2026 Indianapolis 8 Hour | Free Practice | Spinelli puts Chicago Performance Lamborghini on top

Loris Spinelli set the pace in Free Practice for the 2026 DESDER Indianapolis 8 Hour, putting the #64 Chicago Performance and Tuning Co. Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 at the top of the overall order for the first time in GT World Challenge America powered by AWS competition.

Spinelli produced a 1:23.686 during Thursday evening’s 90-minute session, edging Loek Hartog in the #88 Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo by only 0.024s. Alex Sedgwick followed another 0.016s behind in the #6 Dollahite Racing Ford Mustang GT3 EVO, while Marcus Ericsson placed the #99 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO fourth to put four different manufacturers inside the leading four positions.

Riccardo Pera completed the top five in the #32 GMG Racing Porsche, although the car featured in one of the session’s early incidents after Ayhancan Güven stopped at Turn 6. Robby Foley led the Pro category for Turner Motorsport in eighth overall, while Conrad Grunewald took the Am benchmark for Scuderia Corsa.

Spinelli edges Hartog for 2026 Indianapolis 8 Hour Free Practice benchmark

Spinelli’s 1:23.686 came on the fourth lap of the #64 Lamborghini’s 38-lap programme and represented a strong improvement for Chicago Performance and Tuning Co. after the car had finished seventh in Wednesday’s opening Indianapolis test. The Italian’s lap proved sufficient to withstand a close challenge from several Pro-Am rivals as darkness descended over Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Hartog came closest aboard the #88 Kellymoss Porsche, producing a 1:23.710 on his eighth lap to finish only 0.024s behind. Sedgwick then took the Dollahite Racing Ford to a 1:23.726, leaving the leading three separated by just 0.040s at the end of the session.

Ericsson continued Random Vandals Racing’s encouraging weekend in fourth with a 1:23.896. His time left the BMW 0.210s away from Spinelli and ensured Lamborghini, Porsche, Ford and BMW all featured among the first four cars.

GMG recovers after early stoppage

GMG Racing remained near the front after Güven had topped both Indianapolis test sessions earlier in the event. The #32 Porsche encountered trouble early in Free Practice when Güven stopped on the inside of Turn 6, contributing to an interruption during the opening stages.

The car returned to action and Pera subsequently produced a 1:23.995 to finish fifth overall, only 0.309s behind Spinelli. The result maintained GMG’s presence near the front despite a session that proved less straightforward than its earlier running, when Güven had established the quickest time in both dedicated test sessions.

Pera joins Kyle Washington and Güven in the #32 this weekend as regular GTWC America driver Tom Sargent contests the clashing European Le Mans Series finale. The revised crew remains central to the Pro-Am championship battle as the domestic season reaches its conclusion during Saturday’s eight-hour race.

Palou sidelined after brake disc failure

The #80 Mercedes-AMG Team Lone Star Racing entry encountered a more significant problem when Álex Palou suffered a brake disc explosion approaching Turn 1. The five-time NTT IndyCar Series champion was able to bring the Mercedes-AMG to a stop, but the car did not return to the circuit during the remainder of the session.

Palou, Luca Stolz and Lin Hodenius managed only 12 laps before the problem and finished 16th overall with a 1:24.502. The limited running came at an important stage of the weekend for Stolz, who enters Indianapolis as one of the drivers capable of taking the Intercontinental GT Challenge Drivers’ title from absent championship leader Maro Engel.

Wright Motorsports enjoyed a more productive session, with its #31 Pro-Am Porsche of Dave Musial Jr., Ryan Yardley and Laurin Heinrich finishing sixth on a 1:24.075. The #27 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG followed in seventh before Foley interrupted the Pro-Am run at the front by taking eighth overall and first in Pro.

Foley leads Pro category for Turner Motorsport in 2026 Indianapolis 8 Hour Free Practice

Foley recorded a 1:24.152 aboard the #29 Turner Motorsport BMW, leaving him only 0.466s away from Spinelli while establishing the quickest time among the Pro entries. Turner’s Indianapolis weekend carries significant championship implications, with Foley and Justin Rothberg among the contenders for the GTWC America Pro crown.

The #017 Kellymoss Porsche followed in ninth with a 1:24.206, while the team’s #13 entry completed the overall top 10 on 1:24.282. Kellymoss therefore placed three cars inside the first 10 when combined with Hartog’s second-place effort in the #88.

McCann Racing provided the second-fastest Pro entry in 12th overall, with the #8 Porsche recording a 1:24.347. Mercedes-AMG Team JMF Motorsports followed as the third-quickest Pro crew in 15th, while AF Corse USA and Wright Motorsports completed the five leading Pro entries in 17th and 19th respectively.

RS1 penalised after Ferrari contact

The session also featured contact between the #28 RS1 Porsche and #163 AF Corse USA Ferrari at Turn 1. The incident did not require another stoppage, but officials handed Daan Arrow a three-minute stop-and-hold penalty after determining that the RS1 driver was responsible.

RS1 ultimately finished 14th with a 1:24.443, while the #163 Ferrari ended the session 26th overall and second in Am. Despite the incident, both cars continued running, with RS1 completing 37 laps and the AF Corse entry recording 29.

Scuderia Corsa led the Am category after Grunewald set a 1:25.136 in the #67 Ferrari. Only two of the three Am entries recorded times during the dusk-to-night session, with the #11 MAD Joker Racing Mercedes-AMG failing to complete a lap.

2026 Indianapolis 8 Hour Free Practice full results

The official Free Practice classification featured 27 cars recording times, while the #11 MAD Joker Racing Mercedes-AMG did not complete a lap. Spinelli’s 1:23.686 led the classification, with only 0.466s covering the leading eight cars.

1. #64 Chicago Performance and Tuning Co. Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 — Pro-Am — 1:23.686 — Nicolai Elghanayan / Mads Siljehaug / Loris Spinelli
2. #88 Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — Pro-Am — 1:23.710 — +0.024 — J. Gilliland / Aaron Jeansonne / Loek Hartog
3. #6 Dollahite Racing Ford Mustang GT3 EVO — Pro-Am — 1:23.726 — +0.040 — Scott Dollahite / Alex Sedgwick / Chris Mies
4. #99 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO — Pro-Am — 1:23.896 — +0.210 — Derek DeBoer / Hampus Eriksson / Marcus Ericsson
5. #32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — Pro-Am — 1:23.995 — +0.309 — Kyle Washington / Riccardo Pera / Ayhancan Güven
6. #31 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — Pro-Am — 1:24.075 — +0.389 — Dave Musial Jr. / Ryan Yardley / Laurin Heinrich
7. #27 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — Pro-Am — 1:24.150 — +0.464 — Jason Daskalos / Wyatt Brichacek / Philip Ellis
8. #29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO — Pro — 1:24.152 — +0.466 — Justin Rothberg / Connor De Phillippi / Robby Foley
9. #017 Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — Pro-Am — 1:24.206 — +0.520 — M. Clark / Lars Kern / Colin Braun
10. #13 Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — Pro-Am — 1:24.282 — +0.596 — Todd Parriott / Riley Dickinson / Kay van Berlo
11. #999 GetSpeed Team PCX Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — Pro-Am — 1:24.318 — +0.632 — Marius Klein / Philippe Charlaix / Jean Boisson
12. #8 McCann Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — Pro — 1:24.347 — +0.661 — Michael McCann Jr. / Zachary Vanier / Alessio Picariello
13. #69 Archangel Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 EVO — Pro-Am — 1:24.381 — +0.695 — Todd Coleman / Aaron Telitz / Thomas Fleming
14. #28 RS1 Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — Pro-Am — 1:24.443 — +0.757 — Danny Dyszelski / Daan Arrow / Jan Heylen
15. #34 Mercedes-AMG Team JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — Pro — 1:24.450 — +0.764 — Michai Stephens / Mikaël Grenier / Maxime Martin
16. #80 Mercedes-AMG Team Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — Pro — 1:24.502 — +0.816 — Lin Hodenius / Luca Stolz / Álex Palou
17. #12 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — Pro — 1:24.512 — +0.826 — Matías Pérez Companc / Nicklas Nielsen / Frederik Schandorff
18. #79 Tsunami RT Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — Pro-Am — 1:24.573 — +0.887 — Johannes Zelger / Fabio Babini / Alex Fontana
19. #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — Pro — 1:24.671 — +0.985 — Thomas Merrill / Morris Schuring / Kévin Estre
20. #86 High Class Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — Pro-Am — 1:24.684 — +0.998 — Kerong Li / Anders Fjordbach / Hongli Ye
21. #9 TR3 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — Pro-Am — 1:24.708 — +1.022 — Brayton Williams / Indy Dontje / Daniel Morad
22. #14 Riley Technologies BMW M4 GT3 EVO — Pro-Am — 1:24.790 — +1.104 — Slade Stewart / Jesse Krohn / Andy Lee
23. #71 Rebel Rock Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO — Pro-Am — 1:24.798 — +1.112 — Frank DePew / Andrew Davis / Robin Liddell
24. #91 Herberth Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — Pro-Am — 1:24.937 — +1.251 — Ralf Bohn / Alfred Renauer / Robert Renauer
25. #67 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — Am — 1:25.136 — +1.450 — M. Green / J. Morrow / Conrad Grunewald
26. #163 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — Am — 1:25.350 — +1.664 — J. Schreibman / Oswaldo Negri / Benny Simonsen
27. #50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R — Pro-Am — 1:37.133 — +13.447 — Ross Chouest / Aaron Povoledo
28. #11 MAD Joker Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — Am — No time — M. Austin / Ben Keating / Peter Dempsey

The class benchmarks were Spinelli’s 1:23.686 in Pro-Am, Foley’s 1:24.152 in Pro and Grunewald’s 1:25.136 in Am. The circuit remained dry throughout the session despite the transition from dusk into darkness.

Pro-Am cars continue to control overall order in 2026 Indianapolis 8 Hours Free Practice

The Pro-Am field continued the trend established during the two test sessions, with seven of the first eight positions belonging to the class. Spinelli led Hartog, Sedgwick, Ericsson, Pera and the Wright and JMF entries before Foley became the first Pro competitor in eighth.

However, Free Practice produced a more varied picture than the earlier running. Güven had led both tests for GMG Racing, while Chicago Performance had not previously appeared at the head of the classification. Spinelli’s lap therefore introduced another potential contender as teams shifted their focus from testing towards outright performance.

Only 0.210s separated the first four and 0.466s covered the leading eight, suggesting the front of the field remains closely matched ahead of Friday’s qualifying programme.

Pre-Qualifying opens Friday running

The Indianapolis 8 Hour field returns to the circuit on Friday morning for Pre-Qualifying, scheduled to begin at 9:50 a.m. EST. The session represents the final opportunity for teams to refine their cars before the three qualifying segments and Pole Shootout determine the starting order later in the day.

Live coverage will be available through the GT World YouTube channel as the event moves into its first fully competitive day. Saturday’s eight-hour race will then decide both the Intercontinental GT Challenge season and the remaining GT World Challenge America championship battles.

Spinelli and Chicago Performance therefore take the Free Practice benchmark into Friday after a session in which the leading order changed again. With four manufacturers filling the first four positions and less than half a second separating the first eight, Indianapolis remains finely poised before qualifying.