The second half of the Indianapolis 8 Hour, season finale for the SRO Fanatec GT World Challenge, came with dramatic twists, turns and championship swings as rivals battled it out into the night during the final few hours of the 2024 season.
After a long and hard fought race, the No. 31 Team WRT BMW claimed the overall win and the IGTC championship crown. In the FGTWCA Pro class, Wright Motorsports were in a league of their own, clinching the class win and the title. The Pro-Am battle truly came down to the line, and although Herberth Motorsport crossed the line first, it was Turner Motorsport who walked away victorious in the North American championship by one single point.
Hour 5
The race was momentarily halted by a caution flag brought out by Random Vandals Racing as drivers crossed over into the second half of the race. When the green flag was waved once again, Elliott Skeer immediately found the right opportunity to strike, sweeping his No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 992 GT3 R down the inside line and overtaking Tommy Milner in the No. 63 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R for the FGTWCA Pro class lead.
Milner started to struggle slightly, further dropping to third in class behind Philipp Eng in the No. 28 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3, with Trent Hindman applying pressure in the No. 85 RS1 Porsche 992 GT3 R.
Another full course caution was called as Andy Lee pulled his ailing No. 8 Flying Lizard Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 off to the side of the track on the front stretch with an oil pressure issue. A series of pit stops and driver changes followed, and the race restarted with under three and a half hours remaining.
ST Racing were plagued by more gremlins as they came to a complete halt right before the pit lane entry. This brought out the fourth caution flag of the race, but Neil Verhagen was able to limp down pit lane after restarting his machine.
Hour 6
Most of the cars on the track took the opportunity to come down pit lane under the full course yellow. However, a few lucky cars had the foresight to jump down pit lane before the caution flag was brought out, which proved to be a bold and rewarding strategy for some.
This enabled DXDT Racing to return to the front of the pack, just ahead of Wright Motorsports as the front-runners resumed the duel in the final hours. However, the Porsche was completely dialed in, and Skeer’s quick thinking and fast hands saw him pull off a clean overtake a couple of laps later.
Meanwhile, GruppeM Racing opted to reset their driver stint length as Jules Gounon made a quick stop in their pit box, gaining track positions ahead of Team WRT in the process. Sheldon van der Linde was unfazed by this strategy call, still completely focused on returning to the front of the IGTC Pro class. It was an intense showdown between the two highly skilled drivers, but the BMW’s pace was undeniable. He patiently waited for the right time to launch an attack, and pulled off the move cleanly with a little over two and a half hours left on the clock.
There was good news for the No. 38 ST Racing Pro-Am car as it was able to return from behind the wall for the second time, but bad news followed for the No. 33 Team WRT machine as they had to make lengthy repairs in pit lane to address a broken rear diffuser. It was a tough day for another BMW team, as Random Vandals Racing ran into more problems, pulling off to the side of the track for the second time, bringing out the safety car with just over two hours to go.
Hour 7
Drivers changes ensued, and the field went back to green with 1h52min on the clock. Heinrich led the way for Wright Motorsports, with a championship crown within sight as the sun began to dip lower along the horizon.
In Pro-Am, Turner Motorsport was quietly but confidently making some moves of its own and propelled itself up to the class lead as the final hours unfolded, inching closer and closer to clinching a title of their own.
The race went under yellow again as darkness loomed closer, this time due to the No. 88 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 being stranded off in the final corner of the oval circuit layout and requiring a tow back to pit lane. At the same time, the No. 33 Team WRT BMW had to go behind the wall to further assess the prior issues with the diffuser, promoting the Lone Star Racing Mercedes into IGTC Pro podium position in what was a true rollercoaster event for the team.
They went back to green with just over an hour to go, and leaders Wright Motorsports pitted one lap later to reset Heinrich’s driver time so he could push all the way to the end of the race, with Vanthoor choosing to do the same another lap later in the No. 31 Team WRT BMW.
Hour 8
With some teams still having to complete their last pit stops, all bets were off in the final hour of the race. Ultimately, it all came down to the closing minutes. Wright Motorsports were handed a 5 second post-race time penalty for pit lane protocol violation, giving Heinrich the extra task of maintaining a gap at the front in order to keep hold of the overall win.
He tried with all his might, but Vanthoor was able to stay within reach, with 4.7 seconds between the two as they crossed the line, resulting in the latter being promoted to the overall win. This marks back-to-back wins for Team WRT at the Brickyard, having previously won the 2023 edition of the endurance event.
GruppeM Racing, led by Maro Engel in the last portion of the race, finished second in the IGTC Pro class, with Lone Star Racing rounding off the podium in third as Fabian Schiller drove the final stint.
Wright Motorsports were the FGTWCA Pro class victors, as Elliott Skeer and Adam Adelson took home the class championship in the process. Racers Edge Motorsports overcame two drive-through penalties throughout the race to finish second in class, with DXDT Racing completing the podium.
“It doesn’t get any better than this,” said Skeer. “Funny enough, coming into the race, it was the exact same scenario as last year — two cars against each other, and whoever wins takes the championship. Last year didn’t go as planned, but this year, we won, and it all went on track. Not only did we beat the car we needed to, but we also beat every single car here. It’s just an unbelievable feeling. I’m so proud of this team and of Adam for how he drove. It’s an absolutely incredible feeling.”
Said Adelson: “I don’t even have the words to describe what this means to me. Over the past two years, I’ve lost three SRO championships, all through circumstances out of our control. We did everything we could to win, but it slipped away each time. To come into the Pro class, win on track, and to do it with Eliott — who’s like a brother to me — and with Wright Motorsports, it means everything. Congratulations to the whole team.”
In Pro-Am, it was a best-case scenario for Turner Motorsport, claiming the championship title by a single point. They crossed the finish line in second but the winners, Herberth Motorsport, did not earn points towards the American championship. Phillip Ellis had a stellar performance in the No. 91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 to secure another podium finish for the team in the final race of the season.
“I’m elated. I didn’t even bring a suit because I honestly didn’t think we were going to win this,” admitted Turner driver Justin Rothberg. Now, I’ll have to go find something for the gala! Coming into this race, it wasn’t just about us doing well—someone else had to have a poor result. I’m not the type to hope for others to fail, but that was literally the only way we could win the championship. It really feels like the stars aligned, especially since we won by just one point. We had a fun season. I’m proud of Robby and the Turner Motorsport guys.”
Said teammate Robby Foley: “What a day! It was a long shot coming in, but we had a great race, great strategy, and a fantastic car. It’s a testament to the reliability the entire Turner team gave us today, along with the incredible BMW M4 GT3. It’s a dream situation and an amazing result, especially for Justin as well.”