Indianapolis 8 Hour: Free Practice Highlights
The #80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 posted the fastest lap during the first official Free Practice for the Indianapolis 8 Hour Presented by AWS, with Jules Gounon clocking a top time of 1:23.215 just before sunset at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
In a 90-minute session, early times set the stage, but teams quickly shifted focus to long-run performance. Notably, the #04 Crowdstrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3 had a disappointing outing, returning to the pits within ten minutes without a competitive time.
BMW M4 GT3 EVOs filled the second to fourth positions, led by the #46 Team WRT BMW driven by Kelvin van der Linde, who recorded a 1:23.289. Varun Choksey surprised many by finishing third in the #51 Random Vandals Racing BMW (1:23.312), followed closely by Al Faisal Al Zubair in the #777 WRT BMW (1:23.361). Chaz Mostert in the #75 75 Express Mercedes-AMG and the #888 Team GMR Mercedes-AMG, driven by Maro Engel, rounded out the top six.
The top Pro-Am time came from Dennis Marschall in the #21 Blattner Company by Herberth Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R, posting a 1:23.593, narrowly outpacing Robby Foley in the #29 Turner Motorsport BMW (1:23.598).
The top ten was completed by the #16 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3 (Allam Khodair) in ninth and the #61 Earl Bamber Motorsport Porsche (Sven Müller) in tenth. Notably, the #99 Random Vandals BMW, leading in the GT World Challenge America Pro standings, placed 12th.
In the Am class, Eric Powell drove the #6 Dollahite Racing Ford Mustang GT3 to 20th overall.
Paid Bronze Test Summary
Prior to Free Practice, a 30-minute Paid Bronze Test saw Dustin Blattner leading the field in the #21 Herberth Porsche with a best lap of 1:24.321. He improved this time to 1:24.257, finishing ahead of Kenny Habul in the #75 75 Express Mercedes-AMG (1:24.422). Ralf Bohn and Scott Dollahite followed in third and fourth, respectively. The #11 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette did not participate, having completed laps in earlier sessions.
This week, teams will continue to refine their strategies and performances leading up to the main event, with close competition expected across all classes.
