CORE autosport continued to help carry the torch for LMP2 in Friday morning’s practice session, as Colin Braun topped the Prototype charts at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix.
The JDC-Miller Motorsports victory at Watkins Glen International allowed IMSA to improve the speed on the DPi teams as there appeared to be an increase in competition level from the LMP2 programs. However, that boost didn’t stop Braun from besting the time set by Dane Cameron's Acura DPi.
The next fastest LMP2 was defending winner Stephen Simpson in P7.
Felipe Albuquerque held the #5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi third fastest after a weekend of struggle at the Glen. Montoya’s Team Penske teammates in the #7 continued their slower early practice pace as sixth fastest. Look for the Acura helmed by Ricky Taylor and Helio Castroneves to improve through the weekend, as the team excels in shorter race distances.
Struggles continued for Tequila Patron ESM. They entered the race weekend with only one of their two entires following a disastrous weekend at the Glen. The #22 Nissan DPi was 10th fastest.
Early weekend concerns for Ford Chip Ganassi Racing, as the team was bested by both Porsche GT and Corvette Racing in the first GTLM session. Following a weekend that saw missed opportunities to steal away a victory, Porsche swept the top two times decisively with Earl Bamber being the only GTLM to break the 1:14 mark.
Dirk Mueller sat a full second behind Bamber’s time in fifth, behind both Corvettes.
A week on from a surprise underdog victory, Turner Motorsport is carrying the momentum north of the border by topping the first session in GTD. Bill Auberlen bested the time of Jack Hawksworth, a dominating force in the previous week’s practice sessions.
Fighting for the title lead Alvaro Parente and Bryan Sellers sat at the very bottom of the first practice table. Look for both entries to climb their way up the field throughout the weekend as they push to control the championship standings.
