INTERCONTINENTAL GT CHALLENGE HUNTS FOR 2025 SEASON CHAMPION AT INDIANAPOLIS 8 HOUR
The season finale sees two BMW drivers in title contention. Valentino Rossi to race with BMW-WRT
The Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS, scheduled for 16-18 October, will conclude the 2025 Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC) season – the championship uniting the most prestigious GT3 competitions across America, Asia, Australia, and Europe, supplied by Pirelli.
Following rounds at Bathurst, the Nürburgring, Spa, and Suzuka, the Brickyard will host the decisive final event of the year, crowning the overall champions from a 27-car international GT3 field – the largest entry for an IGTC event in America since 2021.
The drivers' title fight is a BMW affair, with WRT teammates Kelvin van der Linde and Raffaele Marciello separated by just a handful of points and fielded in two different BMW M4 GT3s.
Joining Van der Linde in the #46 BMW will be Valentino Rossi, making his Indianapolis 8 Hour debut, alongside Charles Weerts – with whom the South African driver just secured the GT World Challenge Europe drivers' title last weekend in Barcelona.
The second factory BMW-WRT entry will feature Marciello, Augusto Farfus, and Al Faisal Al Zubair. With BMW, Ferrari, Mercedes-AMG, and Porsche eligible for manufacturers' points, the American race will also decide the manufacturers' championship.
The IGTC finale follows September's Suzuka 1000km, dominated by Van der Linde, Marciello, and Weerts in the WRT BMW. This result propelled the South African to the top of the standings, five points clear of his Swiss teammate. In addition to the Intercontinental race, the Indianapolis weekend will feature rounds of GT World Challenge America, GT4 America, GT America, and TC America – all running on Pirelli tyres.
"The Intercontinental GT Challenge season finale at Indianapolis promises high adrenaline, consistent with a season that has delivered relentless excitement," commented Matteo Braga, Pirelli Circuit Activity Manager. "Following Suzuka, the Brickyard will provide an ideal proving ground for the new P Zero DHG and Cinturato WHB tyres, combining performance, reliability, and a focus on sustainability."
TYRES FOR THE 8 HOUR
All entered cars will be equipped with the new P Zero DHG tyres, which debuted this year across all GT3 categories. Replacing the previous DHF model, they have established themselves as the benchmark for versatility, reliability and performance in all conditions. Key innovations of DHG concern materials. Notably, the DHG features the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC™)[1] logo, certifying that all natural rubber in the tyres[2] originates from plantations managed to preserve biodiversity and benefit local communities.
In wet conditions, teams will have the Cinturato WHB at their disposal. This year, it also contains FSC®-certified natural rubber like the dry tyres and features a stiffer carcass with a revised tread pattern compared to its predecessor, the WHA. These characteristics are enabled by innovative materials. The new compounds have improved the contact patch, optimising grip and warm-up in low temperatures. Stability in transitioning conditions remains uncompromised, and aquaplaning resistance has been enhanced. Finally, the operational window during races has been broadened.
[1] Pirelli tyres (FSC™ N003618) are FSC™ - certified as MIX Natural Rubber. This shows that they are manufactured from a combination of natural and synthetic rubber, conforming with FSC™ ADVICE-40-004-15.
[2] the equivalent of 17 percent of the total weight of the tyre