Kyle Washington enters the DESDER Indianapolis 8 Hour knowing one final endurance race will decide whether GMG Racing can convert its 2026 GT World Challenge America campaign into the Pro-Am championship.
Only six points separate GMG and its closest title rival heading into the finale, leaving little margin for error across eight hours at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Washington will share the #32 Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo with Riccardo Pera and Ayhancan Güven, replacing regular co-driver Tom Sargent for the season-ending race.
GMG regained control of the championship at Barber after turning a three-point deficit into a six-point advantage. Washington and Sargent recovered to third in class, and that result returned GMG to the top of the Pro-Am standings before attention turned towards the double-points Indianapolis finale.
The revised line-up immediately showed its potential. Güven topped both Indianapolis test sessions, with the second of those efforts leaving the #32 Porsche at the head of the Thursday Test 2 classification as Pera and Washington continued their preparations.
Washington focused on delivering clean opening work
Despite the championship pressure, Washington wants to keep his own role simple. His priority is to execute his stint, protect the Porsche and leave Pera and Güven with a car capable of fighting when the professional drivers take over.
“My mindset going into the Indy 8 Hour is to be lazer focused for my stint and give my two bad boy co-drivers a perfect car in the lead lap,” Washington said.
The revised combination has also benefited from an existing relationship between the three drivers. Washington had already spent time with Pera and Güven before the Indianapolis programme came together, allowing the crew to settle quickly despite the change from his regular full-season partnership.
“Riccardo and Ayhancan are amazing. We got to hang out a couple of years ago, so we already knew each other well,” he said. “Riccardo is just a sweetheart, and we’ve all had nothing but laughs so far.”
The atmosphere changes once the green flag falls.
“But now with the race start approaching, it’s time to get down to business and be ready for the eight hours ahead.”
Pera and Güven strengthen championship challenge
The addition of Pera and Güven gives Washington two experienced Porsche drivers for a race in which outright pace and endurance knowledge will both prove important.
Güven has already been one of the fastest drivers throughout the Indianapolis event. He placed GMG at the top of both test sessions before qualifying second in Superpole, only 0.002s behind Foley. A subsequent technical infringement invalidated that Superpole lap and moved the #32 back to ninth on the final grid, creating an additional challenge for the crew on race day.
That setback does not alter the championship objective. Washington must keep GMG within contention during the early stages before Pera and Güven can use their pace to work the Porsche forward through the field.
The broader Pro-Am standings after Barber show how little separates the title contenders, making every pit stop, traffic decision and class position potentially decisive.
Eight hours decide season-long battle
Indianapolis carries double points, increasing both the opportunity and the risk for a team that begins the race with only a narrow advantage. A six-point margin can disappear quickly if GMG encounters trouble, but the same scoring structure also means a strong class result could settle the championship decisively.
Washington’s approach therefore centres on patience. He does not need to win the championship in his opening stint; he needs to ensure GMG remains in position to win it when the race enters its final hours.
Pera and Güven provide the pace and experience required to take advantage if the opportunity arrives. After a season in which GMG lost and then regained the championship lead, the #32 now has eight hours to finish the job.
