Kamui Kobayashi set the pace in the final practice session for the IMSA Sportscar Championship season opener, the Daytona 24 Hours, with the Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing driver lapping the track in 1:36.380.
With teams now focusing on long runs and race preparation after qualifying yesterday, times were slower than yesterday’s opening practice session, to the tune of almost three seconds.
Kobayashi, onboard the #40 WTR Cadillac V-Series.R, set the time on lap 16, mid way through the session.
There was a brief delay just five minutes in, as Felix Rosenqvist’s #60 Meyer Shank Acura ARX-06 stopped on track on the infield, and needed to be recovered. The car did make it back out during the one hour session, but was slowest of the GTPs in 12th.
Second fastest was the Porsche of Mathieu Jaminet, in the #6 Porsche 963, almost half a second off Kobayashi. And third was Robin Frijns, in the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8, 0.647 slower than Kobayashi.
The #25, in the hands of Sheldon van der Linde, was the car that broke down in qualifying yesterday, and was not seen again in night practice, with the team replacing the MGU and battery.
Laurens Vanthoor was fourth fastest in the sister #7 Porsche, with Will Stevens in the #10 Cadillac, the sister car to Kobayashi’s, fifth.
The pole-sitting car, the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8, fastest in qualifying yesterday, took eighth, in the hands of Kevin Magnussen.
Crowdstrike Racing quickest in LMP2
In LMP2, Toby Sowery was quickest onboard the #04 Crowdstrike Racing by APR Oreca 07-Gibson. The Briton set a 1:40.206, just over a quarter of a a second quicker than the #88 AF Corse Oreca of Luis Perez Companc.
Tom Dillmann was third fastest in the #43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca, with the Frenchman 0.066 off Perez Companc.
In GTD Pro, Kiwi and current NASCAR driver Shane van Gisbergen went quickest, setting a 1:47.998 in the #91 Trackhouse by TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R.
He was followed by Jordan Pepper, in the #9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, 0.238 slower than van Gisbergen, with Andrea Picariello third in the #77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3.R, “Rexy”, just five thousandths off Pepper ahead.
Anthony McIntosh was quickest in GTD, onboard the #19 van der Steur Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo.
The American set a 1:48.387, putting him 0.020 faster than Ferrari factory driver James Calado in the #021 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3. Third was Mattia Drudi in the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin, just over a tenth off Calado.
With practice finished the race is the next on track action, starting Saturday at 1:40pm local time and concluding 24 hours later on Sunday.
See here for the full classification of results from the third and final free practice session for the 63rd 24 Hours of Daytona.
