Justin Rothberg and Robby Foley head into the DESDER Indianapolis 8 Hour with the opportunity to secure a third consecutive GT World Challenge (GTWC) America championship together, this time in their first season competing in the Pro category.
The Turner Motorsport pairing claimed the previous two Pro-Am crowns before stepping up for 2026, yet the move has not prevented them from immediately fighting for the outright class championship. Only seven points separate the leading three Pro teams entering the finale, leaving the #29 BMW M4 GT3 EVO firmly in contention alongside JMF Motorsports and AF Corse USA.
Foley and Rothberg have already built a strong relationship with Indianapolis during their previous title campaigns, and the venue again offers them the opportunity to finish the season on top. Their history at the circuit formed a major part of Foley’s reflections ahead of a weekend in which he is chasing a third straight GTWC America title with Rothberg.
The pair will share the BMW with Connor De Phillippi for the eight-hour race. Their championship bid also received an early boost on Friday when Turner topped regular qualifying before Foley beat Ayhancan Güven by 0.002s in a dramatic Indianapolis Superpole session to claim pole.
Rothberg comfortable entering as the challenger
Rothberg believes Turner’s position suits the team. Rather than arriving with a championship lead to protect, the BMW crew knows it must maximise its own result and see where the standings fall at the end.
“We’re really happy to be at Indy in a position where we’re still in contention for the championship,” Rothberg said. “We’re on the back foot in the sense that it’s ours to win, not ours to lose, which in the past has been a good situation for us.”
That mentality has served Rothberg and Foley well during their previous title campaigns. Indianapolis has repeatedly provided important moments for the pairing, but they still need to execute across the longest race of the GTWC America season.
The team has therefore focused heavily on building a consistent race car rather than chasing short-run performance alone.
“We’re just going to go in, do our best, hope for the best result, and see what we can do out there,” Rothberg said. “We’ve had some good testing and practice sessions, and we feel we’ve made some good progress on the car.”
“We’re feeling good out there, now we’re just hoping we can go out there and convert.”
Foley targets third title in three seasons
Foley views Turner’s place in the Pro championship battle as a significant achievement in itself. The step up from Pro-Am brought stronger direct competition, but he and Rothberg have adapted quickly enough to reach the finale with another title still possible.
“We’re in a privileged position to be able to fight for the championship in our first year in the Pro class,” Foley said.
Their previous Indianapolis results provide additional confidence. Foley has already enjoyed substantial success at the Speedway, and Turner entered this weekend with the opportunity to use that experience one more time before the event leaves Indianapolis.
“Obviously, Indy has been great to us the past two seasons, with back-to-back Pro-Am championships, so we’re going to do our best to make it a third title in a row.”
That ambition gained further momentum on Friday. Turner progressively moved forward throughout the three qualifying segments before Foley set the fastest individual lap, an afternoon documented in the full Indianapolis qualifying results as the #29 took the best three-driver average.
“So far this weekend, we’ve just been ticking off some testing items and trying to put the car in a good window for a long eight-hour race,” Foley said. “We’ll see what comes of it and how we end up, but we’ll be giving it our best shot.”
Pole strengthens Turner’s title bid
Pole does not guarantee anything across an eight-hour race, but it gives Turner the clearest possible track position at the start. De Phillippi also provides another experienced BMW driver to a line-up that must balance the pursuit of the overall Indianapolis victory with its domestic championship objectives.
The GTWC America title battle arrived at Indianapolis with all three Pro contenders still alive, meaning every class position may matter as the afternoon develops. Turner cannot control what happens to JMF or AF Corse, but starting at the front gives it an opportunity to dictate its own race.
A third consecutive championship would carry additional significance because it would come immediately after Rothberg and Foley moved into Pro. Indianapolis now gives them one more chance to turn a circuit already associated with their previous titles into the setting for their biggest championship achievement yet.
