In a one-hour session held at the 3.56-mile road course, Phil Hanson set the fastest lap time of 1m35.216s in his GTP class JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963. The track conditions were perfect for this session, allowing the drivers to push their cars to the limit. Initially, it was Brendon Hartley who took the lead with a time of 1m36.197s in the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-06. However, he was soon surpassed by Connor De Phillippi in the #25 RLL-run BMW M Hybrid V8, who set a lap time of 1m35.468s. Neel Jani also showed his skills behind the wheel, taking over the top spot with a time of 1m35.329s in Proton Competition’s Porsche 963. Quick times continued to be set throughout the session, with De Phillippi and Jani matching each other’s lap times at 1m35.329s. However, it was Hanson who stole the show with the fastest lap of the Roar so far, clocking in at 1m35.216s in JDC-Miller’s 963, narrowly beating Pipo Derani’s best time from Friday in the AXR Caddy by 0.001s.
Following Hanson’s impressive performance, Sebastien Bourdais claimed the fourth quickest time in Chip Ganassi Racing’s Cadillac V-Series.R, with Tom Blomqvist close behind. Augusto Farfus, in the second BMW, secured sixth place, while Felipe Nasr and Jenson Button showed their prowess in the Penske Porsche and WTR Acura, respectively. Kevin Estre completed the top ten in the second Penske Porsche.
In the LMP2 class, Joao Barbosa led the way early on in the sole Ligier for Sean Creech Motorsport. He was closely followed by Ben Keating in the #2 United Autosports machine. Keating, however, improved his time to claim the top spot with a lap time of 1m39.047s, narrowly edging out Paul di Resta in United’s #22 entry by 0.047s. Mikkel Jensen’s #11 TDS-run ORECA secured third place, lapping in 1m39.414s.
The GTD class saw a thrilling battle between various manufacturers. Frederic Makowiecki initially set the pace in his #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, the car that features in the upcoming Brad Pitt Formula 1 movie. However, Klaus Bachler in the #86 MDK Motorsports 911 surpassed Makowiecki’s time with a lap of 1m46.229s. Towards the end, Trent Hindman in the Kellymoss with Riley Porsche produced a time of 1m45.990s, securing second place and making it a Porsche 1-2-3. Aston Martin’s Mario Farnbacher was the best-placed GTD Pro entry, followed by Dennis Olsen in his Proton-run Ford Mustang GT3, and Mike Rockenfeller in the Multimatic version.
While the session was filled with excitement, some drivers faced unfortunate setbacks. Former IndyCar star James Hinchcliffe encountered an issue on his first flying lap in his Pfaff Motorsports McLaren 720S. He was momentarily stranded on a stretch of the track but managed to rejoin the session later. Overall, he finished 42nd in the standings after completing only eight laps.
The Roar Before the 24 provided a thrilling preview to the upcoming race. The drivers pushed their cars to the limit, resulting in impressive lap times and fierce competition amongst the different classes. With Phil Hanson setting the fastest lap and an intense battle in the GTD class, motorsports fans have much to look forward to in the upcoming Rolex 24 At Daytona race.
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