The Turner Motorsport team finally snapped its winless spell in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship when Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher stormed to victory in the GTD class at the Battle on the Bricks. Their No. 96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO crossed the finish line just 0.501 seconds ahead of the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, driven by Philip Ellis and Russell Ward, who had started from the back of the grid after a pre-race infraction.
How the Indy win reshapes the GTD title race
The narrow triumph moved Foley and Gallagher to within six points of the championship leaders, setting up a nail-biting showdown at the 29th Motul Petit Le Mans on the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta circuit. Team owner Will Turner praised the effort, saying, “the team executed perfectly – no mistakes, 100 percent focus, and the win arrives at exactly the right moment for the points battle.” He added that the victory not only ends a two-year drought (the last win came at Road America in August 2024) but also puts the squad in a strong psychological position for the season finale.
Foley, now a nine-time WeatherTech winner and five-time Michelin Pilot Challenge victor, reflected on the long-time partnership with Gallagher: “We’ve finished second together a ridiculous number of times – eight since 2023 – so finally getting that win felt huge.” Gallagher, deeply moved by the recent loss of team friend Matt Dalton, placed a memorial sticker on the trophy. Dalton, a former finance executive and Indianapolis native who had competed in eight IMSA events for Turner, was remembered for his close bond with Gallagher and his dedication to the sport.
Ripple effects in the Michelin Pilot Challenge
While Turner celebrated in GTD, its GS effort faced a setback. Dillon Machavern and Luca Mars entered Indianapolis with an 80-point advantage in the Michelin Pilot Challenge Grand Sport standings, thanks to a win at Laguna Seca and three podiums. A mechanical failure on the final restart, however, dropped them to 16th place and handed the lead to Austin Krainz and Stevan McAleer of AutoTechnic Racing, who now sit 30 points ahead heading into the Fox Factory 120 at Road Atlanta.
Other GS contenders remain in the mix: Robert Noaker (Ford Mustang GT4) trails by 40 points, while Michael Cooper, Moisey Uretzky (McLaren Artura GT4) and Bryce Ward (Winward Mercedes-GT4) still hold slim hopes. Turner’s history of dual-class success – winning both GS and VP Racing Challenge Grand Sport X in 2023 and both GS and Street Tuner in 2006 – underscores the team’s capability to juggle multiple titles, even though it has never captured the WeatherTech and Michelin Pilot Challenge crowns simultaneously.
Other headline moments from the Battle on the Bricks
The Indianapolis weekend proved relentless across all four IMSA classes. In GTP, Sheldon van der Linde seized BMW WRT’s first victory of the season by diving past Earl Bamber’s Cadillac in the final five minutes, finishing 2.926 seconds ahead. Action Express Racing’s Bamber held second, while Lauren Heinrich’s Porsche 963 completed the podium, keeping co-driver Jack Aitken comfortably atop the drivers’ championship with a 147-point lead and a slim chance of being overtaken at Road Atlanta.
Fuel strategy dictated drama in LMP2, where Christian Rasmussen in the Era Motorsport ORECA ran on the edge of empty tanks but managed to conserve enough to win by over 15 seconds. Meanwhile, IMSA rookie Nikita Johnson’s McLaren 720S GT3 EVO clipped the wall, opening the door for a classic Ford-vs-Chevrolet showdown that ended with the No. 64 Mustang taking the GTD Pro class.
Across the board, the championship gaps are razor-thin. In LMP2, Jeremy Clarke and Tom Dillmann lead George Kurtz and Alex Quinn by just four points. In GTD Pro, Nicky Catsburg and Tommy Milner sit 47 points ahead of Connor De Phillippi and Neil Verhagen. The narrow margins mean that the upcoming Petit Le Mans could reshuffle the leaderboards, especially with the possibility of late-race incidents that have historically altered title outcomes.
As the teams pack up for Road Atlanta, the consensus in the paddock is clear: every point, every pit-stop, and every overtaking maneuver will be decisive. Turner Motorsport, buoyed by a hard-won Indy victory and a motivated driver lineup, hopes to convert the momentum into a championship crown, while rivals such as Winward Racing and AutoTechnic Racing are prepared to defend their slim leads. The stage is set for one of the most tightly contested season finales in recent IMSA history.
