Another Mercedes-AMG was fastest on Saturday morning. Raffaele Marciello, driving the #89 AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG GT3, set the fastest time halfway into Pre-Qualifying.
INDIANAPOLIS 8 HOUR: LIVESTREAM | BEHIND THE SCENES | PRACTICE REPORT | PRE-QUALIFYING REPORT | POLE SHOOTOUT REPORT
The three-times red flag-interrupted session – once for a stalled GT4 at pit entrance, twice for a beached GT3 – started out in cold and damp conditions. With the sun slowing rising, however, morning glory blessed Marciello as he set a fastest lap of 1m34.054s at exactly halftime in the first run for the French Mercedes-AMG, having been stuck in port and only arriving at the track this morning. AKKA ASP used a loaned chassis from DXDT Racing during the practice on Friday.
Shortly before the third red flag of the session, with 6 minutes to go, last year’s winner Connor De Phillippi (#96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3) and Ollie Millroy (#70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3) mustered two flyers of respectively 1m34.232s and 1m34.265s to put themselves at second and third place ahead of the long-time second-fastest #37 Audi Sport Team WRT. Nico Müller had set a 1m34.301s after half an hour of running to shortly settle at the top of the timing sheets, but was eventually relegated to fourth place.
Rounding out the top 5 was yesterday’s fastest car – #99 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. This time it was Luca Stolz whose 1m34.414s was the team’s top time of the session.
Jack Hawksworth set the quickest time in the GT4 class, placing his #68 Smooge Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 28th overall in the 40-car strong field with a time of 1m43.285s to beat the #2 GMG Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4 of Trent Hindman by 0.164s.
The final, one-hour, regular Qualifying session starts at 14:00 local time (20:00 CEST) followed by the Pole Shootout at 16:20 local (22:20 CEST). Watch all the action live on GT.REPORT/indylive.
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