The 2026 Battle on the Bricks produced a dramatic 2-hour, 40-minute contest at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with the GTP and GTD Pro victories both decided in the closing stages. BMW M Team WRT secured its first IMSA victory with the #24 taking the top step of the podium.
GTP
BMW M Team WRT finally broke through in the top class as Sheldon van der Linde and Dries Vanthoor took the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 to a first IMSA victory for the team.
The race began with a major incident at Turn 1. Contact involving the #25 BMW of Philipp Eng and the #6 Porsche of Laurin Heinrich sent Julien Andlauer’s #7 Porsche into a spin, with the #99 AO Racing LMP2 and other cars also becoming involved. The incident forced an early safety car.
Once the race settled down, Jack Aitken took the lead in the #31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R from pole sitter Tom Blomqvist’s #60 Acura. Aitken and Earl Bamber then controlled much of the race for Cadillac, with the #31 remaining at the front through the majority of the running.
The decisive phase came during the final caution period. Laurin Heinrich’s #6 Porsche had been running near the front, but a short fill during the first pit sequence and a difficult final stop dropped the Porsche back. The #24 BMW emerged in second, giving Sheldon van der Linde a clear opportunity to attack Bamber in the #31.
With less than six minutes remaining, van der Linde used traffic to get alongside Bamber and completed the move for the lead. He had already attempted to pass the Cadillac several times, but this time the move stuck.
Van der Linde brought the #24 home 2.926 seconds ahead of the #31, giving BMW M Team WRT its first IMSA WeatherTech Championship victory in its debut GTP season. It was also Sheldon van der Linde’s first IMSA victory.
“My first IMSA win – amazing!,” said Sheldon van der Linde afte the race.
“I had goosebumps when I overtook Earl Bamber a few laps from the end. I really had to make sure I stayed focused. I had a bit of bad luck with traffic during my stint at first, but I knew my time would come. The car and our strategy were perfect today. I’m absolutely delighted for the team, who more than deserve this victory.
“People often forget that WRT are competing in their first season in the IMSA Series. What they’re achieving here and in the FIA WEC with their victories this year is fantastic. I’m proud to be part of this team.”
The #31 finished second, with Earl Bamber and Jack Aitken securing another strong result for Action Express Racing. The result also extended Aitken’s championship lead over Heinrich to 147 points heading into the season finale.
The #6 Porsche completed the podium with Laurin Heinrich and Kévin Estre, recovering strongly after falling back during the final pit sequence. The #40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac finished fourth, while the #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura of Colin Braun and Tom Blomqvist finished fifth.
The championship now heads to Petit Le Mans with Jack Aitken holding the advantage in the GTP standings.
LMP2
LMP2 was turned upside down by the opening-lap accident, with several championship contenders caught in the Turn 1 incident.
The #04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR ORECA of George Kurtz, which entered Indianapolis leading the championship, was among the cars caught up in the crash. The car eventually lost more than 40 laps after two separate trips to the garage for repairs. The #99 AO Racing ORECA of PJ Hyett was also heavily damaged, although the team managed to return the car to the race.
With the leading championship contenders in trouble, Era Motorsport capitalized. Christian Rasmussen and Nick Boulle drove the #18 ORECA 07-Gibson to victory, with Rasmussen taking the car across the line 15 seconds ahead of the #52 Bryan Herta Autosport with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA shared by Misha Goikhberg and Harry Tincknell.
The #22 United Autosports ORECA had been in contention for the victory late in the race, but Paul di Resta received a drive-through penalty with 32 minutes remaining for passing under yellow. The penalty dropped the car down the order, although it recovered to finish third.
The #43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA had looked set to benefit from the problems affecting the championship contenders. Jeremy Clarke and Tom Dillmann were eventually handed the class lead, but a drive-through for Clarke after contact with a GTD car and a late splash of fuel ultimately dropped the #43 to sixth.
Despite the difficult result, Clarke and Dillmann left Indianapolis leading the LMP2 championship by four points over George Kurtz and Alex Quinn. The victory was Era Motorsport’s first LMP2 win since the 2024 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
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