Indianapolis Thursday Notebook

Photo: Jonathan Grace

***A total of 53 cars are set for Sunday’s Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the second-to-last IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race of the season as well as the penultimate round of the Michelin Endurance Cup. It is also the final scheduled Endurance Cup round to be held at The Brickyard, as the six-hour race moves to Road America next year and this race reverting to a two-hour and 40-minute round.

***In addition to the late news that Eric Filgueiras will join Forte Racing and Eduardo Barrichello in at Van der Steur Racing this weekend, the No. 021 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3, which previously listed three TBDs, will be driven by AJ Muss, Joel Miller and Niccolo Schiro. Kenton Koch, Onofrio Triarsi and Ferrari factory driver James Calado move over to the team’s No. 023 entry.

***Additionally, Lin Hodenius, who drives for Iron Lynx in the FIA World Endurance Championship, has replaced Lone Star Racing team owner/driver Dan Knox in the team’s No. 80 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.

***The Lamborghini SC63 has taken its first Evo joker update ahead of this weekend’s race, with the Ligier-chassied LMDh car debuting an all-new rear suspension, confirmed by a Lamborghini spokesperson. Sportscar365 understands that Riley-run factory team tested the car at both Indianapolis and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta prior to this weekend in the updated configuration.

***This weekend’s race is the second-to-last scheduled outing for the SC63, with the Italian manufacturer having previously announced that it will “pause” the program next year. Further clarity on the future of the car is expected to come during a media roundtable meeting with key executives on Saturday.

***All WeatherTech Championship entries, except for the No. 85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963, are carrying names of children associated either with the Austin Hatcher Foundation or Camp Boggy Creek, IMSA’s two official charities, in the launch of the IMSA Resilient Racers program. September marks Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Andy Blackmore’s IMSA Spotter Guide displays the names of the children connected to each car.

***JDC-Miller’s Porsche, which has a partnership with St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, has instead nominated a child from its own hospital for the initiative. Fans are invited to join the movement by making a donation through the end of September. All proceeds will be shared between the two IMSA charities, helping provide children with therapy, resources and joyful experiences.

***Austin Hatcher Foundation co-founder and CEO Amy Jo Osborn said: “The Resilient Racers program is a powerful example of how we merge the world of motorsports with our mission to empower families facing childhood cancer. Our partnership with IMSA, which has spanned over a decade, allows us to bring this to life on an incredible stage, connecting the racing community with a cause that truly changes lives. Together, we’re not only building champions on the track but also building strength and hope for families across the country.”

***JDC-Miller has parted ways with Gianmaria Bruni, who is absent this weekend for the first time this season. Porsche factory driver Nico Mueller, who will now contest the final two races, has taken the Italian driver’s place alongside team stalwart Tijmen van der Helm. Sportscar365 understands that JDC’s third driver has been secured for Motul Petit Le Mans but not yet announced.

***No fewer than 15 drivers are fresh off last weekend’s Suzuka 1000km: Nicky Catsburg, Alexander Sims, Laurin Heinrich, Klaus Bachler, Dan Harper, Max Hesse, Kenny Habul, Mikael Grenier, Kaku Ohta, Ben Barnicoat, Zach Robichon, Neil Verhagen, Lorenzo Patrese, Philip Ellis and Anthony McIntosh.

***The Habul-owned 75 Express squad arrived directly from Japan for its second WeatherTech Championship start of the season in the GTD Pro class No. 75 Mercedes-AMG featuring Habul, Grenier and Repco Supercars points leader Broc Feeney, who is making his IMSA debut.

***Mustang Challenge Le Mans Invitational winner and fellow countryman Cameron McLeod, who is also making his first start in an IMSA-sanctioned race this weekend in Michelin Pilot Challenge competition aboard the No. 60 KohR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4, holds a unique link to Habul as McLeod’s grandfather, Peter, was part of the winning squad in the 1987 Bathurst 1000 that featured Australian racing legend Peter Brock. Australian native Habul was an apprentice on the team at the time.

***Bryan Herta Autosport has announced that Robert Hanley has joined the partnership group of Bryan Herta Autosport with PR1/Mathiasen, which will enter a LMP2 car next year. Hanley, a former Porsche Carrera Cup driver, is the father of recently crowned Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West GT3 Cup Pro-Am class champion Daniel Hanley, who also has previous experience in Pirelli GT4 America in a Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO with Parker Thompson. The newly formed partnership, which will be based at BHA’s shop in Brownsburg, Ind., has yet to announce drivers for next year.

***Michelin will roll out with a revised construction of its Pilot Sport Pro GT H1 tire for use in the GTD Pro and GTD classes next year. The updated tire, designated the Pilot Sport Pro GT H1+, will feature an improved mounting fit for the variety of GT3 OEM wheels as well as an updated tread profile to improve robustness.

***The Pilot Sport Pro GT H1+ will be introduced starting at November’s IMSA-sanctioned test at Daytona International Speedway, with the current-generation H1 compound not permitted for use in the WeatherTech Championship in 2026.

***BMW factory driver Philip Eng, who along with Dries Vanthoor sit third in the GTP title race, is hopeful of remaining in the WeatherTech Championship next year despite the change of operator from Team RLL to WRT, which is expected to be made official in the coming weeks.

***Eng said: “I think it’s still quite early, but my goal is always to be racing at the top level, and IMSA is the top level for me together with WEC. But I feel that I’m really enjoying myself in IMSA. I think it’s a very good match. Maybe it’s because of Arnold Schwarzenegger being Austrian, he has left some footprints in the U.S., but I really like the country, I really like the racing in IMSA. I like the people, and my goal is definitely to be back in 2026.”

***Penske Racing President Jonathan Diuguid revealed the No. 6 Porsche 963 of Nick Tandy and Mathieu Jaminet could have been in a position to win last year’s Battle on the Bricks, which saw a Team RLL 1-2 result, with Jaminet ordered to ‘slow down’ in order to protect Porsche Penske Motorsport’s position in the GTP championship. Teammates Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr ended up winning the drivers’ title.

***Diuguid said: “We finished the race in third, and I think we had to slow Mathieu down from taking the fight to the BMWs because we were in a commanding position in the IMSA championship there last year. And he felt he had the pace to pass those guys and win the race. I think we’re all positive and we’re doing the same amount of hard work that we’ve done prior to every single race. So we’re looking forward to the event.”

***The Porsche 963s could face an uphill battle this weekend, however, having been handed a weight increase and power reduction as part of the series of Balance of Performance adjustments confirmed by the sanctioning body on Monday. The Porsche is now the heaviest GTP car by 18kg and has the lowest amount of first-stage power, at speeds below 230 km/h.

***Speculation in the paddock has shifted from Porsche Penske’s WeatherTech Championship program of being at risk to its WEC operation instead, according to a recent report from German publication Auto Motor und Sport. Porsche Motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach told Sportscar365 earlier this month at Circuit of The Americas that it’s “too early” for confirmation of Porsche’s factory LMDh activities for next year and was unsure if a decision will be made before or after the next WEC round at Fuji Speedway.

***Sportscar365 understands that a board-level decision was due to be made last month but has been delayed amid a likely change in Porsche’s CEO, with Oliver Blume currently holding a dual role, also as Volkswagen’s chief executive. Porsche currently holds a contract with Team Penske through the end of the 2027 seasons in both championships.

***A single 90-minute WeatherTech Championship practice session is on tap for Friday, scheduled to begin at 11:15 a.m. EST.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John