Kelvin van der Linde, Valentino Rossi, and Charles Weerts claimed victory for Team WRT in the #46 BMW M4 GT3 at the Intercontinental GT Challenge Indianapolis 8 Hour, sealing the IGTC title for van der Linde after a dramatic red-flagged race at the Brickyard.

The race, which began under warm, sunny skies, saw immediate drama and intense championship battles, setting the tone for an unpredictable endurance spectacle.

Early Race

As the American flag waved, Lin Hodenius (#80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo) led the field into Turn 1 at the Intercontinental GT Challenge Indianapolis 8 Hour, followed by Al Faisal Al Zubair (#777 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 Evo) and Valentino Rossi (#46 Team WRT BMW).

Kenton Koch (#99 Random Vandals BMW) made quick progress, overtaking Al Zubair for second, while Philipp Eng (#51 Random Vandals BMW) climbed from P10 to P5 after being disqualified from the Pole Shootout. In Pro-Am, Patric Niederhauser (#10 Wright Motorsports Porsche) took the class lead from Justin Rothberg.

The first drama came when Ross Chouest (#50 Chouest Povoledo Corvette) spun after contact with Marcelo Hahn (#16 AF Corse Ferrari) — an incident that earned Hahn a drive-through penalty. Meanwhile, Eng’s charge continued as he passed Koch and Al Zubair to move into second behind race leader Hodenius.

Mid-Race

As the race entered the second hour, pit stops began under green at the Intercontinental GT Challenge Indianapolis. Varun Choksey took over the #51 Random Vandals BMW from Eng and led ahead of Tom Kalender (#888 GruppeM Mercedes-AMG) and Augusto Farfus (#777 Team WRT BMW).

Farfus closed the gap rapidly and, after Choksey slid through Turn 12, grabbed the lead into Turn 13. Kalender followed through, relegating the BMW to third. Later, Luca Stolz took over the GruppeM Mercedes and regained the net race lead with a daring move around Al Faisal Al Zubair.

Further back, Charles Weerts replaced Rossi and fought Bill Auberlen for third. Weerts eventually prevailed, but a throttle body failure forced Auberlen’s Random Vandals BMW into the garage, costing the team eight laps and any chance of recovery.

The Weather Factor and Final Sprint

At the front, Luca Stolz led until Raffaele Marciello (#777 Team WRT BMW) seized the opportunity in traffic to take over first place. Kelvin van der Linde (#46 Team WRT BMW) followed him through, placing both WRT BMWs ahead of the Mercedes.

Moments later, lightning in the area brought out a Full Course Yellow, which escalated into a Red Flag stoppage. Under the suspension, Marciello led from van der Linde and Stolz, freezing the order as the weather halted the race for nearly two hours.

Racing resumed with just over an hour remaining at the Intercontinental GT Challenge Indianapolis 8 Hour. Most teams immediately pitted, except Lucas Auer (#34 JMF Mercedes), who stayed out to gamble on strategy.

A Safety Car was deployed again when Jules Gounon (#80 Lone Star Mercedes) stopped at pit entry, blocking the lane. When green flag conditions returned, Kelvin van der Linde, Valentino Rossi, and Charles Weerts took control, guiding the #46 Team WRT BMW to victory at Indianapolis — securing van der Linde’s Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli championship title.

The #888 GruppeM Mercedes-AMG of Luca Stolz, Maro Engel, and Tom Kalender finished second, followed by Augusto Farfus, Raffaele Marciello, and Al Faisal Al Zubair in the #777 WRT BMW.

In GT World Challenge America competition, Kenton Koch and Connor De Phillippi finished fourth overall to clinch the Pro class championship, while Kenny Habul claimed the Independent Cup. Dustin Blattner, Dennis Marschall, and Alfred Renauer won in Pro-Am, with Conrad Grunewald, Ozz Negri Jr., and Jay Schreibman taking Am class honors.

Champions Crowned at the Brickyard

 

Overall and Intercontinental GT Challenge Champions: The #46 Team WRT BMW of Kelvin van der Linde, Valentino Rossi, and Charles Weerts took the checkered flag, with van der Linde simultaneously securing the Intercontinental GT Challenge Drivers’ Championship.

Speaking after the race, Kelvin van der Linde expressed mixed feelings about the outcome: “To spend almost two hours under the Safety Car is a bit tricky. Honestly, the #777 deserved the win today, so I have mixed feelings for the team,” he admitted. Van der Linde added that he’s already looking ahead: “Next year, I want to hunt Spa.”

GT World Challenge America Pro Champions: The hard-fought title went to Kenton Koch and Connor De Phillippi in the #99 Random Vandals Racing BMW. A fourth-place overall finish was enough to edge out the #34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG pair of Grenier and Stephens, as they penalty for exceeding the maximum stint time: a 19-minute and 35.6-second penalty, dropping them to last on the lead lap

GT World Challenge America Pro-Am Champions: The title was decided by attrition, with Robby Foley and Justin Rothberg of Turner Motorsport taking the crown in their #29 BMW after their main rivals suffered terminal issues.

IGTC Independent Cup Champion: Kenny Habul, sharing the #75 75 Express Mercedes-AMG with Will Power and Chaz Mostert, was the only Independent Cup competitor to finish on the lead lap, securing the title.

The final two podium spots went to the No. 888 Team GMR Mercedes-AMG of Maro Engel, Tom Kalender, and Luca Stolz in second, followed by the No. 777 Team WRT BMW of Augusto Farfus, Raffaele Marciello, and Al Faisal Al Zubair in third. The Indianapolis 8 Hour once again proved to be a challenging, exciting, and championship-defining endurance classic.

With this victory, BMW capped off a commanding season in the 2025 Intercontinental GT Challenge. The Indianapolis 8 Hour win completed a trio of triumphs after conquering Bathurst, Nürburgring and Suzuka earlier in the year, sealing BMW’s position as the benchmark of endurance performance. For Kelvin van der Linde, it was the crowning moment of an exceptional season — securing the IGTC Drivers’ title alongside his GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup and Endurance Cup Overall crowns. As the checkered flag waved over the Brickyard, BMW and van der Linde stood united at the summit of the 2025 GT racing season.

 

All Picures by Fabian Lagunas of SRO/JEP