Ayhancan Guven wins Indianapolis 8 Hour in GMG Racing Porsche
Turkish driver Ayhancan Güven won the Indianapolis 8 Hour overall in the No. 32 Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO he shared with Kyle Washington and Riccardo Pera. It is the first time in the race's history that a Pro-Am entry has taken the overall victory.
Ayhancan Güven delivered a history-making result at an American endurance classic. GMG Racing's No. 32 Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO took the checkered flag first in the Indianapolis 8 Hour, held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Oct. 10, 2026. Güven shared driving duties with Kyle Washington and Riccardo Pera.
Although the team was competing in the Pro-Am class, it also finished on top overall. It was the first overall win for a Pro-Am entry in the race's history. The trio crossed the line 56.209 seconds ahead of their closest rival, the largest margin of victory in the event's history. The result also marks Porsche's first overall win at the Indianapolis 8 Hour.
From a penalty-induced ninth to victory
The weekend started well for Güven. The Turkish driver set the second-fastest time in qualifying, just 0.002 seconds behind pole-sitter Robby Foley. However, post-qualifying technical inspections found the car's ride height to be in breach of the rules, forcing GMG Racing to start the race from ninth.
Strategy was the key factor that carried the team to victory. Washington, the team's amateur driver, completed his mandatory drive time in the early part of the race, leaving professionals Güven and Pera to drive the car for the remaining hours. An alternative pit stop plan put into action before the halfway mark paid off later in the race. The final 5 hours and 39 minutes running without a safety car also worked in the plan's favor. Güven took the lead heading into the final 90 minutes and held the gap to the finish.
Podium and championships
Second overall went to another Pro-Am team, Archangel Motorsports, with the No. 69 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO driven by Todd Coleman, Aaron Telitz and Thomas Fleming. Third was Turner Motorsport's BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Robby Foley, Connor De Phillippi and Justin Rothberg. AF Corse USA's No. 12 Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO finished fourth, and the JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG of Maxime Martin, Michai Stephens and Mikael Grenier was fifth. Martin clinched the drivers' title by taking fourth-place points among Intercontinental GT Challenge teams.
The race also settled the season-end standings. GMG Racing won the Pro-Am teams' title in GT World Challenge America, while Kyle Washington took the drivers' championship in the same category. At Pro class winner Turner Motorsport, Foley and Rothberg secured the Pro class drivers' championship. GMG Racing's victory also sealed the Intercontinental GT Challenge manufacturers' title for Porsche.
This article was compiled with the help of AI from information published by Otohaber.
