The 2025 RCCO World eX Championship returned to the legendary Indianapolis oval for the first time since 2023, welcoming new community member Rui Cabeda from Portugal and marking Robin Hay’s debut as a full-time entry for tv racing.
Qualifying set the tone for an electrifying evening. Three-time World eX Champion Julius Martin captured his first pole position in a year, edging out Chris Overend by a margin of just 0.003 seconds, ending Devin Braune’s remarkable streak of eight consecutive poles as Braune settled for third. The stage was set for intense battles in both the Sprint and Feature Races.
The reversed-grid Sprint saw Robin Hay start from pole and maintain an early lead, but two-time Indy winner Nicolas Hillebrand soon took over at the front. Tyre management proved crucial, with the first pit stops coming as early as Lap 6 and most of the field following suit by Lap 8. A slow stop dropped Hillebrand behind Braune and Jarno Wiese, who teamed up to hunt down the early stoppers. The overcut strategy paid off, but with five laps to go, slight contact between Wiese and Julius Martin put both in the wall and out of contention. Race Control later ruled it an unfortunate racing incident.
With the lead group trimmed to four, Braune and Hillebrand worked together to pass Hay and Steffen Walter, setting up a nail-biting final lap. Braune narrowly beat Hillebrand by just 0.008 seconds, delivering the closest finish in World eX history. Robin Hay completed the podium in his first race for tv racing, while his teammate Thomas Voigt scored his best result of the season in fourth.
The Feature Race was equally captivating. Pole-sitter Julius Martin led early but was soon overtaken by Chris Overend, who held P1 until the first of two mandatory pit stops. Martin’s luck turned for the worse with a drive-through penalty for speeding in pit lane.
Overend and teammate Steffen Walter pitted on Lap 10, while Braune and Wiese stopped a lap later. Hillebrand, having pitted even earlier, could not fend off rivals on fresher tyres. After the second round of stops, Braune and Wiese emerged in front, with Wiese making a bold move around the outside of Turn 3 to take the lead.
The final lap brought high drama as Wiese’s choice of the inside lane on the backstraight allowed Braune to use the slipstream from the to-be lapped Julius Martin, securing victory on the run to the finish. Braune’s masterclass kept his winning streak alive and extended his World Championship lead, while Hillebrand struggled with tyre wear and dropped behind Chris Overend in the closing stages.
The evening also featured the latest edition of the Bizz Talk, with RaceOn founder and CEO Franco Chiocchetti sharing valuable advice for young engineers.
2025 Indy eX Prix Results
Qualifying
1 #94 Julius MARTIN (Martin Racing Team) 41.471
2 #46 Chris OVEREND (T17 E-Speed) 41.474
3 #42 Devin BRAUNE (Rocket Simsport) 41.483
4 #18 Jarno WIESE (WIWI Racing Team) 41.492
5 #71 Nicolas HILLEBRAND (Hans-Günther Springob Rennsport) 41.493
6 #4 Björn SKOTTKE (bspowersports) 41.497
7 #17 Steffen WALTER (T17 E-Speed) 41.499
8 #97 Robin HAY (tv racing) 41.504
9 #7 Thomas VOIGT (tv racing) 41.545
10 #25 Patrick WINZENICK (bspowersports) 41.549
11 #3 Bodo KRÄLING (bspowersports) 41.556
12 #65 Frank ENGER (bspowersports) 41.560
13 #33 Jennifer SCHAMEY (Schamey Racing) 41.568
14 #106 Rui CABEDA (Wild Card) 41.587
15 #8 Johannes MEINCK (Martin Racing Team) 41.701
Sprint
1 #42 Devin BRAUNE (Rocket Simsport) 17 laps in 12:30.903
2 #71 Nicolas HILLEBRAND (Hans-Günther Springob Rennsport) + 0.008
3 #97 Robin HAY (tv racing) + 0.826
4 #7 Thomas VOIGT (tv racing) + 2.215
5 #4 Björn SKOTTKE (bspowersports) + 4.156
6 #17 Steffen WALTER (T17 E-Speed) + 4.224
7 #46 Chris OVEREND (T17 E-Speed) + 9.356
8 #18 Jarno WIESE (WIWI Racing Team) + 10.725
9 #94 Julius MARTIN (Martin Racing Team) + 14.114
10 #33 Jennifer SCHAMEY (Schamey Racing) + 14.169
11 #8 Johannes MEINCK (Martin Racing Team) + 15.867
12 #106 Rui CABEDA (Wild Card) + 33.783
13 #25 Patrick WINZENICK (bspowersports) + 41.873
14 #3 Bodo KRÄLING (bspowersports) – 1 lap
15 #65 Frank ENGER (bspowersports) – 1 lap
Fastest lap: #25 Patrick WINZENICK (bspowersports) 40.605
Race
1 #42 Devin BRAUNE (Rocket Simsport) 33 laps in 24:29.085
2 #18 Jarno WIESE (WIWI Racing Team) + 0.209
3 #46 Chris OVEREND (T17 E-Speed) + 1.529
4 #71 Nicolas HILLEBRAND (Hans-Günther Springob Rennsport) + 1.726
5 #17 Steffen WALTER (T17 E-Speed) + 3.150
6 #3 Bodo KRÄLING (bspowersports) + 3.460
7 #25 Patrick WINZENICK (bspowersports) + 12.089
8 #97 Robin HAY (tv racing) + 12.134
9 #4 Björn SKOTTKE (bspowersports) + 12.825
10 #7 Thomas VOIGT (tv racing) + 23.590
11 #106 Rui CABEDA (Wild Card) + 30.006
12 #94 Julius MARTIN (Martin Racing Team) – 1 lap
13 #8 Johannes MEINCK (Martin Racing Team) – 1 lap
14 #33 Jennifer SCHAMEY (Schamey Racing) – 4 laps
15 #65 Frank ENGER (bspowersports) 12 laps, DNF
Fastest lap: #17 Steffen WALTER (T17 E-Speed) 40.776
Standings after 4 of 9 Rounds
1 #42 Devin BRAUNE (Rocket Simsport) 150
2 #18 Jarno WIESE (WIWI Racing Team) 86
3 #71 Nicolas HILLEBRAND (Hans-Günther Springob Rennsport) 69
4 #94 Julius MARTIN (Martin Racing Team) 52
5 #46 Chris OVEREND (T17 E-Speed) 45
6 #17 Steffen WALTER (T17 E-Speed) 41
7 #90 Callum CRIPPS (Rocket Simsport) 37
8 #3 Bodo KRÄLING (bspowersports) 34
9 #97 Robin HAY (tv racing) 20
10 #7 Thomas VOIGT (tv racing) 10
11 #4 Björn SKOTTKE (bspowersports) 9
12 #43 Markus MARTIN (Martin Racing Team) 9
13 #25 Patrick WINZENICK (bspowersports) 7
14 #85 Bert KNOPS (Brabham Motorsport) 6
15 #2 Rune BOBBAERS (Brabham Motorsport) 4
16 #65 Frank ENGER (bspowersports) 4
