The GT America powered by AWS season came to a dramatic close at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as tricky weather conditions and various strategy calls defined the final race of the year. What began under Full Course Yellow for a wet track quickly evolved into a showcase of adaptability, with Ross Chouest taking overall victory in the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R and Jozsef Petkes claiming top honors in GT4 aboard the No. 83 RCX Motorsport Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.
As the race began under caution, pole-sitter Jason Bell brought his No. 2 Racers Edge Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 down pit lane to switch to wet tires. His front-row companion Memo Gidley in the No. 56 SKI Autosport Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVOII followed suit a lap later, handing the early lead to Kyle Washington in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R.
However, Washington’s day soon took a turn, as a formation-lap spin earned the Porsche driver a drive-through penalty as he had rejoined in the incorrect order, forcing him to relinquish the lead. Joel Cortes briefly inherited first place in the No. 19 RS1 Porsche 992 GT3 R before the race transformed into a Corvette showdown between Ross Chouest and Mirco Schultis in the No. 70 MISHUMOTORS Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R.
In a spectacular display of car control, Chouest executed a daring three-wide move into Turn 1 to seize the lead. Schultis followed him through into second, while Cortes dropped to third. From there, Chouest managed the pressure from Schultis to secure his third victory of the season, capping off a strong finish to his campaign. Schultis came home second, with Tony Davis completing the GT3 podium in third in the No. 004 HP Tech Motorsport Ferrari 296 GT3.
“It was similar to Barber,” explained Ross Chouest. “We were on the fence the whole time, and I saw a few guys on wets, so we figured we’d take the risk. It ended up working out, the team did a great job, and the Corvette crew supported me perfectly. It took a little while to acclimate this season, but I’m glad it finally came around.”
In the GT4 class, Craig Lumsden initially led in the No. 610 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, with Jozsef Petkes close behind. As the race approached halfway, Petkes made his move, overtaking for the class lead and never looking back. The driver’s stellar drive not only earned him victory but also marked a personal milestone in his first-ever race weekend at Indianapolis, and his first time driving in the rain.
“It’s my first time in Indy,” said Jozsef Petkes. “Thank you to my crew for their help. I had never driven in the rain, never been here before, so I’m so happy about everything. And thank you to Porsche for the support.”
That’s a Wrap
To revisit the action from over the course of the 2025 season, SRO’s free livestreams are available on YouTube (GTWorld) and Twitch (SROMotorsports).
