Sebring 12H: Conway heads Cadillac 1-2 in first practice
Mike Conway sent the #31 Action Express Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R to the top of the times in opening practice for the 69th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, heading Chip Ganassi Racing’s similar machine.
#31 Action Express Racing Cadillac DPi, DPi: Mike Conway, Felipe Nasr, Pipo Derani
Richard Dole / Motorsport Images
Conway lapped the 3.74-mile 17-turn course in 1min46.212sec over the course of 27 laps to lead Ganassi’s Renger van der Zande by 0.4sec by the end of the hour-long session.
Meyer Shank Racing’s Acura ARX-05 was third fastest in Dane Cameron’s hands, despite causing a red flag when it stopped on the front straight, while Tristan Vautier was fourth in the JDC-Miller Motorsports Cadillac.
Defending IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Prototype champion Ricky Taylor clocked fifth fastest in the Wayne Taylor Racing Acura, albeit 1.2sec from Conway, while the AXR’s second entry, for only the Michelin Endurance Cup rounds, was fifth thanks to 2016 IndyCar champion Simon Pagenaud.
The #55 Mazda that won last November’s Sebring 12H finished the opening session seventh.
Mikkel Jensen did a predictably strong job for PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports in LMP2, topping the class with a best time just 2sec behind the DPi Mazda.
But no less impressive was the returning Guy Smith – in his first Sebring outing since 2013 – 0.8sec in arrears in the United Autosports entry, eclipsing third placed Thomas Merrill (WIN Autosport) by 1.8sec.
In GT Le Mans, Jordan Taylor’s best effort in the #3 Corvette C8.R – a 1min56.715sec – put him ahead of all the LMP3 entries, and 0.559sec ahead of Mathieu Jaminet in the WeatherTech Racing Porsche 911 RSR-19.
Tommy Milner was third in the second Corvette, with the two BMW M8s completing the class.
Jeroen Bleekemolen (Riley Motorsports) and Colin Braun (CORE autosport) were class of the LMP3 field, just 0.075sec apart, but their Ligiers were very closely pursued by the chasing pack, the top five covered by just 0.4sec.
The irrepressible Bill Auberlen topped GT Daytona for Turner Motorsports (BMW M6 GT3) with Jack Hawksworth (Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3), Frank Perera (Grasser Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3), Earl Bamber (Hardpoint EBM Porsche 911 GT3 R) and Maro Engel (Sun Energy1 Mercedes-AMG GT3) ensuring five different marques in the top five.
Second practice begins at 1.55pm local (Eastern) time.
Practice results:
Cla | Num | Driver | Class | Chassis | Laps | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 31 |
Felipe Nasr
Mike Conway Pipo Derani |
DPi | Cadillac DPi | 27 | 1'46.212 | |
2 | 01 |
Renger van der Zande
Kevin Magnussen Scott Dixon |
DPi | Cadillac DPi | 21 | 1'46.619 | 0.407 |
3 | 60 |
Dane Cameron
Olivier Pla Juan Pablo Montoya |
DPi | Acura DPi | 20 | 1'46.925 | 0.713 |
4 | 5 |
Tristan Vautier
Loic Duval Sébastien Bourdais |
DPi | Cadillac DPi | 23 | 1'47.160 | 0.948 |
5 | 10 |
Ricky Taylor
Filipe Albuquerque Alexander Rossi |
DPi | Acura DPi | 20 | 1'47.446 | 1.234 |
6 | 48 |
Jimmie Johnson
Kamui Kobayashi Simon Pagenaud |
DPi | Cadillac DPi | 21 | 1'47.599 | 1.387 |
7 | 55 |
Oliver Jarvis
Harry Tincknell Jonathan Bomarito |
DPi | Mazda DPi | 22 | 1'47.969 | 1.757 |
8 | 52 |
Ben Keating
Mikkel Jensen Scott Huffaker |
LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 25 | 1'49.920 | 3.708 |
9 | 22 |
James McGuire
Wayne Boyd Guy Smith |
LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 23 | 1'50.745 | 4.533 |
10 | 11 |
Thomas Steven
Tristan Nunez Thomas Merrill |
LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 20 | 1'52.384 | 6.172 |
11 | 8 |
John Farano
Gabriel Aubry Timothé Buret |
LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 24 | 1'52.486 | 6.274 |
12 | 18 |
Dwight Merriman
Kyle Tilley Ryan Dalziel |
LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 4 | 1'54.957 | 8.745 |
13 | 3 |
Antonio Garcia
Jordan Taylor Nick Catsburg |
GTLM | Corvette C8.R | 18 | 1'56.715 | 10.503 |
14 | 91 |
Jim Cox
Dylan Murry Jeroen Bleekemolen |
LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | 20 | 1'56.917 | 10.705 |
15 | 54 |
Jon Bennett
George Kurtz Colin Braun |
LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | 19 | 1'56.992 | 10.780 |
16 | 83 |
Matthew Bell
Rodrigo Sales Niklas Kruetten |
LMP3 | Duqueine D08 | 16 | 1'57.057 | 10.845 |
17 | 74 |
Gar Robinson
Scott Andrews Spencer Pigot |
LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | 25 | 1'57.151 | 10.939 |
18 | 79 |
Cooper MacNeil
Mathieu Jaminet Matt Campbell |
GTLM | Porsche 911 RSR - 19 | 22 | 1'57.274 | 11.062 |
19 | 33 |
Joao Barbosa
Yann Clairay Lance Willsey |
LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | 25 | 1'57.335 | 11.123 |
20 | 4 |
Tommy Milner
Nick Tandy Alexander Sims |
GTLM | Corvette C8.R | 22 | 1'57.577 | 11.365 |
21 | 25 |
Connor de Phillippi
Philipp Eng Bruno Spengler |
GTLM | BMW M8 GTE | 27 | 1'57.710 | 11.498 |
22 | 38 |
Rasmus Lindh
Mateo Llarena Dan Goldburg |
LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | 22 | 1'58.122 | 11.910 |
23 | 24 |
John Edwards
Jesse Krohn Augusto Farfus |
GTLM | BMW M8 GTE | 23 | 1'58.167 | 11.955 |
24 | 7 |
Jim Norman
Oliver Askew Austin McCusker |
LMP3 | Duqueine D08 | 21 | 1'59.072 | 12.860 |
25 | 96 |
Bill Auberlen
Robby Foley Aidan Read |
GTD | BMW M6 GT3 | 24 | 2'00.456 | 14.244 |
26 | 14 |
Aaron Telitz
Jack Hawksworth Kyle Kirkwood |
GTD | Lexus RC F GT3 | 21 | 2'00.663 | 14.451 |
27 | 19 |
Stephen Simpson
Franck Perera Tim Zimmermann |
GTD | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 | 24 | 2'00.966 | 14.754 |
28 | 99 |
Rob Ferriol
Earl Bamber Trenton Estep |
GTD | Porsche 911 GT3 R | 26 | 2'01.140 | 14.928 |
29 | 75 |
Kenny Habul
Maro Engel Mikael Grenier |
GTD | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | 25 | 2'01.158 | 14.946 |
30 | 16 |
Patrick Long
Jan Heylen Trent Hindman |
GTD | Porsche 911 GT3 R | 23 | 2'01.240 | 15.028 |
31 | 1 |
Bryan Sellers
Madison Snow Corey Lewis |
GTD | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 | 22 | 2'01.661 | 15.449 |
32 | 9 |
Zacharie Robichon
Laurens Vanthoor Lars Kern |
GTD | Porsche 911 GT3 R | 20 | 2'01.735 | 15.523 |
33 | 28 |
Daniel Morad
Michael de Quesada Billy Johnson |
GTD | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | 18 | 2'02.053 | 15.841 |
34 | 12 |
Frankie Montecalvo
Zach Veach Robert Megennis |
GTD | Lexus RC F GT3 | 22 | 2'02.094 | 15.882 |
35 | 44 |
John Potter
Andy Lally Spencer Pumpelly |
GTD | Acura NSX GT3 | 20 | 2'02.889 | 16.677 |
36 | 23 |
Ian James
Roman De Angelis Ross Gunn |
GTD | Aston Martin Vantage GT3 | 22 | 2'02.940 | 16.728 |
37 | 88 |
Christina Nielsen
Katherine Legge |
GTD | Porsche 911 GT3 R | 24 | 2'03.881 | 17.669 |
View full results |
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