Brazilian driver Pipo Derani set the pace during practice at Daytona International Speedway, securing the fastest lap time of 1m35.217s for Action Express Racing. He outperformed Connor De Phillippi, who had been in the lead for the majority of the session in the BMW M Hybrid V8. Derani’s impressive performance was highlighted by his exceptional time of 22.991s in the opening sector, making him the only driver to break the 23s mark. De Phillippi finished in second place, trailing Derani by a significant margin of 0.377s.
The No. 6 Porsche Penske 963, driven by Laurens Vanthoor and Nick Tandy, claimed the third spot on the leaderboard. Vanthoor’s solid performance in the opening session, where he topped the charts, contributed to their overall position. They finished 0.504s behind Derani’s leading time.
Jordan Taylor encountered a moment of excitement during the practice session when he spun the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06 in Turn 1. Fortunately, Taylor was able to recover quickly and continue on, ultimately finishing seventh overall.
Christian Rasmussen, the reigning Indy NXT champion, showcased his talent in the LMP2 class by setting the fastest lap of 1m39.674s in the No.18 Era Motorsport ORECA. His impressive performance put him ahead of his rival Nolan Siegel, who trailed by 0.253s in the Sean Creech Motorsport Ligier. Despite a spin by the No. 88 AF Corse ORECA in Turn 3 and the No. 8 Tower Motorsports ORECA bringing out the first red flag, Rasmussen’s consistent pace secured his place at the top.
Christopher Mies of Ford Multimatic Motorsports made a strong statement in the GTD Pro class by claiming the fastest lap time in the Ford Mustang GT3. Mies set an impressive time of 1m46.494s on just the fifth of their 38 logged laps. This pace was 0.266s quicker than James Calado’s time in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3. Another notable performance came from Jan Heylen of Wright Motorsports, who set the leading lap time in GTD with the No. 120 Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Pipo Derani’s exceptional performance during practice at Daytona International Speedway secured him the top spot on the leaderboard. With a commanding lead over his competitors, Derani demonstrated his skill and speed on the road course circuit. Furthermore, standout performances from Christian Rasmussen in LMP2 and Christopher Mies in GTD Pro showcased the depth of talent in these respective classes. As the race approaches, fans can anticipate thrilling battles and impressive displays of racing prowess from these drivers and their teams.
Leave a Reply