No. 31 BMW Loses Lead After Contact With Triarsi Ferrari

The No. 31 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 dramatically lost its Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS lead after hitting a Pro-Am car at Turn 1 with two and a half hours to go.

Augusto Farfus, who was half a minute clear, lapped the TR3 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Kenton Koch towards the end of the front straight, but as he braked into the first corner his BMW clattered into the Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 at the apex.

The collision caused significant damage to the No. 31 BMW’s suspension, while the Onofrio Triarsi-driven Ferrari also pitted for repairs.

It handed the lead of the race to the sister WRT BMW driven by Philipp Eng, who held a 23-second advantage over Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Jules Gounon approaching the closing stages.

BMW is aiming for its third consecutive Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli win after victories at the Kyalami 9 Hour and CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.

Following the incident, Farfus admitted responsibility for the collision with the Ferrari but hit out at the behavior of some lapped competitors in the field.

“It’s my mistake,” the Brazilian driver told SRO America pit lane reporter Amanda Busick.

“But it’s also a shame that you try to lap cars and there is absolutely zero respect in this field. It is very sad to see how lapped drivers act. The Mercedes in front was blocking me for more than a few laps.

“I did the move, and unfortunately the Ferrari in front… the apex speed was too low and I could not stop the car. It was absolutely my mistake. It’s a shame.

“I think people should just learn how to respect the blue flags. I don’t know who was that driver but I think he should learn. He should just not block the way he was doing.

“It’s very painful. We threw [away] a race which was in our hands. It’s my mistake and there is not much more I can say.”