Ricky Taylor has set the pace in the first practice session for Motul Petit Le Mans with a time of 01:10:086.
Taylor’s best lap put the #7 Acura ARX-05 on top in the opening session ahead of this weekend’s 10-hour enduro and was only slightly quicker than the #77 Mazda RT24-P of Oliver Jarvis, which was 0.068s behind in second place.
Mazda ended the session second and third although briefly topping it courtesy of a 01:10:243 set by Jonathan Bomarito in the #55 Mazda, although he was later surpassed by Taylor and Jarvis.
The fourth fastest time was set by the #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-VR of Felipe Nasr, ahead of Mustang Sampling’s Sebastien Bourdais in fifth with Gabriel Aubry sixth for JDC-Miller Motorsports. Juan Pablo Montoya was seventh in the sister Acura, with Wayne Taylor Racing eighth.
The session was briefly red-flagged when Chris Miller went off in the #85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Cadillac DPi-VR with ten minutes remaining, although he was able to continue later on.
Jensen tops LMP2
European Le Mans Series star Mikkel Jensen set the quickest time upon his IMSA LMP2 debut. Jensen, who shares the #8 Tower Motorsport by Starworks ORECA 07-Gibson with fellow European LMP2 youngster Job van Uitert and John Farano, posted a best time of 01:11:078.
Jensen’s best effort was just under half a second faster than Scott Huffaker in the #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsport ORECA, with Colin Braun third for Performance Tech Motorsports. Kuba Smiechowski brought up the rear in class in the #51 Inter Europol Competition ORECA.
Porsche leads GTLM
Porsche, fresh off a double retirement at the Charlotte Roval last week, posted a one-two in GTLM. Laurens Vanthoor, who crashed the #912 Porsche 911 RSR-19 twice at the Roval, set the quickest time with a 01:17:008.
Vanthoor was just under half a second quicker than team-mate Nick Tandy in the #911 Porsche, with Connor de Phillippi third in the #25 BMW M8 GTE.
Charlotte winner Antonio Garcia was fourth in the #3 Corvette C8.R, ahead of BMW’s Jesse Krohn, with the #4 Corvette C8.R bringing up the rear in the hands of Oliver Gavin.
Paul Miller Racing paces GTD in Lamborghini one-two
Bryan Sellers led the way in GTD by setting the fastest time in the #48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo with a best time of 01:19:946, leading a Lamborghini one-two ahead of the #44 GRT Magnus Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo of Andy Lally, who was 0.173s further back.
Darren Turner was third fastest in the #23 The Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3, with Jack Hawksworth fourth in the best of the AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3s. The top five was completed by Patrick Long in the #16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R.
