- Toyota Claims Win in Silver Class, BMW Clinches Championship
- McLaren Fights Hard to Victory in Pro-Am
- BMW Secures Top Step in Am Class
- Provisional Race 1 Results
The opening race of the Pirelli GT4 America season finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was nothing short of chaotic, with a first-lap incident immediately shaking up the championship picture across multiple classes. Several cars were involved, including the title contenders of the No. 98 Random Vandals Racing BMW in Am and the No. 82 BimmerWorld BMW in Pro-Am. A lengthy full-course yellow emerged, which lasted through much of the opening half of the one-hour sprint.
When the race resumed with 38 minutes remaining, teams had little time to strategize before the pit window opened. Many dove into the pits right away to complete their mandatory driver changes, setting up a fight to the finish under green flag conditions.
Silver Class
The No. 97 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 pairing of Kenton Koch and Kevin Boehm clinched the Silver Class championship simply by taking the start, sealing a dominant season-long effort. However, an unscheduled pit stop derailed their podium hopes, and they would ultimately finish eighth.
At the front, Tyler Gonzalez and Jonathan Neudorf delivered a thrilling duel for class honors. Gonzalez, driving the No. 68 RAFA Racing Team Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, took control of the class and overall lead in the final 25 minutes. Neudorf, aboard the No. 3 JMF Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, kept the pressure on until the very end.
Both cars were later handed five-second post-race time penalties: Gonzalez for incident responsibility and Neudorf for a pass made off-track. Despite that, the No. 68 RAFA Racing Team entry retained the win, with Neudorf dropping to third behind the sister No. 4 JMF Aston Martin of Brayden Arthur.
“What a crazy race,” said Tyler Gonzalez. “The whole first stint was under yellow, which was tough for Gresham. It was a good battle in Silver class. It was tight, hard racing. I thought I had more breathing room than I did, but when I caught the Pro-Am leader, I had to make a move in the technical sections. We didn’t have much speed on the straights, so I made it happen. A little contact, but that’s racing. Super happy to keep this Toyota Supra up front.”
“We’d love a little less drama tomorrow,” echoed Grasham Wagner. “But when Tyler gets a five-second penalty and still pulls five seconds on the field, that gives us confidence. He’s going to hand me the car in a great spot, and I’ll just try to wrap it up.”
Pro-Am Class
Blackdog Racing executed a strong performance in the No. 33 McLaren Artura GT4 with Michael Cooper and Tony Gaples, surviving the chaos and building a healthy margin at the front. Despite being assessed a 9.97-second post-race penalty for a short pit stop, Gaples’ relentless pace kept him far enough ahead of the chasing pack to secure the overall and Pro-Am victory.
The No. 94 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 of Sam Craven and Josh Green claimed second, extending their championship points advantage. Third went to the No. 53 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO of Tyler Stone and Matt Million.
“They told me about the penalty at one point, so I just put my head down and drove. That’s all I could do,” stated Tony Gaples.
“It was stressful,” said Michael Cooper. “I’d rather it be boring! But it’s great to get a win for Blackdog Racing and McLaren, and to grab one at Indianapolis Motor Speedway makes it even more special.”
Am Class
The Am class saw major twists from start to finish. Early podium contender Kenny Schmied dropped out of contention after a mistake in the No. 72 RAFA Racing Toyota Supra GT4, benefitting the No. 98 Random Vandals Racing BMW after being involved in the Lap 1 incident.
In the final laps, the No. 07 Skip Barber Racing School BMW M4 GT4 of Alex and Michael Garcia appeared poised for victory, with the No. 17 Rigid Speed Company BMW of Lucas and Joseph Catania running close behind. Post-race time penalties, however, reshuffled the order, promoting the No. 188 Fast Track Racing BMW M4 GT4 of Judson Holt and Denny Stripling to the top step of the podium.
“What a dream come true,” said an ecstatic Judson Holt at the podium. “We’ve been chasing that P1 all season, and to get it here is incredible. Huge thanks to Pirelli, SRO, Lupe Tortilla, Denny, and the whole Fast Track team.”
“It was all strategy in the last few laps,” explained Denny Stripling. “Stay close, play it smart. We definitely could’ve battled, but we knew what we needed to do. This was 100% a team win. Great pit stop, great execution, and it all came together here at Indy. Congrats to everyone.”
Let’s Get Racing
The Pirelli GT4 America field will return to the track for Race 2 on Sunday morning, October 19th at 9:45 AM ET.
If you can’t make it to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, be sure to tune-in to SRO’s free live streams all weekend long on YouTube (GTWorld) and Twitch (SROMotorsports) and follow all the action through our social media channels and the event hashtag #Indy8H.