JDC Miller’s Nico Pino topped the timesheets in the sixth session of the IMSA Roar Before the 24, the traditional pre-season test for the IMSA Sportscar Championship and the before the Daytona 24 Hours, the traditional season-opener for the series.
The young Chilean, in the customer #85 JDC Miller Porsche 963, set a 1:37.099 to go quickest, 0.055 faster than factory Porsche driver Kevin Estre in the #6 Porsche. Estre’s teammate Felipe Nasr was third, two tenths off Pino.
Fourth was Ricky Taylor, in the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac, with his brother Jordan fifth in the #40 WTR Cadillac machine.
Sixth and seventh were the two BMWs, Kevin Magnussen in the #25 ahead of Rene Rast in the sister #24 car. Eighth was Earl Bamber in the third of the Cadillacs, while ninth went to Renger van der Zande in the #93 Acura MSR. 10th was Marco Sorensen in the #23 Aston Martin THOR Valkyrie, while Colin Braun in the #60 Acura MSR rounded out the GTP field in 11th.
Ben Hanley was quickest in LMP2, in the #2 United Autosports Oreca machine, setting a 1:40.101. Maunel Espirito Santo was second in the #73 Pratt Miller Oreca, exactly a tenth off Hanley, while third was Matthieu Vaxiviere in the #83 AF Corse Oreca, 0.064 off Santo.
Joey Hand was quickest in the combined GTD Pro/GTD standings, in the GTD-entered #66 Gradient Racing Ford Mustang GT3. His 1:47.421 was just over a tenth quicker than Kenny Habul in the GTD Pro-entered #75 75 Express Mercedes-AMG.
Second and third in GTD Pro were Christopher Mies in the #65 Ford Mustang GT3, a further couple of tenths off Habul, and Antonio Garcia in the #3 Corvette Z06 GT3R.
Second in GTD, and fifth in the combined standings, was Mason Fillippi, onboard the #36 DXDT Racing Corvette. Third, but 10th in the combined standings was Philip Ellis in the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.
The session ran cleanly until a reds flag ended proceedings earlier than expected, caused by Ferrari factory driver Antonio Fuoco stopping the #21 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 on track, putting an end to the action.
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