Porsche’s Matt Campbell topped the third practice session for the 24 Hours of Daytona, with the #7 Porsche 963 driver setting a 1:35.802 to go quickest in the night session in Florida.
Filipe Albuquerque was 0.172 off in the #19 Wayne Taylor Acura ARX-06, while Alex Lynn was just under four tenths off Campbell, with the Brit driving the #02 Cadillac V-LMDh, which was fastest in the second session in the hands of Lynn’s teammate Richard Westbrook.
The sister #01 Cadillac V-LMDh was fourth, with Sebastien Bourdais behind the wheel. The Cadillacs came as a trio this session, with the #31 Action Express Cadillac of Alexander Sims in fifth.
The first of the BMWs M Hybrid V8s was sixth, the #25 in the hands of IndyCar star Colton Herta, while Nick Tandy was next up in the #6 Porsche 963. Simon Pagenaud was eighth in the #60 Meyer Shank Acura ARX-06, the car which will start on pole for Saturday’s race, while the #24 BMW, driven by Marco Wittmann for the session’s fastest lap, rounded out the GTP class in ninth.
Alpine FIA World Endurance Championship driver Matthieu Vaxiviere was fastest in LMP2, in the #88 AF Corse Oreca 07-Gibson, setting a 1:38.416 to take the class top spot. Alex Quinn was second in the #52 PR1 Mathiasen Oreca 07-Gibson, while Ben Hanley, in the #04 Crowdstrike Racing Oreca 07-Gibson, was third quickest.
Over in LMP3, Rasmus Lindh claimed the honours in the #36 Andretti Ligier JS P320-Nissan, setting a 1:42.559. The two AWA Duqueine D08-Nissans were next, with Wayne Boyd quicker in the #17 quicker than Matt Bell, behind the wheel of the #13.
For the first time today, a GTD Pro car was the fastest GT car overall, and a bonus: it was the same GTD Pro car that was fastest in the previous session, although that time it couldn’t best one of the GTDs. Maro Engel went quickest in the #79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes AMG-GT3, setting a 1:46.011.
All three fastest GTDs came next, with session 2 fastest GTD – and fastest GT overall – again quickest in the class. It was also the same driver behind the wheel, Canadian Mikael Grenier in the #32 Korthoff Mercedes-AMG GT3, with a laptime of 1:46.177, just over a tenth and a half off Engel’s pace.
Frederik Schandorff was next in the #70 Inception McLaren 720S GT3, while Parker Thompson rounded out the class top three for #12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3.
Second in GTD Pro, but seventh out of both GT classes, was Jack Hawksworth in the sister #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3. Third in GTD Pro, but 11th in GT overall, was Mirko Bortolotti in the #63 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2.
The next practice session will take place on Friday, at 11:20am local.
