of Porsche GT cars and provide a spotlight on the 50th anniversary of the RS model.
While the Porsche Carrera Cup North America presented by the Cayman Islands and the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama headline the racing action on the track, multiple aspects of the Porsche automotive and sports culture will entertain and educate Porsche fans and casual attendees alike at the Labor Day weekend event.
Indianapolis 8 Hour – Oct. 7-9The elite sports car drivers and evocative brands of the will compete for the third consecutive year at IMS in the Indianapolis 8 Hour endurance race. The Indianapolis 8 Hour will begin at noon ET on Saturday, Oct. 8 and run to 8 p.m., allowing fans a unique chance to watch cars race after sunset at IMS.
Since 2016, the series has brought together some of the world’s great standalone endurance events to compete under the FIA’s global GT3 sports car regulations. The race weekend at IMS is part of a globe-trotting campaign that races on at least three continents.
The world’s biggest luxury automotive manufacturers also consider Intercontinental GT Challenge as a key component of their customer racing programs. Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche are among the prestigious manufacturers competing in the series.
Also racing that weekend along with the Intercontinental GT Challenge is its North American series, GT World Challenge America.
More Sports Cars in 2023 at IMS
For the first time since 2014, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be back at the Racing Capital of the World on the weekend of Sept. 15-17, 2023, as the headline event of a full weekend of IMSA sports car action billed as the “IMSA Battle on the Bricks.”
The IMSA Battle on the Bricks weekend will be a three-day festival showcasing the pinnacle of North American sports car racing, including the premier GTP class featuring the new, technologically sophisticated LMDh prototypes. Fans also can camp in the IMS infield, access not available during any other race weekend.
Visit IMS.com for more information and to sign up to be the first to secure tickets for 2023.