BMW M Team RLL secured a historic 1-2 finish in the inaugural six-hour IMSA race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, marking the team’s first on-track victory in the new GTP era. Philipp Eng and Jesse Krohn in the No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 crossed the line first, closely followed by the sister No. 25 car of Connor De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly, finishing just 1.647 seconds behind.
This victory was particularly sweet for Yelloly and De Phillippi, who had previously inherited a win at last year’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen due to a penalty for another team. However, this was the first time the No. 24 crew clinched victory at the checkered flag, standing on the podium for the first time.
Eng made a decisive and daring move on Louis Deletraz in the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06 at the notoriously tight Turn 13, a corner rarely used for overtaking, with just 47 minutes remaining. De Phillippi capitalized on the opening and passed Deletraz shortly after.
Drama struck when Deletraz, who was battling to keep pace with the leading BMWs, collided with Chaz Mostert in the No. 75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes AMG GT3. Deletraz was handed a drive-through penalty for causing the incident, which knocked the No. 40 out of contention and allowed Mathieu Jaminet in the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 to secure third place.
The championship fight now heads to Petit Le Mans, with the battle solely between the two Porsche Penske Motorsport cars following troubles for both the No. 7 Porsche and the No. 01 Cadillac.
In the LMP2 category, TDS Racing continued its dominance at Indianapolis with Mikkel Jensen, Steven Thomas, and Hunter McElrea overcoming a one-lap deficit through strategic use of yellow flag pass-arounds to clinch victory. They beat the polesitting Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports team of Nick Boulle, Tom Dillmann, and Jakub Smiechowski, who still lead the championship.
Era Motorsport battled through adversity to finish third, keeping their championship hopes alive thanks to a strong performance from Dwight Merriman, Ryan Dalziel, and Connor Zilisch.
The GTD PRO class saw a remarkable recovery from AO Racing, whose No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R was sent to the back of the grid after failing to meet minimum ground clearance in qualifying. Drivers Laurin Heinrich and Michael Christensen charged through the field and took the lead in the final pit stop, securing a 12.527-second victory. The No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mustang GT3 achieved its best result with Mike Rockenfeller and Harry Tincknell finishing second, while Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims completed the podium in the No. 3 Corvette Racing Z06 GT3.R.
In the GTD class, Adam Adelson and Elliot Skeer, alongside Jan Heylen, captured their first victory in the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, overcoming mid-season struggles to dominate the race. Heylen crossed the line 2.465 seconds ahead of Robby Foley in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3, with Kenton Koch, Mikael Grenier, and Mike Skeen finishing third in the No. 32 Korthoff Preston Motorsports Mercedes AMG, fresh off their recent win at VIR.
The action-packed race at Indianapolis marked a pivotal moment for many teams as the IMSA season heads into its final stages, setting the stage for a thrilling championship showdown at Petit Le Mans.
