Renger van der Zande’s Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac went fastest in opening practice for the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, but the top four cars were covered by less than 0.2sec.
Van der Zande, who won the last two Rolex 24 Hours in Wayne Taylor Racing’s Cadillac, lapped the 3.56-mile road course in 1min34.649sec to shade Mike Conway’s best effort in the similar DPi-V.R of Action Express Racing by just 0.082sec.
Third was Harry Tincknell in the Mazda RT24-P ahead of Ricky Taylor of WTR which this year runs one of the Acura ARX-05s.
JDC Miller Motorsports’ Cadillac was fifth fastest, 0.3sec off top spot in the hands of Loic Duval, while Simon Pagenaud was fifth, just under half a second behind P1, although the 2016 IndyCar champion appeared to suffer a power outage during his spell behind the wheel. The 2019 IMSA champion Dane Cameron was seventh in the Meyer Shank Racing Acura.
Nicolas Lapierre was predictably fast in the PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca to head the LMP2 field ahead of Ben Hanley in one of DragonSpeed’s two entries. Racing Team Nederland claimed third thanks to Job van Uitert.
In LMP3, new to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship this year, Jeroen Bleekemolen in Riley Motorsports’ Ligier was 0.45sec quicker than his nearest rival, Colin Braun in the similar CORE Autosport machine, while late signing Kenton Koch was third for Muehlner Motorsports in the #6 Duqueine-Nissan.
Tommy Milner and Antonio Garcia, 0.3sec apart, put Corvette Racing 1-2 in GT Le Mans, the team stalwarts having not been part of the 100-minute qualifying race last Sunday. Jules Gounon was third in the Risi Competizione Ferrari 488, who in turn was 0.2sec ahead of Richard Lietz in the new WeatherTech Racing Proton Porsche 911 RSR. The faster of the two BMW M8s, Bruno Spengler’s #25 entry, was 1.2sec off Milner’s Corvette.
Alegra Motorsports Mercedes-Benz AMG GT3 steered by Billy Johnson emerged top of the GT Daytona class, mere hundredths ahead of Earl Bamber in the Team Hardpoint EBM Porsche 911 GT3 R, and the similar Pfaff Motorsports 911 of Matt Campbell.
Fourth was Andy Lally in the Magnus Archangel Acura NSX in front of Jack Hawksworth (Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F) and Albert Costa (Grasser Racing Lamborghini Huracan).
The other Grasser Lambo caused one of two red flags in the session when it ground to a halt on track, while Cody Ware in the RWR Eurasia LMP2 Oreca caused the other when it slapped a wall.
Second practice commences at 3.20pm local (Eastern) time.
| Cla | Num | Driver | Class | Chassis | Laps | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01 |  Renger van der Zande  Kevin Magnussen  Scott Dixon | DPi | Cadillac DPi | 24 | 1’34.649 | |
| 2 | 31 |  Felipe Nasr  Mike Conway Pipo Derani  Chase Elliott | DPi | Cadillac DPi | 22 | 1’34.731 | 0.082 |
| 3 | 55 | Oliver Jarvis Harry Tincknell Jonathan Bomarito | DPi | Mazda DPi | 22 | 1’34.786 | 0.137 |
| 4 | 10 | Ricky Taylor  Filipe Albuquerque Alexander Rossi Helio Castroneves | DPi | Acura DPi | 22 | 1’34.821 | 0.172 |
| 5 | 5 |  Tristan Vautier Loic Duval Sébastien Bourdais | DPi | Cadillac DPi | 26 | 1’34.963 | 0.314 |
| 6 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson  Kamui Kobayashi Simon Pagenaud  Mike Rockenfeller | DPi | Cadillac DPi | 24 | 1’35.134 | 0.485 |
| 7 | 60 | Dane Cameron Olivier Pla  Juan Pablo Montoya A.J. Allmendinger | DPi | Acura DPi | 13 | 1’35.959 | 1.310 |
| 8 | 52 | Ben Keating Mikkel Jensen Scott Huffaker Nicolas Lapierre | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 25 | 1’36.153 | 1.504 |
| 9 | 81 | Rob Hodes  Garett Grist Rinus van Kalmthout Ben Hanley | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 22 | 1’36.403 | 1.754 |
| 10 | 29 | Frits van Eerd Giedo van der Garde Job Van Uitert Charles Milesi | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 29 | 1’36.446 | 1.797 |
| 11 | 47 |  Roberto Lacorte Antonio Fuoco Andrea Belicchi Giorgio Sernagiotto | LMP2 | Dallara LMP2 | 26 | 1’36.758 | 2.109 |
| 12 | 20 | Dennis Andersen  Ferdinand Habsburg Anders Fjordbach  Robert Kubica | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 29 | 1’36.924 | 2.275 |
| 13 | 8 | John Farano Gabriel Aubry Timothé Buret Matthieu Vaxiviere | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 24 | 1’36.966 | 2.317 |
| 14 | 18 | Dwight Merriman Kyle Tilley Ryan Dalziel Paul-Loup Chatin | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 20 | 1’37.084 | 2.435 |
| 15 | 82 | Eric Lux Devlin DeFrancesco Fabian Schiller Christopher Mies | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 24 | 1’37.339 | 2.690 |
| 16 | 11 | Thomas Steven Tristan Nunez Thomas Merrill Matthew Bell | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 24 | 1’38.217 | 3.568 |
| 17 | 51 | Cody Ware  Salih Yoluc Austin Dillon Sven Muller | LMP2 | Ligier LMP2 | 20 | 1’40.043 | 5.394 |
| 18 | 91 | Jim Cox Dylan Murry Austin McCusker Jeroen Bleekemolen | LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | 21 | 1’42.416 | 7.767 |
| 19 | 4 | Tommy Milner Nick Tandy Alexander Sims | GTLM | Corvette C8.R | 24 | 1’42.766 | 8.117 |
| 20 | 54 | Jon Bennett George Kurtz Colin Braun Matt McMurry | LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | 20 | 1’42.855 | 8.206 |
| 21 | 6 | Moritz Kranz Hoerr Laurents Kenton Koch Stevan McAleer | LMP3 | Duqueine D08 | 28 | 1’42.879 | 8.230 |
| 22 | 7 | Mark Kvamme Ryan Norman Gabby Chaves Charles Finelli | LMP3 | Duqueine D08 | 26 | 1’42.946 | 8.297 |
| 23 | 3 |  Antonio Garcia Jordan Taylor Nick Catsburg | GTLM | Corvette C8.R | 19 | 1’43.062 | 8.413 |
| 24 | 62 | James Calado Alessandro Pier Guidi Jules Gounon Davide Rigon | GTLM | Ferrari 488 GTE | 24 | 1’43.196 | 8.547 |
| 25 | 74 | Gar Robinson Spencer Pigot  Scott Andrews Oliver Askew | LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | 24 | 1’43.348 | 8.699 |
| 26 | 79 | Cooper MacNeil Kevin Estre Richard Lietz Gianmaria Bruni | GTLM | Porsche 911 RSR – 19 | 21 | 1’43.400 | 8.751 |
| 27 | 38 |  Rasmus Lindh Cameron Cassels  Mateo Llarena Ayrton Ori | LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | 24 | 1’43.472 | 8.823 |
| 28 | 33 | Lance Willsey Joao Barbosa Wayne Boyd Yann Clairay | LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | 27 | 1’43.493 | 8.844 |
| 29 | 25 | Connor de Phillippi Philipp Eng Timo Glock Bruno Spengler | GTLM | BMW M8 GTE | 15 | 1’43.963 | 9.314 |
| 30 | 24 | John Edwards  Jesse Krohn Augusto Farfus Marco Wittmann | GTLM | BMW M8 GTE | 19 | 1’44.206 | 9.557 |
| 31 | 28 | Daniel Morad Michael de Quesada Billy Johnson Maximilian Buhk | GTD | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | 27 | 1’45.822 | 11.173 |
| 32 | 88 | Rob Ferriol Earl Bamber Katherine Legge Christina Nielsen | GTD | Porsche 911 GT3 R | 24 | 1’45.864 | 11.215 |
| 33 | 9 | Zacharie Robichon  Laurens Vanthoor Lars Kern Matt Campbell | GTD | Porsche 911 GT3 R | 22 | 1’45.882 | 11.233 |
| 34 | 44 | John Potter Andy Lally Spencer Pumpelly Mario Farnbacher | GTD | Acura NSX GT3 | 19 | 1’46.060 | 11.411 |
| 35 | 14 | Aaron Telitz Oliver Gavin Kyle Kirkwood Jack Hawksworth | GTD | Lexus RC F GT3 | 20 | 1’46.093 | 11.444 |
| 36 | 19 | Mikhail Goikhberg Franck Perera Albert Costa Tim Zimmermann | GTD | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 | 22 | 1’46.109 | 11.460 |
| 37 | 16 | Ryan Hardwick Patrick Long Jan Heylen Klaus Bachler | GTD | Porsche 911 GT3 R | 22 | 1’46.148 | 11.499 |
| 38 | 75 | Kenny Habul Raffaele Marciello Mikael Grenier Luca Stolz | GTD | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | 26 | 1’46.152 | 11.503 |
| 39 | 57 | Russell Ward Philip Ellis Indy Dontje Maro Engel | GTD | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | 26 | 1’46.215 | 11.566 |
| 40 | 96 | Bill Auberlen Robby Foley Aidan Read Colton Herta | GTD | BMW M6 GT3 | 20 | 1’46.284 | 11.635 |
| 41 | 63 |  Ed Jones Bret Curtis Ryan Briscoe Marcos Gomes | GTD | Ferrari 488 GT3 | 23 | 1’46.292 | 11.643 |
| 42 | 12 | Robert Megennis Zach Veach Townsend Bell Frankie Montecalvo | GTD | Lexus RC F GT3 | 20 | 1’46.321 | 11.672 |
| 43 | 111 |  Rolf Ineichen Mirko Bortolotti Steijn Schothorst Marco Mapelli | GTD | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 | 7 | 1’46.380 | 11.731 |
| 44 | 21 | Simon Mann Nicklas Nielsen Daniel Serra Matteo Cressoni | GTD | Ferrari 488 GT3 | 25 | 1’46.829 | 12.180 |
| 45 | 23 | Ian James Roman De Angelis Darren Turner Ross Gunn | GTD | Aston Martin Vantage GT3 | 25 | 1’46.854 | 12.205 |
| 46 | 1 | Bryan Sellers Madison Snow Corey Lewis Andrea Caldarelli | GTD | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 | 23 | 1’46.900 | 12.251 |
| 47 | 97 | Maxwell Root  Charles Eastwood Ben Keating Richard Westbrook | GTD | Aston Martin Vantage GT3 | 24 | 1’46.939 | 12.290 |
| 48 | 64 | Ted Giovanis Owen Trinkler Hugh Plumb Matt Plumb | GTD | Porsche 911 GT3 R | 22 | 1’47.063 | 12.414 |
| 49 | 42 | Alan Metni Andrew Davis J.R. Hildebrand Don Yount | GTD | Audi R8 LMS GT3 | 26 | 1’47.750 | 13.101 |
| View full results |
Related video
Source: Read Full Article