The ninth round of the 2025 VSCA SportsCar Championship and the penultimate event of the Endurance Cup produced one of the most thrilling races of the season. The 6 Hours at The Brickyard, held on the 14-turn, 2.44-mile road course of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, delivered non-stop drama across all six hours. Twelve lead changes, two full-course yellows, and repeated clashes with slower traffic ensured that the outcome remained undecided until the very end.
At the heart of the action was the GTP class battle between Rising Panda Racing, World Of SimRacing Team, Wastegate Racing, and PULSAR eSports. In the end, it was the #46 Acura ARX-06 of Ryan Ware and Remy Loesch that prevailed, scoring the team’s first victory in VSCA competition.
Early Moves and Setbacks
Pole position belonged to Pedro Espadinha in the #88 PULSAR Porsche 963, who clocked a 1:16.853 qualifying lap to secure his second career VSCA pole. Espadinha led the field away but quickly came under pressure from Loesch in the #46 Rising Panda Acura. The Frenchman seized the opportunity at Turn 10 and moved into the lead, building an early gap.
The race quickly claimed its first drama when championship leaders World Of SimRacing Team suffered a scare. Andres Quintana lost control of the #51 Cadillac in Turn 14 shortly after an out lap and was collected by a GT Pro-class Corvette. Although both cars were able to continue, the incident set the tone for an unpredictable afternoon. Moments later, Espadinha’s #88 Porsche was handed a post-race penalty for contact with an LMP2 competitor, foreshadowing disappointment to come.
Lead Battles and Full-Course Yellows
As the race wore on, traffic management became critical. The first full-course yellow arrived two hours into the event and reshuffled strategies. On the restart, the fight for the lead intensified, with the #88, #46, and #32 Wastegate Racing Cadillac briefly going three-wide into Turn 1. Espadinha retook control while Pedersen in the #32 slipped through to second, relegating the #46 to fourth.
By lap 100, Pedersen surged past the Porsche to seize the lead. A driver change to Selena Ward followed, but an untimely spin on cold tires dropped the team down the order. PULSAR reclaimed the lead and controlled proceedings until a second full-course yellow with just over an hour left erased a 42-second advantage.
The restart created a four-way showdown, with Espadinha, Pedersen, Loesch, and Martínez all within striking distance. Espadinha initially defended strongly, but heavy traffic allowed Loesch and Pedersen to close back in.
Rising Panda Racing Acura steps up to the challenge
With less than half an hour to go, Pedersen locked up under braking and ceded second place to Loesch. The French driver then attacked the #88 Porsche relentlessly, culminating in side-by-side contact through Turn 12. One lap later, Loesch executed a decisive move around the outside of Turn 9 to snatch the lead.
Espadinha’s desperate response ended in disaster, with a spin in Turn 1 handing second place to the recovering Wastegate Cadillac. From there, Loesch managed the closing laps calmly, bringing the #46 Acura home with a margin of 29.740 seconds to secure Rising Panda Racing’s breakthrough win.
Podium Finishers and Top Ten
Behind the victorious Rising Panda Acura, the #51 World Of SimRacing Team Cadillac finished second after a steady recovery drive from Quintana and Martínez. The #32 Wastegate Racing Cadillac salvaged third despite ongoing battery issues. PULSAR’s #88 Porsche, which had led the most laps with 143, faded to fourth after its late penalty and spin.
The remainder of the top ten included strong performances across the field, though it was clear that the Indianapolis race would be remembered for the relentless fight among the top four contenders.
Post-Race Reactions
Álvaro Martínez, #51 World Of SimRacing Team Cadillac:
"To be honest, it’s a fantastic result. For much of the race we were stuck a lap behind the leader, never better than P4. You couldn’t ask for more… well, yes, a win!"
"Everything got complicated with the first safety car. We had just stopped and lost a lap to the leader, so when the race was neutralized, we found ourselves two laps down with no real options until the second neutralization brought us back into the fight. It was frustrating to spend so much time just cruising."
"For us the result is still very positive. Our closest rival in the general classification finished behind us, so not losing points — and even increasing the gap — is essential with only two races left. But honestly, in this race we only had bad moments: a spin on cold tires after the first hour, the timing of the safety car that cost us a lap, and then in the final half hour another spin at the fast chicane after misjudging the kerb."
"I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Rising Panda on their victory here today. Congratulations!"
Remy Loesch, #46 Rising Panda Racing Acura:
"Honestly, I’m over the moon. That last stint was flat-out, almost like 45 minutes of qualifying. We’ve had pace all season, but luck wasn’t on our side. Today everything finally clicked, and it feels amazing to bring this one home for the team."
"It wasn’t easy at all. The #88 was super strong in the hot conditions, and the #32 was right there too. From the cockpit, it felt like a fight from start to finish. The key was patience. The car was fast but tricky, so we had to look after the tires and manage traffic without losing focus. We knew cooler track temps in the last hour would help us, and that’s where we made the difference."
"The first safety car really hurt our strategy, since we were about to pit, and then we even got hit by a GT3 in Turn 12. At that point it didn’t look good after four hours. But after the second safety car, everything changed. The car came alive, and the battle with the #32 was fun, while the one with the #88 was super intense but fair. I saw an opening in T6–T7, went for it, and it stuck."
"The championship lead is probably out of reach, but our goal is clear: go for wins. We had an epic one with Ryan at Road America last year, and at Petit Le Mans we’ll give everything to secure a second Endurance Cup in a row."
Niclas Pedersen, #32 Wastegate Racing Cadillac:
"Mixed feelings today. We had battery issues all race, which meant we were losing more than half a second each lap. It made for a long and frustrating run, but it’s still nice to get a podium out of it."
"The 30-second penalty for contact with a GT Pro car near the end felt harsh. It was only a very slight touch, but still my misjudgment. I probably got too eager at the prospect of battling for the win despite the battery issue. I made a small error that cost us."
"I think we’ve had all the bad luck this year, so we’re just looking to get clean races to the finish and hopefully some strong results to set us up for next season."
Francisco Santos Pereira, #88 PULSAR eSports Team Porsche:
"We’re truly disappointed with the final result, considering how the six-hour race unfolded. We attacked when we had to, we held back when we had to, and just when it looked like the race was in our hands, the safety car reset everything and cost us the result we deserved."
"We also disagree with the penalty for the contact with the #158 LMP2. We expressed our view to Race Control, but it placed us at the back of the order. It is what it is — we have no control over penalties or how incidents are interpreted. What we ask is simply that penalties are applied to everyone in the same way they are to us."
"There isn’t much left to fight for in the VSCA standings, but we’ll prepare as best we can for Road America and Petit Le Mans. We’ll keep working to represent our team and sponsors well until the end of the championship."
Championship Implications
The result had a direct impact on both the SportsCar Championship and the Endurance Cup. World Of SimRacing Team maintained its lead in the season standings with 3,164 points, holding a 417-point margin over Wastegate Racing. Rising Panda remains third, 430 points behind.
In the Endurance Cup, however, the tables turned. The victory vaulted Rising Panda into first place with 35 points, one ahead of PULSAR and two clear of World Of SimRacing. With only two races remaining — Road America and Petit Le Mans — the title fight remains wide open.
Looking Ahead
The championship next heads to Wisconsin for the JRT Road America 160 on September 27. With both the overall standings and Endurance Cup battle finely balanced, expectations are high for another intense showdown as the 2025 season nears its climax.
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