IMSA Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach: Practice Session Highlights
Long Beach, CA — In a competitive second practice session for the IMSA Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Dries Vanthoor of the BMW M Team WRT clocked the fastest lap at 1:12.284, showcasing the strength of the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8.
The session began with Kévin Estre of Porsche Penske Motorsport setting the early benchmark at 1:12.742. Following an incident where Rory van der Steur hit the wall at turn one, a red flag halted the session momentarily as debris was cleared and the #19 Van der Steur Racing Vantage was forced to forfeit its fastest lap for qualifying.
When the green flag returned, Estre reclaimed the top spot in GTD, improving to a 1:12.568. However, another red flag was prompted halfway through when Colin Braun’s #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 crashed into the tire barrier, resulting in moderate left-front damage.
With under 20 minutes left, Vanthoor’s standout time put him ahead of Jack Aitken’s #31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R, which secured second place.
As the session drew to a close, Harry King in the #177 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R crashed at turn one, leading to a final red flag that halted all running.
Other notable performances included Nick Yelloly in the #93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura, who placed third, followed by Estre and Marco Wittmann in the #25 WRT BMW, rounding out the top five.
In the GTD category, Frankie Montecalvo led the way in the #89 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3, achieving a lap time of 1:18.654, followed closely by teammate Aaron Telitz in the #12 Lexus. Danny Formal in the #45 Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 finished third, while Robert Wickens placed fourth in the #36 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, piloted with hand controls.
Qualifying is scheduled to begin today at 5:20 PM PT, promising an exciting encounter as teams look to secure their positions for the race.
Practice 2 Results Summary:
- Dries Vanthoor (BMW M Team WRT) – 1:12.284
- Jack Aitken (Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R) – Time not specified
- Nick Yelloly (Meyer Shank Racing Acura) – Time not specified
- Kévin Estre (Porsche Penske Motorsport) – 1:12.568
- Marco Wittmann (WRT BMW) – Time not specified
Next Up: Qualifying for the IMSA Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, 5:20 PM PT.
