IMSA Sanctioned Test: Van der Zande Leads Day 1 at Daytona
Daytona International Speedway, FL – The opening day of the IMSA-sanctioned test was dominated by Renger van der Zande and the #93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian ARX-06, who topped the second session with a time of 1:36.142. This session saw intense competition among the GTP class, with only 0.673 seconds separating the top ten positions.
Philipp Eng initially set the pace in the opening moments of the test but was ultimately surpassed as teams began to find their footing after a lengthy lunch break. Julien Andlauer in the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 finished just 0.001 seconds behind van der Zande, showcasing the tight margins at the top. Nico Pino’s #85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche came in third, followed by Tom Blomqvist in the #60 Acura and Matt Campbell in the #7 Penske Porsche.
Aston Martin THOR Team faced significant setbacks, completing only a single lap due to an electrical issue in their #23 Valkyrie. Driver Ross Gunn remarked, “It seems to be the same issues reoccurring; I think we just need to dig a bit deeper… it’s better to have these things happen in testing rather than during a race.”
In the LMP2 category, TDS Racing’s Charles Milesi edged out Malthe Jakobsen of CrowdStrike Racing by a narrow margin of 0.012 seconds, clocking in at 1:39.176. Enzo Fittipaldi secured third place in the #73 Pratt Miller Motorsports entry. The session experienced brief interruptions due to red flags from incidents involving LMP2 vehicles.
As testing continues tomorrow, GTD PRO and GTD racers will join the full lineup for a comprehensive ten-hour session.
