Podium finish for Jem Hepworth and Lindsay Brewer at Indianapolis in Lamborghini ST
- LIAM REDFORD
- Sep 23
- 7 min read
RAFA Racing Team all-female duo Jem Hepworth and Lindsay Brewer overcame setbacks to score a podium finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, producing an excellent drive in race 2 to finish in third position that cuts the deficit to the top of the AM class championship standings ahead of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals.
RAFA Racing Team duo Jem Hepworth and Lindsay Brewer overcame setbacks to score a podium finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After an incident in race one led to a sixth-place finish within the Am class, the female duo produced an excellent drive in race two to finish in third position. As a result, they cut the deficit to championship rivals Glenn McGee and Graham Doyle ahead of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals in November.
Hepworth and Brewer arrived at Indianapolis Motor Speedway high on confidence following their first ever victory in the series last time out at Road America. The RAFA Racing Team duo showed excellent speed throughout the weekend as they extended their Am class podium streak to four races, the most of any team in their sub-division. Hepworth and Brewer also contended for overall top-10 finishes in Wisconsin, therefore highlighting their progress in their first season in the championship.
As a result of their strong performances, Hepworth and Brewer remained firmly in championship contention as they began the penultimate round of the season. Just 17 points separated themselves and the leading team of Glenn McGee and Graham Doyle who failed to pick up a victory at Road America. With all three leading teams having finished all eight races prior to the Brickyard, consistency was key as the title battled intensified.
The opening session of the weekend was free practice one which was held on Thursday morning. It was an encouraging start for the RAFA Racing Team duo who set the second fastest time in the Am class with a quickest lap of a 1:27.401. In session two, Hepworth and Brewer completed 26 laps, the most of any team within the Am class, on their way to a sixth-place result as both drivers set consistent times.
Friday’s action got underway with the pair of qualifying sessions at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Brewer drove in session one and after setting her first flying lap, qualifying was red flagged following an incident for Werner Neugebauer. The session resumed for a final three minutes, therefore enabling all drivers to set one final time. Brewer improved to set a quickest lap of a 1:27.085 which placed her in 20th overall, sixth in the Am class.
Hepworth got behind the wheel for the second qualifying session and again an early red flag disrupted the progress of the drivers. Three cars had gone off the road in two separate incidents with Hepworth in third position within the Am class at the time of the stoppage. The session resumed for a little over five minutes and Hepworth found significant time on her final flying lap. As a result, the RAFA Racing Team driver qualified in 12th position overall, third in the Am class with a time of a 1:26.325.
The first race of the weekend took place on Friday afternoon with Brewer starting from 19th on the overall grid following an issue for a car ahead, sixth in the Am class. Lindsay made a good start and following a spin for championship rival Graham Doyle at turn one, Brewer took smart evasive action. The RAFA Racing Team driver was able to end lap one in 18th position overall, fifth in the Am class, while remaining undamaged despite a number of incidents unfolding around her.
On lap two, Brewer overtook both Garrett Adams and Seth Henry and although she was passed by the ProAm class machine of Nicky Hayes, Linsday was up to 17th overall, fourth in class. The race then entered a full course yellow period as the early race incident had led to debris being left on the racing line. The neutralisation was brief and when the green flag was displayed, Brewer was keen to move forward.
As the race resumed, Brewer did a nice job to negotiate Henry who was slow as he rejoined following a pit stop during the full course yellow period. The RAFA Racing Team driver then caught David Staab and after running just a quarter of a second behind the Precision Performance Motorsports machine, Brewer shaped for a move. She continued to apply pressure to Staab until lap nine where he overtook fellow Am class rival Sam Shi.
Shi had lost momentum after being overtaken by several drivers and therefore Brewer was keen to overtake the TR3 Racing machine. As she looked to the inside of Shi, the cars made contact and Brewer spun. As a result, she fell to the rear of the field in 26th position overall, seventh in the Am class. The car had received damage as a result of the contact and this was hampering Brewer as she looked to recover lost time, while she was also assessed a ten second time penalty for incident responsibility with Shi.
On lap 12, the pit window opened and Brewer brought the car to the attention of the crew with Hepworth getting behind the wheel. Despite the earlier contact causing some performance issues, Hepworth began to settle into a rhythm and by lap 15, she had set the personal best time of the car during the race. Following the conclusion of the pit cycle, the RAFA Racing Team duo were now up to 23rd overall, while holding sixth position in the Am class.
Hepworth’s speed was regularly on pace with those at the head of the class and on lap 19, she overtook Christopher Tasca for 22nd position overall. On lap 22, Hepworth was the fastest driver in the Am class and as a result, she was catching Mathieu Boucher for a top-5 position. Another personal best time on lap 24 followed and Hepworth was particularly strong through the final sector.
Attrition became a factor in the closing stages of the race and following separate issues for Keawn Tandon and Conrad Geis, Jem was now inside the overall top-20. A strong end to the race saw her fall just short of catching Boucher as Hepworth took the chequered flag in 20th position overall, sixth in the Am class. Although it was not the result the RAFA Racing Team duo were looking for, they gained ground on Doyle and McGee who retired from the race, while the Wayne Taylor Racing duo also carried a ten-place grid penalty into race two.
The second race of the weekend was held on Sunday afternoon with Hepworth starting the RAFA Racing Team machine from 11th on the overall grid, second in the Am class. As the drivers approach turn one, it was a good start from Hepworth who held the runner-up position within the Am class. Throughout the first lap, Hepworth came under pressure from the Pro class machine of Lance Berkeley with the Alliance Racing driver completing the pass through the final sector.
Hepworth was therefore in 12th position overall and now championship leader Glenn McGee was looking for a way through. McGee was showing excellent speed in the early stages of the race and after he overtook the RAFA Racing Team machine, Hepworth lost momentum with Mateo Siderman aiming move into a provisional podium position. Siderman looked to the inside of turn 13 and demoted Hepworth to fourth in class at the end of lap two.
Just behind Hepworth, Conrad Geis lost control out of the final corner and this led to Dean Neuls and Sean McAuliffe making contact as they took avoiding action. The TR3 Racing machine of Neuls then caught fire and fortunately the Canadian racer was able to walk away from the incident. Due to the extensive cleanup required, the race entered a lengthy full course yellow period.
Under the safety car, McGee’s car came to a halt with a technical issue and therefore this promoted Hepworth to 13th overall, third in the Am class. This was a fortunate break for the RAFA Racing Team duo who were now looking to capitalise and gain further ground on their championship rivals.
The race resumed with 23 minutes left on the clock and Hepworth did well to negotiate the slippery surface through the opening turns. Hepworth fell behind the Pro-Am class machine of Jackson Lee before bringing her car to the attention of the crew at the first possible opportunity. Therefore, Brewer got behind the wheel and following the pit cycle, the American driver was defending from David Staab.
Staab moved ahead on lap 14 and now Brewer had to contend with a number of the quicker Pro-Am runners who were looking to push towards the front of the field. Following the conclusion of the pit cycle, Brewer ran in 17th position overall, third in the Am class. Brewer’s pace improved as the race entered the final ten minutes as she built confidence while retaining a podium position in class.
On lap 19, the Pro-Am class machine of Darius Trinka moved ahead, however her margin to the fourth-place car in class remained at five seconds. Brewer was keen to pass LB Cup leader Nick Groat in the closing stages as the One Motorsports machine separated herself from second-place driver Staab. With a little over five minutes remaining, Brewer made the move and she was now on the fringes of the overall top-15.
Lindsay continued to improve with a series of personal best times and this enabled her to apply late-race pressure to Staab. Taking the chequered flag less than two seconds behind her rival, Brewer secured a podium finish for herself and Hepworth to bounce back from a tough first race to bank vital championship points in their fight for the Am class title.
Hepworth and Brewer showed their fighting spirit at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as they overcame adversity to stand on the podium at the Brickyard. After Hepworth secured a strong starting position, Brewer’s race two stint was particularly strong as the RAFA Racing Team duo narrowly missed out on a runner-up finish.
Hepworth and Brewer will be looking to sustain their championship charge at the Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals with the first event at Misano taking place on November 6th/7th.