Audi’s Vanthoor Paces Thursday Test Session at Indy

Photo: Brian Cleary/SRO

Dries Vanthoor led the way in the first track action for the Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS on Thursday.

The newly crowned Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS overall champion reeled off a best lap of 1:35.093 late in the 75-minute test session to bump Jules Gounon from the top of the unofficial time sheets.

Vanthoor in the No. 32 Team WRT Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo was 0.294 seconds quicker than Gounon’s No. 99 Craft-Bamboo Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, which was forced to settle for second.

Mattia Drudi also made a late-session improvement in the sister No. 37 WRT Audi to third, ahead of the No. 25 Sainteloc Audi driven by Christopher Haase in fourth.

It relegated the pair of AF Corse Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020s to fifth and sixth quickest, followed by the Silver Cup pace-setting No. 33 Winward Racing Mercedes in seventh.

The Pro-Am class No. 10 TR3 Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo of Giacomo Altoe was eighth followed by the No. 6 K-PAX Lamborghini of Marco Mapelli in ninth. 

AKKA-ASP’s Mercedes, which it has borrowed from Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS outfit DXDT Racing due to shipping delays for its car, completed the top-ten overall in the session.

The GT4 class was led by the No. 2 GMG Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4 of Trent Hindman, who edged out fellow IMSA star Jack Hawksworth in the No. 68 Smooge Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 in second.

No major incidents were reported over the session, which ran without any red flags.

Thirty five of the 41 entries turned laps in the unofficial session, which was not mandatory.

The next on-track activity for GTWC America/IGTC competitors will be a paid Bronze test session Friday morning followed by Free Practice from 11:20 a.m. – 12:50 p.m. ET.

RESULTS: Paid Test Session

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