Robby Foley secured pole position for the 2026 DESDER Indianapolis 8 Hour after beating Ayhancan Güven by just 0.002s in an exceptionally close Superpole session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Foley delivered a 1:22.805 aboard the #29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO, narrowly denying the #32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo after Güven responded with a 1:22.807. Chris Mies completed the leading three for Dollahite Racing, finishing only 0.063s away from pole as the 10 fastest crews from regular qualifying fought for the front of Saturday’s grid.
The result completed an impressive Friday for Turner Motorsport. Justin Rothberg, Connor De Phillippi and Foley had already combined to lead regular qualifying, while Foley set the fastest individual lap across the three sessions before finding another small improvement when it mattered most in Superpole.
Güven sets early benchmark
Güven entered Superpole as one of the clear contenders after showing strong pace throughout the week. He had topped the opening Indianapolis test before keeping GMG Racing ahead during Test 2, and the #32 Porsche again featured at the front once the decisive pole shootout began.
The Porsche driver established an early benchmark before several rivals began lowering the pace. Alessio Picariello moved the #8 McCann Racing Porsche into contention, while Mies steadily improved aboard the #6 Dollahite Racing Ford Mustang GT3 EVO as track conditions continued to evolve.
Mies eventually moved to provisional pole, but Foley responded with a 1:22.805. Güven then produced one final challenge and came agonisingly close, recording a 1:22.807 to miss the overall pole by only two thousandths of a second.
Despite narrowly losing the outright battle, Güven secured Pro-Am pole for Kyle Washington, Riccardo Pera and himself. Their performance continued a weekend in which the GMG Porsche has consistently remained among the fastest cars in the field.
Foley completes strong qualifying day for Turner
Turner’s progression through Friday afternoon underlined the strength of its #29 BMW package. Rothberg placed ninth during Q1 before De Phillippi moved to the top with a 1:22.938 in Q2. Foley then lowered the benchmark to 1:22.830 in Q3, giving the trio the fastest average and putting Turner at the head of the combined qualifying order before Superpole.
Foley found another 0.025s in the shootout, and that marginal improvement ultimately proved enough. The pole also strengthens Turner’s position entering a race carrying major GTWC America championship implications for Foley and Rothberg.
The pair arrived at Indianapolis pursuing a third consecutive championship together after claiming the previous two Pro-Am titles. They stepped into the Pro category for 2026 and remain firmly involved in the title fight, making pole particularly valuable before an eight-hour race in which championship points and overall victory are both at stake.
Foley’s success also adds another strong Indianapolis result to a circuit where he has already enjoyed considerable success. His experience at the venue has become an important part of Turner’s record at the Brickyard, and starting from pole provides the crew with the best possible position for the final Indianapolis 8 Hour before the North American IGTC round moves to Circuit of The Americas in 2027.
Mies secures third for Dollahite Racing
Mies finished only 0.063s behind Foley and 0.061s away from Güven, putting the #6 Dollahite Racing Mustang third on the grid. His 1:22.868 continued a strong weekend for a Ford entry that has repeatedly appeared near the head of the order.
The German had endured a late problem during regular qualifying when the Mustang developed an issue approaching Turn 1, but he managed to guide the car into the run-off without bringing out a red flag. That allowed Dollahite Racing to retain its fastest laps and progress comfortably into the shootout.
Mies responded in Superpole by fighting directly for first, briefly holding provisional pole before Foley and Güven produced their final improvements. His third-place result nevertheless leaves Scott Dollahite, Alex Sedgwick and Mies in a strong starting position for Saturday.
Picariello and Telitz complete top five
Picariello secured fourth with a 1:23.146 for McCann Racing, placing the #8 Porsche 0.341s away from Foley’s benchmark. The Pro entry remained near the front after Picariello had also shown strong pace during Pre-Qualifying and the earlier three-part qualifying session.
Aaron Telitz followed only 0.019s behind for Archangel Motorsports, giving Pro-Am entries three of the first five grid positions. Todd Coleman, Telitz and Thomas Fleming had combined for second in regular qualifying, and Telitz maintained the team’s impressive weekend with another competitive lap in Superpole.
Archangel’s performance has been particularly notable given the strength of the 28-car field. The McLaren has consistently remained among the leading Pro-Am entries, while Fleming has adapted quickly during his first Indianapolis 8 Hour appearance.
Schandorff leads Ferrari as Mercedes-AMG title contenders line up together
Frederik Schandorff placed the #12 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo sixth with a 1:23.275, leaving the Ferrari 0.470s from pole. Álex Palou followed in seventh for the #80 Mercedes-AMG Team Lone Star Racing entry shared with Lin Hodenius and Luca Stolz.
Mikaël Grenier put the #34 Mercedes-AMG Team JMF Motorsports entry eighth with a 1:23.461, meaning two cars containing major Intercontinental GT Challenge title contenders will start alongside one another on the fourth row.
Stolz and #34 teammate Maxime Martin remain capable of denying absent championship leader Maro Engel, while Laurin Heinrich is also still mathematically in contention. Heinrich’s #31 Wright Motorsports Porsche did not reach Superpole and will start outside the leading 10, giving Stolz and Martin an immediate track-position advantage as the IGTC championship reaches its Indianapolis finale.
Philip Ellis took ninth in the #27 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG, while Jan Heylen completed the Superpole runners in 10th for RS1. His 1:23.700 left all 10 cars covered by less than nine-tenths of a second.
2026 Indianapolis 8 Hour Superpole full results
The final Superpole classification left Foley and Güven separated by only 0.002s, while six manufacturers featured across the 10-car shootout.
- #29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO — Pro — 1:22.805 — Justin Rothberg / Connor De Phillippi / Robby Foley
- #32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — Pro-Am — 1:22.807 — +0.002 — Kyle Washington / Riccardo Pera / Ayhancan Güven
- #6 Dollahite Racing Ford Mustang GT3 EVO — Pro-Am — 1:22.868 — +0.063 — Scott Dollahite / Alex Sedgwick / Chris Mies
- #8 McCann Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — Pro — 1:23.146 — +0.341 — Michael McCann Jr. / Zachary Vanier / Alessio Picariello
- #69 Archangel Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — Pro-Am — 1:23.165 — +0.360 — Todd Coleman / Aaron Telitz / Thomas Fleming
- #12 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo — Pro — 1:23.275 — +0.470 — Matías Pérez Companc / Nicklas Nielsen / Frederik Schandorff
- #80 Mercedes-AMG Team Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — Pro — 1:23.309 — +0.504 — Lin Hodenius / Luca Stolz / Álex Palou
- #34 Mercedes-AMG Team JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — Pro — 1:23.461 — +0.656 — Michai Stephens / Mikaël Grenier / Maxime Martin
- #27 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo — Pro-Am — 1:23.519 — +0.714 — Jason Daskalos / Wyatt Brichacek / Philip Ellis
- #28 RS1 Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — Pro-Am — 1:23.700 — +0.895 — Danny Dyszelski / Daan Arrow / Jan Heylen
Turner starts final Indianapolis 8 Hour from pole
Turner will therefore lead the field away for the final Indianapolis 8 Hour before the event’s IGTC slot moves to COTA next season. Foley and Rothberg enter the race balancing their pursuit of the GTWC America Pro championship with the opportunity to add another major Indianapolis victory, while De Phillippi strengthens the line-up for the eight-hour contest.
The #29 will share the front row with GMG Racing after one of the smallest pole margins possible in GT3 competition. Behind them, Dollahite Racing, McCann Racing and Archangel remain close enough to ensure the fight at the front should extend well beyond the opening stint.
After Foley had already set the fastest lap during regular qualifying, his Superpole performance completed a near-perfect Friday for Turner. The more significant challenge now comes on Saturday, when the 28-car field begins eight hours of racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
