Big stakes for Pratt & Miller factory team after fourth place finish at INDY

Antonio Garcia & Alexander Sims in the Pratt & Miller # 3 Z06 GT3.R Corvette hold a precarious lead for the GTD PRO title heading into the ten-hour finale at Road Atlanta on Oct 11.

Their slim lead owes to catching a break and fuel strategy in the second half of the 6-hour Tire Rack Battle on the Bricks at INDY.

Sims qualified third but stalled in the mad rush to the first corner, losing track position, just ahead of teammate Tommy Milner in the # 4 Corvette.

The pair were mired in midfield when good starts after a full-course yellow propelled them to 5th & 6th.

Sims took fourth after a hard fight with Laurin Heinrich the AO Racing # 77 Porsche 911 GT3.R; but Nicky Catsburg, now in the # 4 Corvette, was penalized as part of that battle yet came back to score sixth in class.

Mike Rockenfeller and Sebastian Priaulx in the Multimatic Motorsports # 64 Mustang GT3 won the GTD PRO class, completing 231 laps on the 2.44-mile Indy road course.

Matt Bell, Orey Fidani and Lars Kern in the AWA # 13 Z06 GT3.R Corvette finished sixth in GTD.

They ran as high as 2nd before a late-race penalty set them back to 10th with Bell charging back to finish sixth. 

 Alec Udell, joined by Charlie Eastwood and Salih Yoluc in the DXDT # 36 Z06 GT3.R Corvette exited only 90 minutes into the race, hitting the wall coming out of turn 14 onto the long straight.

Optimism dashed, the car was scored 17th in class, set back further by an earlier hit by a prototype, spinning and jumping a curb.

Photo credits: Richard Prince, Pratt & Miller, AWA, DXDT