Heinrich Puts JDC Porsche On Top In Long Beach Practice

IMSA Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach: Practice 1 Report

Long Beach, CA – Laurin Heinrich made a strong debut for JDC-Miller MotorSports during the opening practice session at the IMSA Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, clocking a lap time of 1:13.240 in the #5 Porsche 963. This performance placed him ahead of Tom Blomqvist, who secured a 1:13.335 in the #60 Acura ARX-06 from Acura Meyer Shank Racing.

Following Heinrich and Blomqvist, Filipe Albuquerque’s #10 Cadillac V-Series.R posted a time of 1:13.402, positioning him third. Laurens Vanthoor claimed fourth in the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 with a 1:13.436, while Jack Aitken rounded out the top five in the #31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R with a time of 1:13.462. Notably, this session followed a significant Balance of Performance adjustment, which included a 45-kilogram weight increase for the factory 963s.

In GTD class action, Matthew Bell topped the timesheets with a 1:19.226 in the #13 Autosport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, followed closely by Jack Hawksworth at 1:19.330 in the #89 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3. Philip Ellis placed third with the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, while Giacomo Altoè secured fourth in the #81 DragonSpeed Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R.

The session unfolded without incident, as all teams managed to navigate the track without encountering red flags. This sets an encouraging tone heading into the second practice scheduled for 1:10 PM PT, followed by qualifying at 5:25 PM PT.

Practice 1 Results:

GTP Class:
1. Laurin Heinrich (JDC-Miller, Porsche 963) – 1:13.240
2. Tom Blomqvist (Acura Meyer Shank, Acura ARX-06) – 1:13.335
3. Filipe Albuquerque (Wayne Taylor Racing, Cadillac V-Series.R) – 1:13.402
4. Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche Penske, Porsche 963) – 1:13.436
5. Jack Aitken (Whelen Engineering, Cadillac V-Series.R) – 1:13.462
GTD Class:
1. Matthew Bell (13 Autosport, Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R) – 1:19.226
2. Jack Hawksworth (Vasser Sullivan, Lexus RC F GT3) – 1:19.330
3. Philip Ellis (Winward Racing, Mercedes-AMG GT3) – Time TBD
4. Giacomo Altoè (DragonSpeed, Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R) – Time TBD