Petit Le Mans: Sensational Nasr puts AXR top again in FP4


Action Express Racing’s Felipe Nasr topped fourth practice for this weekend’s Motul Petit Le Mans with a lap two seconds under last year’s pole time and over 0.6sec clear of his closest pursuers in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The ex-Formula 1 driver’s Cadillac DPi-V.R lapped the 2.54-mile Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta course in 68.419sec, an average speed of more than 133mph, to go 0.622sec clear of Ricky Taylor’s best in the Acura Team Penske ARX-05 and almost 0.7sec clear of the next fastest Cadillac.
That was the other AXR machine piloted by Filipe Albuquerque, who was nearly 0.2sec clear of Renger van der Zande’s top lap in the Wayne Taylor Racing Caddy.
Timo Bernhard was quickest Mazda RT24-P driver in fifth – Harry Tincknell had a brief off in the #55 car – while championship aspirant (and former champ) Dane Cameron was seventh in the second Acura.
Matt McMurry was less that 0.2sec clear of Kyle Masson in the two-car LMP2 battle.
James Calado’s 1min 15.757sec lap for series returnee Risi Competizione lifted the Ferrari 488 almost half a second clear of its nearest pursuer, Philipp Eng in the #24 RLLR-run BMW M8, while Richard Westbrook was top Ford GT driver in third, a couple of thousandths ahead of Antonio Garcia’s Corvette C7.R.
In GT Daytona, Robby Foley was fastest for Turner Motorsports, his BMW M6 GT3 only 0.061 ahead of Toni Vilander in the Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3, and 0.070 faster than Ricardo Feller in the Montaplast by Land Motorsport Audi R8 LMS.
Jeroen Bleekemolen’s pace suggests the Mercedes AMG-GT3 of Riley Motorsports should be in the hunt for pole.
Qualifying begins at 3.55pm local (Eastern) time.
Session results:
Cla | Num | Driver | Class | Chassis | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 31 | | DPi | Cadillac DPi | 1'08.419 | |
2 | 7 | | DPi | Acura DPi | 1'09.041 | 0.622 |
3 | 5 | | DPi | Cadillac DPi | 1'09.115 | 0.696 |
4 | 10 | | DPi | Cadillac DPi | 1'09.301 | 0.882 |
5 | 77 | | DPi | Mazda DPi | 1'09.345 | 0.926 |
6 | 85 | | DPi | Cadillac DPi | 1'09.517 | 1.098 |
7 | 6 | | DPi | Acura DPi | 1'09.667 | 1.248 |
8 | 54 | | DPi | Nissan DPi | 1'09.716 | 1.297 |
9 | 50 | | DPi | Cadillac DPi | 1'09.863 | 1.444 |
10 | 84 | | DPi | Cadillac DPi | 1'09.949 | 1.530 |
11 | 55 | | DPi | Mazda DPi | 1'09.987 | 1.568 |
12 | 52 | | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 | 1'11.209 | 2.790 |
13 | 38 | | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 | 1'11.398 | 2.979 |
14 | 62 | | GTLM | Ferrari 488 GTE | 1'15.757 | 7.338 |
15 | 24 | | GTLM | BMW M8 GTE | 1'16.237 | 7.818 |
16 | 67 | | GTLM | Ford GT | 1'16.365 | 7.946 |
17 | 3 | | GTLM | Corvette C7.R | 1'16.369 | 7.950 |
18 | 25 | | GTLM | BMW M8 GTE | 1'16.396 | 7.977 |
19 | 4 | | GTLM | Corvette C7.R | 1'16.494 | 8.075 |
20 | 911 | | GTLM | Porsche 911 RSR | 1'16.500 | 8.081 |
21 | 912 | | GTLM | Porsche 911 RSR | 1'16.616 | 8.197 |
22 | 66 | | GTLM | Ford GT | 1'16.814 | 8.395 |
23 | 96 | | GTD | BMW M6 GT3 | 1'19.462 | 11.043 |
24 | 63 | | GTD | Ferrari 488 GT3 | 1'19.523 | 11.104 |
25 | 29 | | GTD | Audi R8 LMS GT3 | 1'19.532 | 11.113 |
26 | 33 | | GTD | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | 1'19.596 | 11.177 |
27 | 44 | | GTD | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 | 1'19.812 | 11.393 |
28 | 47 | | GTD | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 | 1'19.883 | 11.464 |
29 | 9 | | GTD | Porsche 911 GT3 R | 1'19.925 | 11.506 |
30 | 14 | | GTD | Lexus RC F GT3 | 1'19.969 | 11.550 |
31 | 48 | | GTD | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 | 1'20.053 | 11.634 |
32 | 86 | | GTD | Acura NSX GT3 | 1'20.121 | 11.702 |
33 | 57 | | GTD | Acura NSX GT3 | 1'20.130 | 11.711 |
34 | 12 | | GTD | Lexus RC F GT3 | 1'20.383 | 11.964 |
View full results |

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About this article
Series | IMSA |
Event | Road Atlanta |
Author | David Malsher |