Heinrich in “Same Situation” of Having IGTC Title Chance

Photo: Gruppe C Photography/Porsche

Laurin Heinrich said he’s entering the Desder Indianapolis 8 Hour in a similar frame of mind to last weekend’s Motul Petit Le Mans, in having a “shot” to go for a championship title but on the offensive.

The Porsche factory driver, who less than seven days ago had an outside chance of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP title, has arrived at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a similar position for the Intercontinental GT Challenge drivers’ championship.

Heinrich is the only non-Mercedes-AMG driver that still holds a title chance in SRO Motorsports Group’s globe-trotting GT3 series, with the 24-year-old German sitting 15 points behind effective leader Luca Stolz and 14 back on Maxime Martin.

While Maro Engel, who won both the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour and Nürburgring 24 and finished runner-up in the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, is on DTM duty for the second consecutive IGTC race, the championship will likely come down to Stolz, Martin and Heinrich.

However, just as was the case in Petit Le Mans, Heinrich is in a must-win situation, as he trails Engel by 22 points, with a maximum of 25 points up for grabs.

“It’s the same situation and same approach,” Heinrich told Sportscar365. “It’s sort of a comfortable situation [for Stolz/Martin] but for sure being at the top of the standings with one race to go is more comfortable.”

Heinrich admitted he wasn’t even thinking about the chance of going for the IGTC title after being forced to miss the 24 Hours of Spa after a decision was made by Porsche to prioritize his WeatherTech Championship program.

But as it turned out, each driver in championship contention has either had a non-points score or poor result in the four races to date.

Heinrich vaulted up the standings after his and AO by Absolute Racing’s famous victory in the Suzuka 1000km, which has essentially handed the IGTC manufacturer’s’ title to Porsche as a result.

“I missed out on Spa, obviously,” said Heinrich. “I was focusing on IMSA so I wasn’t thinking at all about the IGTC drivers’ championship.

“For us as a manufacturer, IGTC is important and Porsche is in pretty good shape there, which is great.

“But obviously the win in Suzuka bumped me up the standings, which is amazing, and now I’m here. I have a shot. I will go for it, as much as I also want to win the Indy 8 Hour.”

Adding to the challenge is the fact that Heinrich is in a Pro-Am class Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo this weekend, sharing driving duties of the No. 31 Wright Motorsports entry with full season GT World Challenge America powered by AWS drivers Ryan Yardley and Dave Musial Jr.

Yardley, a Porsche Motorsport North America Selected Driver, and Musial Jr. currently trail GMG Racing’s Kyle Washington and Tom Sargent by six points.

However, Sargent, the standout driver from the GTWC America season, is not at The Brickyard this weekend as the U.S.-based Australian is prioritizing his European Le Mans Series LMGT3 title chances in Portimao this weekend.

“As a Pro-Am lineup, it’s first of all important to stay on the lead lap until you only have the Pros in for the end and then you can look at the overall result,” said Heinrich.

“We shouldn’t forget that our car is also fighting for the Pro-Am title in GT World America, which is, obviously, the primary goal for my teammates and the team to secure that title.

“I shouldn’t be too egoistic thinking about my own drivers’ title and stuff. But it is pretty similar [to last weekend] thinking about it.

“Let’s see where we are once I get in the car for the end of the race and then we’ll see if we still have a shot.”

Heinrich holds fond memories of the Indy 8 Hour, having claimed overall pole for the event in 2023 aboard a Pro-Am class Huber Motorsport Porsche.

He then took first place overall on the road with Wright in 2024 before being handed a five-second post-race time penalty for a pit stop infringement.

“Wright has always had a quick car and great to drive car around this place,” he said. “I’m confident we’ll be quick, no doubt.

“The team has always shown, also in IMSA, that they know what they’re doing, also in pit lane.

“I’m confident. It’s a weekend I’ve been looking forward to.”

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