Daytona 24h Roar: Palou’s Ganassi Cadillac fastest in IMSA night test

Palou lapped the 3.56-mile road course in 1m35.705s in Chip Ganassi Racing’s Cadillac V-Series.R GTP entry in cold track conditions for this two-hour session under the floodlights.

Renger van der Zande set the early pace in the #01 CGR Caddy, lapping in 1m35.895s, which was a tenth clear of Filipe Albuquerque’s #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-06 after 15 minutes.

Kevin Estre’s factory-entered, Penske-run Porsche lost a wheel and trundled back to the pits. With four attached once more, he rejoined the track and leapt to second, 0.089s down on van der Zande at 1m35.984s.

As the session entered its second hour, Connor De Phillippi’s #25 RLL-run BMW M Hybrid V8 jumped to second.

But just as the leading Caddy’s position came under threat, Ganassi’s IndyCar gun Palou reset the bar with a lap of 1m35.705s – putting it over a quarter of a second clear from the #25 BMW, #6 Porsche and #10 Acura.

"I just love driving at night with the traffic in this amazing car," said Palou. "We turned a bunch of laps and learned a lot as we prepare for tomorrow's qualifying and also for next week's race.

"We finished up on top with the night session today, so I'm pretty happy about that."

Jack Aitken placed fifth in Action Express Racing’s Cadillac from Josef Newgarden’s #7 Penske Porsche, Jesse Krohn (#24 BMW) and Colton Herta (#40 WTR Acura). Gianmaria Bruni (Proton Porsche) and Tijmen van der Helm (JDC-Miller Porsche) rounded out the GTP runners.

#34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3: Manny Franco, Albert Costa Balboa, Alessandro Balzan, Cedric Sbirrazzuoli, #20 MDK by High Class Racing ORECA LMP2-Gibson: Dennis Andersen, Seth Lucas, Laurents Hoerr, Scott Huffaker (Photo by: Art Fleischmann)

Huffaker fastest in LMP2

Mikkel Jensen held the top spot in his #11 TDS-run ORECA on 1m38.995s for a while, before Clement Novalak took over P1 in the #52 Inter Europol/PR1 Mathiasen variant on 1m38.961s.

IndyCar star Felix Rosenqvist then entered the conversation, topping the class by setting 1m38.897s just before the hour mark in his #22 United Autosports ORECA.

Paul-Loup Chatin grabbed second in the #99 AO Racing ORECA, just 0.005s down on Rosenqvist, but then Matthieu Vaxiviere topped them all in the Richard Mille-entered AF Corse ORECA.

Scott Huffaker did likewise in the #20 MDK by High Class Racing ORECA with a remarkable 1m38.270s to beat Vaxiviere by 0.394s.

Charles Milesi improved on Jensen’s time in the #11 TDS ORECA to take third, while Felipe Fraga made a late improvement to take fourth in his #74 Riley-run entry.

#47 CETILAR Racing Ferrari 296 GT3: Roberto Lacorte, Giorgio Sernagiotto, Antonio Fuoco, Eddie Cheever (Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images)

Ferrari beats McLaren in GTD

After hitting trouble in the previous session, the Pfaff Motorsports McLaren 720S bounced back by setting the early GTD pace in Marvin Kirchhofer’s hands with a fastest lap of 1m45.980s, just ahead of the fellow Pro class entry of Dirk Muller (Multimatic Ford Mustang) by 0.027s.

Michelle Gatting led the pro-am GTD category in her Iron Dames Lamborghini Huracan in the early stages.

In the second hour, Eddie Cheever III – son of the ex-F1 driver and Indy 500 winner – emerged as a surprise pacesetter in Cetilar’s pro-am Ferrari 296 with a lap of 1m45.739s.

Kirchhofer had to settle for the fastest Pro category time, ahead of Muller. Jan Heylen was fourth in his #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, the car that is the subject of the Brad Pitt Formula 1 movie filming.

Main Information Additional Data Driver Info

     

Driver Info			Main Information
Cla	Drivers	#	Chassis	Laps	Time	Interval	km/h
1	R. van der Zande S. Bourdais S. Dixon A. Palou Cadillac Racing	01	Cadillac V-Series.R	61	1'35.705		133.911
2	C. de Phillippi N. Yelloly M. Martin R. Rast BMW M Team RLL	25	BMW M Hybrid V8	61	+0.277 1'35.982	0.277	133.525
3	N. Tandy M. Jaminet K. Estre L. Vanthoor Porsche Penske Motorsport	6	Porsche 963	39	+0.279 1'35.984	0.002	133.522
4	R. Taylor F. Albuquerque B. Hartley M. Ericsson Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti	10	Acura ARX-06	49	+0.300 1'36.005	0.021	133.493
5	P. Derani J. Aitken T. Blomqvist Whelen Cadillac Racing	31	Cadillac V-Series.R	22	+0.546 1'36.251	0.246	133.152
6	D. Cameron F. Nasr M. Campbell J. Newgarden Porsche Penske Motorsport	7	Porsche 963	62	+0.839 1'36.544	0.293	132.748
7	J. Krohn P. Eng A. Farfus D. Vanthoor BMW M Team RLL	24	BMW M Hybrid V8	62	+0.891 1'36.596	0.052	132.676
8	J. Taylor L. Deletraz C. Herta J. Button Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti	40	Acura ARX-06	49	+1.017 1'36.722	0.126	132.503
9	G. Bruni N. Jani A. Picariello R. Dumas Proton Competition	5	Porsche 963	55	+1.093 1'36.798	0.076	132.399
10	T. van der Helm R. Westbrook P. Hanson B. Keating JDC/Miller Motorsports	85	Porsche 963	47	+1.198 1'36.903	0.105	132.256
11	D. Andersen S. Lucas H. Laurents S. Huffaker MDK by High Class Racing	20	ORECA LMP2 07	57	+2.565 1'38.270	1.367	130.416
12	L. Perez Companc N. Nielsen L. Wadoux M. Vaxiviere Richard Mille AF Corse	88	ORECA LMP2 07	54	+2.959 1'38.664	0.394	129.895
13	S. Thomas M. Jensen H. McElrea C. Milesi TDS Racing	11	ORECA LMP2 07	64	+2.969 1'38.674	0.010	129.882
14	G. Robinson F. Fraga J. Burdon F. Massa Riley	74	ORECA LMP2 07	47	+3.018 1'38.723	0.049	129.818
15	D. Goldburg P. di Resta B. Garg F. Rosenqvist United Autosports USA	22	ORECA LMP2 07	66	+3.192 1'38.897	0.174	129.589
16	P. Hyett P. Chatin M. Brabham A. Quinn AO Racing	99	ORECA LMP2 07	60	+3.197 1'38.902	0.005	129.583
17	J. Smiechowski N. Boulle T. Dillmann C. Novalak Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports	52	ORECA LMP2 07	49	+3.256 1'38.961	0.059	129.506
18	L. Willsey J. Barbosa N. Siegel J. Edgar Sean Creech Motorsport	33	Ligier LMP2	55	+3.301 1'39.006	0.045	129.447
19	J. Farano M. Dinan F. Habsburg S. McLaughlin Tower Motorsports	8	ORECA LMP2 07	55	+3.379 1'39.084	0.078	129.345
20	G. Kurtz C. Braun T. Sowery M. Jakobsen Crowdstrike Racing by APR	04	ORECA LMP2 07	55	+3.420 1'39.125	0.041	129.291
21	B. Keating N. Pino B. Hanley P. O'Ward United Autosports USA	2	ORECA LMP2 07	62	+3.586 1'39.291	0.166	129.075
22	D. Merriman R. Dalziel C. Zilisch C. Rasmussen Era Motorsport	18	ORECA LMP2 07	59	+3.614 1'39.319	0.028	129.039
23	E. Lux K. Simpson J. Allen S. Alvarez DragonSpeed	81	ORECA LMP2 07	29	+3.757 1'39.462	0.143	128.853
24	R. Lacorte G. Sernagiotto A. Fuoco E. Cheever Cetilar Racing	47	Ferrari 296 GT3	54	+10.034 1'45.739	6.277	121.204
25	M. Kirchhofer O. Jarvis J. Hinchcliffe A. Rossi Pfaff Motorsports Driveway.com / Motul / Motomaste	9	McLaren 720S GT3 EVO	38	+10.275 1'45.980	0.241	120.928
26	J. Hand D. Muller F. Vervisch Ford Multimatic Motorsports	65	Ford Mustang GT3	25	+10.302 1'46.007	0.027	120.898
27	A. Adelson E. Skeer J. Heylen F. Makowiecki Wright Motorsports	120	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	46	+10.302 1'46.007	0.000	120.898
28	S. Mann F. Heriau M. Molina K. Cozzolino Af Corse	21	Ferrari 296 GT3	44	+10.406 1'46.111	0.104	120.779
29	K. Li A. Fjordbach L. Voorde K. Bachler MDK Motorsports	86	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	52	+10.464 1'46.169	0.058	120.713
30	R. Frey M. Gatting S. Bovy Iron Dames	83	Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	44	+10.540 1'46.245	0.076	120.627
31	R. Hardwick D. Olsen G. Levorato C. Lewis Proton Competition	55	Ford Mustang GT3	60	+10.550 1'46.255	0.010	120.616
32	M. Franco A. Costa A. Balzan C. Sbirrazzuoli Conquest Racing	34	Ferrari 296 GT3	47	+10.597 1'46.302	0.047	120.562
33	O. Fidani M. Bell L. Kern A. Lynn AWA	13	Corvette C8.R GTD	19	+10.609 1'46.314	0.012	120.549
34	O. Triarsi C. Scardina R. Agostini A. Rovera Triarsi Competizione	023	Ferrari 296 GT3	55	+10.622 1'46.327	0.013	120.534
35	B. Iribe F. Schandorff O. Millroy T. Gamble Inception Racing	70	McLaren 720S GT3 EVO	58	+10.629 1'46.334	0.007	120.526
36	R. Foley P. Gallagher J. Walker J. Klingmann Turner Motorsport	96	BMW M4 GT3	43	+10.677 1'46.382	0.048	120.472
37	A. Garcia A. Sims D. Juncadella Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports	3	Corvette Z06 GT3.R	59	+10.682 1'46.387	0.005	120.466
38	K. Marcelli D. Formal G. Doyle A. Harrison Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti	45	Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	56	+10.704 1'46.409	0.022	120.441
39	L. Heinrich S. Priaulx M. Christensen AO Racing	77	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	50	+10.728 1'46.433	0.024	120.414
40	F. Perera J. Pepper A. Caldarelli M. Bortolotti Iron Lynx	19	Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	36	+10.763 1'46.468	0.035	120.374
41	T. Milner N. Catsburg E. Bamber Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports	4	Corvette Z06 GT3.R	14	+10.778 1'46.483	0.015	120.357
42	D. Brule A. Udell T. Hindman J. Andlauer Kellymoss with Riley	92	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	31	+10.788 1'46.493	0.010	120.346
43	H. Tincknell M. Rockenfeller C. Mies Ford Multimatic Motorsports	64	Ford Mustang GT3	27	+10.839 1'46.544	0.051	120.288
44	F. Montecalvo P. Thompson A. Telitz R. Miyata Vasser Sullivan	12	Lexus RC F GT3	56	+10.905 1'46.610	0.066	120.214
45	C. Schiavoni M. Cressoni R. Grosjean M. Cairoli Iron Lynx	60	Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	51	+11.002 1'46.707	0.097	120.105
46	J. Hawksworth B. Barnicoat K. Kirkwood M. Conway Vasser Sullivan	14	Lexus RC F GT3	57	+11.083 1'46.788	0.081	120.013
47	J. Andretti G. Chaves S. Hargrove T. Preining Andretti Motorsports	43	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	52	+11.090 1'46.795	0.007	120.006
48	R. Gunn A. Riberas M. Farnbacher Heart Of Racing Team	23	Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo	30	+11.095 1'46.800	0.005	120.000
49	J. Potter A. Lally S. Pumpelly N. Thiim Magnus Racing	44	Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo	31	+11.110 1'46.815	0.015	119.983
50	R. De Angelis Z. Robichon I. James M. Sorensen Heart Of Racing Team	27	Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo	48	+11.186 1'46.891	0.076	119.898
51	K. Habul J. Gounon L. Stolz M. Engel Sun Energy 1	75	Mercedes AMG GT3	41	+11.228 1'46.933	0.042	119.851
52	S. Monk K. Legge T. Calderon S. McAleer Gradient Racing	66	Acura NSX GT3	31	+11.408 1'47.113	0.180	119.649
53	A. Mantella N. Varrone T. Merrill C. Eastwood AWA	17	Corvette C8.R GTD	5	+11.464 1'47.169	0.056	119.587
54	M. Grenier M. Skeen K. Koch M. Goetz Korthoff/Preston Motorsports	32	Mercedes AMG GT3	39	+11.489 1'47.194	0.025	119.559
55	R. Ward P. Ellis I. Dontje D. Morad Winward Racing	57	Mercedes AMG GT3	42	+11.524 1'47.229	0.035	119.520
56	B. Sellers M. Snow N. Verhagen S. Van Der Linde Paul Miller Racing	1	BMW M4 GT3	26	+11.705 1'47.410	0.181	119.318
57	S. Yoluc R. Andrade S. Andrews A. Christodoulou Lone Star Racing	80	Mercedes AMG GT3	58	+12.102 1'47.807	0.397	118.879
58	M. Goikhberg L. Spinelli D. DeFrancesco S. Mitchell Forte Racing	78	Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	16	+12.622 1'48.327	0.520	118.308
59	D. Serra D. Rigon A. Pier Guidi J. Calado Risi Competizione	62	Ferrari 296 GT3	2	+13.551 1'49.256	0.929	117.302
View full results

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