BMW will bookend the seven-year history of the Indianapolis 8 Hour with pole positions in both the first edition (via Walkenhorst Motorsport) and the last edition (via Turner Motorsport). Their two pole positions in the event equals the two from rival German manufacturers Porsche and Mercedes-AMG.
Seven different teams have now won the pole position including AF Corse, Winward Racing, Huber Motorsport, Herberth Motorsport, and Lone Star Racing. Robby Foley is the sixth different driver to win the Indy 8 Hour pole, joining two-time pole winner Jules Gounon, Foley’s current co-driver Connor De Phillippi, Alessandro Pier Guidi, Laurin Heinrich, and Patric Niederhauser.
Independent Cup champion Li recounts ‘dream season’
The only Intercontinental GT Challenge title that won’t be decided at Indy is the Independent Cup, because it was already clinched at the 50th Suzuka 1000km by Li Kerong of High Class Racing.
The #86 Porsche he shares with Anders Fjordbach and Leo Ye Hongli now has gold stripes to commemorate the title victory, and as champion, even Li couldn’t have believed how things would have gone – especially finishing second overall in the Bathurst 12 Hour.
“Of course we always have high expectations, but before the season started, honestly I just never thought we can win the championship,” Li told DSC. “When we raced Bathurst, first of all, it’s a dream for us to race at that legendary circuit. We just wanted to do well in our class. And somehow, we were pretty lucky and we finished P2 overall, which is still amazing for me! Every day when I think about this, it’s a dream.
“This year we were the only Independent Cup team entered in the Nürburgring 24H, which was also really good for our championship run. Spa was alright, we had a little bit of contact, but our competitors also had trouble and could not finish. And then Suzuka was also nice, so we just completed the job.
“It’s a very good year for High Class, from the team, from us, the drivers, the crew, the mechanics and engineers, we improved so much. I think next year will be even better.”
Li, born in Xian, China but who spent significant time living in the United States in Boston, is also keen to return to the Rolex 24 At Daytona, though is planning on making another run at the IGTC Independent Cup.
“My dream is to win the Daytona 24, I did it two years in a row in 2023 and 2024. I wanted to do a year out to prepare and come back to IMSA stronger, so that is also our target. But for sure, I will do both,” Li said.
SKI Autosports announces GT World America step-up, wins GT America pole
Another team from the deep south announced plans today to step up the SRO America pyramid to GT World Challenge America: SKI Autosports, this year’s GT America SRO3 champions-elect, will participate in “select events” next season and join ACI Motorsports on the 2027 grid – though no further details have been disclosed.
In addition, 2026 champion Memo Gidley will return to defend his GT America title with SKI Autosports, which is also looking to incorporate the former CART Championship Series and Grand-Am driver into its plans through 2028.
The team from Alpharetta, Georgia (in the Atlanta metro) has won two GT America SRO3 titles with its current Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, in 2024 with Johnny O’Connell and this season with Gidley. They can set a new single-season record for the most SRO3 wins in a season if the #56 Audi wins either of the two races this weekend, breaking the record set in 2022 by George Kurtz.
Things got even better for Gidley and the team when they found they’d inherited the pole position for Race 1 on Saturday, after the controversial #100 Risi Competizione Maserati MC20 GT2 failed technical inspection for an unapproved rear wing angle, sending the blue Maserati and driver Peter Dempsey to the rear of the grid.
That struck Dempsey’s 1:24.201 off the board and gave Gidley the pole with a 1:24.895, up by six-tenths over Tony Davis in the #04 HP-Tech Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo. The Porsches of Joel Cortes (RS1) and Scott Blind (Ruckus Racing) will start third and fourth.
Not unlike the MC12 GT1 of 20 years ago, the Risi Maserati MC20 has stirred up a bit of controversy in the paddock, running to enhanced specifications with more horsepower than is usually permitted under GT2 regulations. Discussions that the car could be moved out of SRO3 and back to GT2 did not amount to anything, regardless, it is a car to watch on Saturday and Sunday.
Workman wins GT4 America Race 1 pole for RAFA Toyota
Needing a perfect weekend to keep its slim hopes of winning the Silver class title alive, the #68 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 won the pole for tomorrow’s first race of Pirelli GT4 America at Indianapolis, while the Race 2 grid was set by other means after a circuit-wide timing system failure caused Q2 to be cancelled.
For Race 1, Westin Workman – recipient of the 2027-28 IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship – set the benchmark with a 1:29.849, edging out the #131 Advance Motorsports McLaren Artura GT4 and young driver Austin Jurs (1:29.983).
Silver class points leader Spencer Pumpelly was third-fastest in the #028 RS1 Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport, the donor car from Nolasport which has since carried the team to seven Silver class wins in a row earlier this year.
Taking top honours in Pro-Am was Allen Patten in the #39 Dome Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4, and in Am, Michael Garcia was quickest in the #21 ACI Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 EVO. They will start seventh and 11th, respectively, with Pro-Am points leader Sam Craven starting tenth in the #94 Random Vandals Racing BMW, and Frankie Muniz in 14th aboard the #30 TechSport Racing Ford Mustang GT4.
The grid for Race 2 will be set by the fastest times in Practice 2, by each team’s registered ‘Driver 2’. That would give Trenton Estep and the #7 ACI Motorsports Porsche the top spot on the grid for Sunday’s season finale, and he’d start alongside Ryan Yardley in the #25 ACI Porsche.
RWE duo wins finale, but Forte’s Liddy and Harvey take title
Friday afternoon’s McLaren Trophy America race was the last under the sanction of SRO America, won by the #74 RWE Motorsport McLaren Artura Trophy Evo of James Li and Sam Neser.
But despite spinning on the final lap while challenging Li for the lead, Patrick Liddy and co-driver Tanner Harvey’s third-place finish in the #24 Forte Racing car was enough for them to clinch the Pro title by a single point over Li and Neser.
They earned second-place points as the runner-up #53 Forte Racing car (Jon Miller/Kevin Madsen) was ruled ineligible to score points after Miller replaced Neil Langberg for the finale.
The #11 RWE car (Casey Dennis/Tommy Pintos) was fourth overall and in class, finishing one place ahead of Am class winners James and Jenson Sofronas, the father-son duo in the #14 GMG Racing car.
Motorsport in Action’s #43 car of Alexandria Hainer and Jesse Lazare took Pro-Am class honours with a tenth-place overall result.
McLaren Trophy America will move to IMSA sanctioning for its third season, but its first race of the 2027 season will actually support the IndyCar Series event at Barber Motorsports Park on 2–4 April.
Images © SRO Motorsports Group
