Blomqvist leads opening Road America practice

IMSA Motul SportsCar Grand Prix Practice Summary

Elkhart Lake, WI – The first practice session for the IMSA Motul SportsCar Grand Prix at Road America showcased a competitive field, with each of the five GTP manufacturers securing a spot in the top five.

Leading the session was the No. 60 Acura Meyer Shank Racing ARX-06, driven by Tom Blomqvist, who posted a best time of 1:51.255. This performance follows the team’s recent victory at Watkins Glen. Just a fraction behind, the No. 23 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie, piloted by Ross Gunn, recorded a commendable 1:51.328.

Completing the top five were:

1. No. 31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R – Jack Aitken
2. No. 24 Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8 – Philipp Eng
3. No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 – Nick Tandy

The session ran under sunny conditions, setting a favorable atmosphere for the upcoming races.

In the LMP2 class, Mikkel Jensen drove the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA to the fastest lap of 1:52.781. However, the No. 22 United Autosports car, driven by Dan Goldburg, and the No. 2 entry of Phil Fayer were involved in incidents that led to red flags during the session, affecting their qualifying prospects.

In GTD PRO, Albert Costa claimed the fastest time in the No. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3 with a lap of 2:05.844. He was followed closely by:

1. No. 4 Corvette Racing Z06 GT3.R – Nicky Catsburg
2. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 – Andrea Caldarelli
3. No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R – Laurin Heinrich

However, the top GTD time was set by Russell Ward in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, who led his class with a lap of 2:04.991. The second place in GTD was the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 driven by Jack Hawksworth.

Next Up: Practice 2 is scheduled for 9:05 AM local time tomorrow.

Results

• GTP:

  1. No. 60 Acura Meyer Shank Racing – Tom Blomqvist (1:51.255)
  2. No. 23 Aston Martin THOR – Ross Gunn (1:51.328)
  3. No. 31 Cadillac Whelen – Jack Aitken
  4. No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 – Philipp Eng
  5. No. 7 Porsche 963 – Nick Tandy

• LMP2:

  1. No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA – Mikkel Jensen (1:52.781)

• GTD PRO:

  1. No. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3 – Albert Costa (2:05.844)
• GTD:
  1. No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 – Russell Ward (2:04.991)