The opening race of the GT America powered by AWS season finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway delivered drama as Memo Gidley captured his third win of the season, while Justin Rothberg sealed the 2025 SRO3 Championship title after a stellar drive from the back of the grid.
The 40-minute sprint began with early chaos as Mirco Schultis was spun at the start in the #70 MISHUMOTORS Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R, setting off a tense opening lap. Out front, Memo Gidley took control in the #56 SKI Autosports Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, snatching the lead from pole-sitter George Kurtz in the #04 CrowdStrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO.
Jason Bell made an impressive charge at the start, propelling his #2 Racers Edge Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 into third. Meanwhile, Rothberg began his climb from ninth place after serving a derogation grid penalty from qualifying in the #29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3, carving his way through the field with determined precision.
In the mid-pack, the battle for seventh heated up between Joel Cortes in the #19 RS1 Porsche 992 GT3 R and Ross Chouest in the #50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R.
At the halfway mark, Gidley maintained a 1.3-second gap over Kurtz, while Rothberg closed in on Tony Davis in the #004 HP-Tech Motorsport Ferrari 296 GT3 for fourth place. A brief shuffle saw Kyle Washington in the #32 GMG Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R take advantage of the duel to slip past Rothberg, though the BMW driver quickly reclaimed the position in a bold counterattack.
With 12 minutes to go, Rothberg executed a clean pass on Davis down the front straight to secure fourth, immediately setting his sights on Bell in third. Bell, in turn, clocked the fastest lap of the race with a 1:25.378.
When the checkered flag flew, Memo Gidley crossed the line first to secure his third victory of the season, followed by Kurtz and Bell on the podium. Rothberg’s fourth-place finish was enough to clinch the 2025 GT America Championship title in a season defined by consistency and resilience. Late-race drama struck for Washington, who was involved in an incident on the final lap, sustaining damage to his Porsche.
“It’s such a traditional place, and I come from a traditional family, I just love it,” said Gidley. “The SKI team did a great job. We struggled early on but were fast at the end, so it was awesome.”
In the GT4 ranks, Mike Johnson dominated from start to finish aboard the #007 Archangel Motorsports with ProSport Competition Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO. Jozsef Petkes held second throughout the race in the #83 RCX Motorsport Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport, while Craig Lumsden rounded out the podium in the #610 Flying Lizard Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 EVO.
“The win was the goal, and it took a lot of work,” said Johnson. “It’s so weird, I’ve spent the last 20 years on the other side of the radio telling drivers how easy it looks. And now that I’ve done it, I realise just how hard it really is. My wife and family are here, so let’s go kiss some bricks. That’s why we live here in Indianapolis.”
CJ Moses’ #58 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT2 ran unopposed to the GT2 class win, finishing tenth overall out of 14 starters. Evan King in the #62 Flying Lizard Motorsports Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 withdrew from the event after Qualifying.
Images © Brian Cleary / SRO Motorsports America
