Nick Yelloly set the fastest lap in the opening session of the Motul Sportscar Endurance Grand Prix weekend on Friday. The No. 93 Acura topped the charts with a 1:51.088. Right behind was the sister No. 60 machine with Tom Blomqvist at a 1:51.705. The two Meyer Shank Acuras were emphatically the class of the session as they were the only cars in the 1:51 range. Following the Acuras, Wayne Taylor Racing rounded out the top 3 by way of Louis Deletraz in the No. 40 Cadillac.
The ninety-minute session was mainly uneventful. However, more than half of the 54-car field had at least one lap invalidated due to pushing boundaries and exceeding track limits. Halfway through the session came its only stoppage as Ross Gunn and Robert Megennis collided at Turn 6. The No. 023 Ferrari was not able to get back going under its own power, hence bringing practice to a halt for ten minutes. Race control deemed Gunn to be the at-fault party in the incident. Therefore, the No. 23 Valkyrie will lose their fastest time in Saturday’s qualifying for causing a red flag.
LMP2
United Autosports had their two Orecas at the top of the class. Paul Di Resta topped the charts in the No. 22 with a 1:54.166. Not far behind was the sister No. 2 car going third with a 1:54.502. Meanwhile, AO Racing managed to get in between the teammates going second quickest in class.
GTD PRO
Spa 24 Hour winner Thomas Preining has Manthey heading GTD PRO. The No. 911 “Grello” Porsche topped the class with a 2:05.384. James Calado and Ricardo Agostini came second for Triarsi Competizione and Ferrari, making it a 1-2 for Endurance Cup only entries. Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims round out the top 3 for Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports.
GTD
Lastly, in GTD, it was Car Blanche and Aston Martin leading the way. Marius Fossard set the fastest lap at a 2:05.491 in the No. 068 machine. Winward Racing, winners last time out in Canada, came second in the session while the DragonSpeed Corvette round out the Top 3.
The IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship returns to track on Saturday for Free Practice 2 at 9:50am CT. The session will include a 15-minute segment for Bronze drivers only.
