Indy 8H Red-Flagged Due to Weather Just Past Halfway

Photo: Fabian Lagunas/SRO

The Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS has been red-flagged with three hours and 57 minutes to go due to due to lightning in the area, amid an approaching thunderstorm just past the halfway mark of the Intercontinental GT Challenge and GT World Challenge America powered by AWS season finale.

The No. 777 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Raffaele Marciello led the race prior to the first full-course caution of the race, which quickly turned into a red-flag stoppage.

Marciello passed the No. 888 GruppeM Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Luca Stolz on Lap 155 following a hard-fought battle, which went the way of the BMW factory driver, who is in contention for the IGTC drivers’ title.

WRT teammate Kelvin van der Linde then slipped by Marciello six laps later to make it a 1-2 for the Belgian squad, just moments before the yellow was called.

The No. 99 Random Vandals Racing BMW of Conor Daly ran fourth overall and the front-running GTWC America entrant, with the No. 18 RS1 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Jan Heylen having completed the top-five

Jules Gounon, in the delayed No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG, ran sixth at the time of the red, after a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact with Lin Hodenius at the wheel in the opening hour.

The 75 Express Mercedes-AMG of Chaz Mostert was in seventh, the highest-placed entry with an IGTC Independent Cup entrant in Kenny Habul.

The No. 21 Herberth Motorsport Porsche of Dennis Marschall, meanwhile, led the Pro-Am ranks, ahead of the No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW of Patrick Gallagher in second.

Turner appeared to be in prime position to take the GTWC America Pro-Am title after the then class-leading No. 11 DDXT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R lost 23 laps with a starter motor issue in the fourth hour.

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