GT World Challenge America powered by AWS crowned its season champions during a rain-impacted Indianapolis 8 Hour Presented by AWS on Saturday night, headlined by new Pro class champions Kenton Koch and Connor De Phillippi of Random Vandals Racing.
In the team’s first full season of GT3 racing, the green #99 Random Vandals BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Koch and De Phillippi led the charge with five overall wins and six Pro class wins across the first six race meetings of the year. IndyCar Series veteran Conor Daly joined the team at the Indy 8 Hour and supported a fourth-place run.
That was enough for Koch and De Phillippi to clinch the championship, after JMF Motorsports’ bid came up short due to a post-race penalty for a maximum stint length infringement.
It was the capstone to an incredible day for Koch. Not only did he win the top class title in GT World Challenge America, but he only had to start Race 1 of the Pirelli GT4 America finale to clinch their top class title in the Silver category. He became the first driver to hold titles in the brief history of both series.
”I’m really proud to be part of this team. Having both Connor and Conor here this weekend has been a lot of fun, and working with Connor all season has been amazing. We came in with things to learn, but we’ve shown incredible performances throughout the year,” Koch said. ”This weekend, the car felt the best it ever has, which is such a testament to how far the team has come. I’m proud of everyone and excited for what’s to come. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of many more successes together.”
On top of all that, Koch also finished second in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Drivers’ standings, taking a win and four podiums in the last five races. Within those five races, Koch had to switch teams mid-season after starting the year with Korthoff Competition Motors, who suspended operations after Watkins Glen. Koch then joined Triarsi Competizione and looked right at home behind a Ferrari, even when driving one for the first time in his career, as he drove to a win at Road America.
De Phillippi’s title run represented a comfortable landing back in BMW M Motorsport’s North American GT racing system, a year after being displaced from BMW’s IMSA GTP driver line-up.
“It’s been an amazing effort from the entire team. At the start of the year, we knew we had a lot to learn, but we focused on improving every time we hit the track, and we did exactly that,” said De Phillippi. “We executed, we won races, and we grew stronger as a unit. This weekend, we came in focused on performance rather than points. We wanted to race against the best teams and drivers in the world, and we did. I’m so proud of this group.
“This championship is my first with BMW, and that makes it even more meaningful. Hopefully it’s just the start of many more together.”
With a GT World America championship and two GT4 America titles across its three cars, Random Vandals Racing is well-poised to be a major player in the American sports car racing circuit for some time.
Team Principal Paul Sparta has already confirmed plans to race in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, though it’s not yet clear what that programme will look like. A return to the Michelin Pilot Challenge has already been confirmed, with IMSA Diverse Driver Development (D3) Scholarship winner Nicky Hays as the centrepiece.
As one success story begins, another continues for the longest-tenured BMW racing team of all time. Turner Motorsport and drivers Justin Rothberg and Robby Foley won the Pro-Am championship. It was also a double championship for Rothberg, who won back-to-back GT America SRO3 Championships on Friday afternoon – the 11th and 12th championships for Will Turner’s team all-time.
“The stars really aligned for us,” said Rothberg, who shook off a poor first stint during the Indy 8 Hour thanks to Foley and Patrick Gallagher’s help. “I didn’t get back in the car to redeem my earlier stint, but Robby and Patrick did an amazing job. The weather worked in our favour; everything fell into place perfectly. Indy came through again. Robby and I are champions once more, and it feels fantastic.”
Their path towards the title was cleared up after the rival #11 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Blake McDonald and Matt Bell suffered a starter motor failure before the red flag for severe weather, but unlike last year, Turner had the advantage going into the 8 Hour before their title rivals were knocked out.
“Justin has made incredible progress this season; he’s on a great trajectory,” said Foley. “Our second year working together has been awesome; we were faster, more consistent, and racked up more wins. We definitely wanted to finish the season racing under green, but regardless, it’s been an amazing year. ”
So good was Rothberg’s progress that in order to run as a derogated Bronze driver and satisfy the Pro-Am requirements, the #29 BMW had to run with 26 kilos of “success weight”, and had to take five extra seconds at every pit stop by the end of the season.
An expected move up to the Pro class in 2026, where Rothberg would run with his usual Silver categorisation, would better reflect his true ability – and Turner is already targeting another championship in 2026.
And finally, in an Am class championship duel that only became a duel during the second round of the season, AF Corse USA drivers Jay Schreibman and Oswaldo Negri Jnr held on to win the winner-take-all fight for the Am title.
And unlike last year, when they only needed to run two race weekends to score the most points in the Am class, this year they needed six weekends of racing to finish the job.
A slow pitstop for the rival #6 Dollahite Racing Ford Mustang GT3 ultimately turned the tables before the bad weather hit, but it was a testament to the resilience of the #163 Ferrari 296 GT3 crew that they were able to hang on ’til the end.
“Ozz” Negri was a champion again, 40 years into a racing career that’s included a Rolex 24 At Daytona overall win. “I wanted this championship as badly as I did during my prototype racing days,” said the Brazilian veteran. “I can’t thank the team enough for the strategy calls, the preparation, and the commitment. I’m so proud of Jay, he completely transformed his life to make this happen, and seeing him on the top step of the podium means everything.”
Images © Fabian Lagunas / SRO Motorsports America
