IMSA WeatherTech Championship Practice Report: Laguna Seca

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca — In a competitive opening practice session for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Felipe Nasr set the pace, leading the field in the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 with a best lap of 1:14.638, positioning himself at the top of the GTP class.

With just under 15 minutes remaining in the 90-minute session, Nasr’s time surpassed Jack Aitken’s earlier effort in the #31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R, who clocked in at 1:14.950. The #25 BMW M Team RLL Hybrid V8, driven by Marco Wittmann, followed close behind, securing third with a time of 1:14.961.

Wayne Taylor Racing’s entries displayed solid form, with Ricky Taylor in the #10 Cadillac finishing fourth at 1:15.071, despite experiencing mechanical issues that required an extended trip to the garage. Louis Deletraz in the #40 Cadillac rounded out the top five with a time of 1:15.169.

A notable incident occurred mid-session when Colin Braun lost control of the #60 Acura Meyer Shank Racing ARX-06, crashing into the concrete wall at Rainey Curve. Braun managed to return to the pits for repairs, and Tom Blomqvist resumed driving shortly thereafter. The red flag resulting from the incident was lifted after approximately ten minutes of track repairs.

In total, just 1.5 seconds separated the entire GTP field, underscoring the competitiveness of the session. Ross Gunn’s performance in the #23 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie was particularly impressive, allowing him to leapfrog the V12-powered Hypercar for position.

In the GTD PRO class, Laurin Heinrich’s #77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R set a commanding pace with a time of 1:21.418, placing him ahead of the #3 Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R and the #81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3, driven by Antonio Garcia and Albert Costa in second and third, respectively.

The GTD category saw Robby Foley leading in the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW with a time of 1:21.920. Frederik Schandorff in the #70 Inception Racing Ferrari and Riccardo Agostini in the #23 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari followed close behind.

The second practice session is scheduled for tomorrow at 9:55 AM PT.

Practice 1 Results Summary

• GTP Class:

  1. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport – Felipe Nasr – 1:14.638

  2. 31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R – Jack Aitken – 1:14.950

  3. 25 BMW M Team RLL – Marco Wittmann – 1:14.961

  4. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac – Ricky Taylor – 1:15.071

  5. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac – Louis Deletraz – 1:15.169

• GTD PRO Class:

  1. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R – Laurin Heinrich – 1:21.418

  2. 3 Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette – Antonio Garcia – 1:21.966

  3. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3 – Albert Costa – 1:22.008

• GTD Class:

  1. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW – Robby Foley – 1:21.920

  2. 70 Inception Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 – Frederik Schandorff – 1:22.100

  3. 23 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari – Riccardo Agostini – 1:22.223

Images © Perry Nelson / IMSA