Rolex 24: Cadillacs lead BMW in fourth practice at Daytona

GTP

Matt Campbell was the first driver to crack the 1min36sec barrier with a 1min35.941sec in the Porsche Penske Motorsports 963, although Jack Aitken soon joined him, the Action Express Racing Cadillac V-LMDh producing a lap just 0.032sec slower, after 25mins of the one-hour session.

At this point 2016 IndyCar champion Simon Pagenaud in the Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 lay third, and with 32mins to go, he trimmed his deficit to top spot down to 0.182sec.

Right from the word go, Yelloly turned some very encouraging times in the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8, getting down to a 1min36.452sec – only 0.511sec away from Campbell – but with 24mins to go it was six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon who jumped to the top of the times in the #01 Chip Ganassi Racing-run Cadillac V-LMDh with a 1min35.717sec.

That survived until with 16mins to go, Alexander Sims of AXR produced a great lap to eclipse Dixon by 0.224sec.

With eight minutes to go, Helio Castroneves spun the Meyer Shank Acura on pit exit, temporarily causing a red flag as he recovered on the grass. The #60 was assessed a penalty – stop and loss of five minutes of running time – for driving the wrong way in pitlane.

Yelloly continued to impress and wound up third fastest, 0.432 from Sims’ benchmark.

There will be a 20mins GTP-only session at 6.25pm local (Eastern) time this evening.

LMP2

#11 TDS Racing ORECA LMP2 07: Steven Thomas, Mikkel Jensen, Scott Huffaker, Rinus VeeKay (Photo by: Art Fleischmann)

Mikkel Jensen set top time in the class with a 1min38.052sec, the #11 TDS Racing surviving an incident with the GTD Pro Corvette, in which Jensen’s partner Steven Thomas was adjudged blameless. Ben Hanley in the #04 Crowdstrike Racing by APR entry was 0.65sec slower, and just a couple of hundredths clear of Kyffin Simpson in the Tower Motorsports entry that he’ll share with Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden and John Farrano.

Then Oliver Jarvis jumped the Era Motorsport car into second, but still almost 0.6sec away from top spot.

LMP3

#36 Andretti Autosport Ligier JS P320: Jarett Andretti, Gabby Chaves, Dakota Dickerson, Rasmus Lindh (Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images)

Jarett Andretti turned a 1min43.191sec in the Andretti Autosport Ligier to jump ahead of the strong AWA Racing Duqueines of Moritz Kranz and Nico Varrone, and the JDC Miller MotorSports Duqueine of Luca Mars.

GTD Pro and GTD

#32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes AMG GT3: Mike Skeen, Mikael Grenier, Kenton Koch, Maximilian Goetz (Photo by: Art Fleischmann)

As has been the theme throughout practice sessions at the Roar Before the 24 and then again this week, the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT3s looked very strong. Mikael Grenier’s Team Korthoff Motorsports topped all the GT3 cars, with Jules Gounon’s WeatherTech Racing Benz topping the GTD Pro.

But Romain Grosjean produced a lap only 0.3sec slower in the Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan, and the line-up of he, Andrea Caldarelli, Mirko Bortolotti and Jordan Pepper is looking like a real threat.

Behind them, Owen Trinkler in the TGM/TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage was just ahead of Axcil Jefferies in the SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes, and Katherine Legge’s Gradient Racing Acura NSX.

#79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes AMG GT3: Cooper MacNeil, Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon, Maro Engel (Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images)

Cla	Num	Driver	Class	Chassis	Time	Gap
1	31	Pipo Derani Alexander Sims Jack Aitken	GTP	Cadillac V-LMDh	1'35.493
2	01	Sébastien Bourdais Renger van der Zande Scott Dixon	GTP	Cadillac V-LMDh	1'35.717	0.224
3	25	Connor de Phillippi Nick Yelloly Sheldon Van Der Linde Colton Herta	GTP	BMW M Hybrid V8	1'35.925	0.432
4	7	Matt Campbell Felipe Nasr Michael Christensen	GTP	Porsche 963	1'35.941	0.448
5	60	Tom Blomqvist Colin Braun Helio Castroneves Simon Pagenaud	GTP	Acura ARX-06	1'36.123	0.630
6	02	Earl Bamber Alex Lynn Richard Westbrook	GTP	Cadillac V-LMDh	1'36.389	0.896
7	6	Mathieu Jaminet Nick Tandy Dane Cameron	GTP	Porsche 963	1'36.407	0.914
8	10	Ricky Taylor Filipe Albuquerque Louis Deletraz Brendon Hartley	GTP	Acura ARX-06	1'36.580	1.087
9	24	Philipp Eng Augusto Farfus Marco Wittmann Colton Herta	GTP	BMW M Hybrid V8	1'37.433	1.940
10	11	Thomas Steven Mikkel Jensen Scott Huffaker Rinus van Kalmthout	LMP2	ORECA LMP2 07	1'38.052	2.559
11	18	Dwight Merriman Ryan Dalziel Christian Rasmussen Oliver Jarvis	LMP2	ORECA LMP2 07	1'38.626	3.133
12	04	George Kurtz Ben Hanley Matt McMurry Esteban Gutierrez	LMP2	ORECA LMP2 07	1'38.703	3.210
13	8	John Farano Scott McLaughlin Josef Newgarden Kyffin Simpson	LMP2	ORECA LMP2 07	1'38.734	3.241
14	20	Dennis Andersen Ed Jones Anders Fjordbach Raffaele Marciello	LMP2	ORECA LMP2 07	1'38.734	3.241
15	35	François Heriau Giedo van der Garde Josh Pierson Job Van Uitert	LMP2	ORECA LMP2 07	1'38.889	3.396
16	88	François Perrodo Matthieu Vaxiviere Julien Canal Nicklas Nielsen	LMP2	ORECA LMP2 07	1'39.237	3.744
17	52	Ben Keating Paul-Loup Chatin Alex Quinn Nicolas Lapierre	LMP2	ORECA LMP2 07	1'39.392	3.899
18	51	Eric Lux Devlin DeFrancesco Austin Cindric Pietro Fittipaldi	LMP2	ORECA LMP2 07	1'39.886	4.393
19	36	Jarett Andretti Gabby Chaves Dakota Dickerson Rasmus Lindh	LMP3	Ligier JS P320	1'43.191	7.698
20	13	Orey Fidani Matthew Bell Lars Kern Moritz Kranz	LMP3	Duqueine D08	1'43.354	7.861
21	17	Anthony Mantella Wayne Boyd Nico Varrone Thomas Merrill	LMP3	Duqueine D08	1'43.588	8.095
22	85	Till Bechtolsheimer Tijmen van der Helm Luca Mars Mason Filippi	LMP3	Duqueine D08	1'43.686	8.193
23	33	Lance Willsey Joao Barbosa Nicolas Pino Nolan Siegel	LMP3	Ligier JS P320	1'43.704	8.211
24	87	Yu Kanamaru James Vance Serravalle Antonio Nicholas Boulle	LMP3	Duqueine D08	1'44.799	9.306
25	55	Fred Poordad Francesco Pizzi James Allen Gianmaria Bruni	LMP2	ORECA LMP2 07	1'45.738	10.245
26	32	Mike Skeen Mikael Grenier Kenton Koch Maximillian Goetz	GTD	Mercedes AMG GT3	1'46.375	10.882
27	79	Cooper MacNeil Daniel Juncadella Jules Gounon Maro Engel	GTD PRO	Mercedes AMG GT3	1'46.651	11.158
28	63	Andrea Caldarelli Mirko Bortolotti Jordan Lee Pepper Romain Grosjean	GTD PRO	Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	1'46.689	11.196
29	64	Ted Giovanis Hugh Plumb Matt Plumb Owen Trinkler	GTD PRO	Aston Martin Vantage GT3	1'46.695	11.202
30	75	Kenny Habul Luca Stolz Fabian Schiller Axcil Jefferies	GTD	Mercedes AMG GT3	1'46.727	11.234
31	66	Sheena Monk Katherine Legge Mario Farnbacher Marc Miller	GTD	Acura NSX GT3	1'46.918	11.425
32	19	Raffaele Giammaria Franck Perera Claudio Schiavoni Rolf Ineichen	GTD	Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	1'47.048	11.555
33	21	Mann Simon Luis Perez Companc Miguel Molina Francesco Castellacci	GTD	Ferrari 296 GT3	1'47.106	11.613
34	23	Ross Gunn Alex Riberas David Pittard	GTD PRO	Aston Martin Vantage GT3	1'47.130	11.637
35	62	Alessandro Pier Guidi James Calado Daniel Serra Davide Rigon	GTD PRO	Ferrari 296 GT3	1'47.152	11.659
36	70	Brendan Iribe Frederik Schandorff Ollie Millroy Marvin Kirchhofer	GTD	McLaren 720S GT3	1'47.190	11.697
37	44	John Potter Andy Lally Spencer Pumpelly Nicki Thiim	GTD	Aston Martin Vantage GT3	1'47.245	11.752
38	93	Ashton Harrison Danny Formal Kyle Marcelli Ryan Briscoe	GTD	Acura NSX GT3	1'47.289	11.796
39	83	Rahel Frey Sarah Bovy Michelle Gatting Doriane Pin	GTD	Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	1'47.341	11.848
40	27	Roman De Angelis Marco Sorensen Ian James Darren Turner	GTD	Aston Martin Vantage GT3	1'47.500	12.007
41	47	Roberto Lacorte Giorgio Sernagiotto Antonio Fuoco Alessandro Balzan	GTD	Ferrari 296 GT3	1'47.585	12.092
42	43	Sebastian Alvarez Danial Frost James French Guilherme de	LMP3	Ligier JS P320	1'47.668	12.175
43	12	Aaron Telitz Frankie Montecalvo Kyle Kirkwood Parker Thompson	GTD	Lexus RC F GT3	1'47.692	12.199
44	3	Antonio Garcia Jordan Taylor Tommy Milner	GTD PRO	Corvette C8.R GTD	1'47.724	12.231
45	14	Jack Hawksworth Ben Barnicoat Mike Conway	GTD PRO	Lexus RC F GT3	1'47.869	12.376
46	74	Gar Robinson Felipe Fraga Glenn van Berlo Josh Burdon	LMP3	Ligier JS P320	1'47.885	12.392
47	96	Patrick Gallagher Robby Foley Michael Dinan Jens Klingmann	GTD	BMW M4 GT3	1'47.984	12.491
48	78	Mikhail Goikhberg Loris Spinelli Benja Hites Marco Mapelli	GTD	Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2	1'48.191	12.698
49	80	PJ Hyett Seb Priaulx Gunnar Jeannette Harry Tincknell	GTD	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	1'48.225	12.732
50	023	Onofrio Triarsi Charles Scardina Alessio Rovera Andrea Bertolini	GTD	Ferrari 296 GT3	1'48.234	12.741
51	9	Klaus Bachler Patrick Pilet Laurens Vanthoor	GTD PRO	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	1'48.396	12.903
52	16	Ryan Hardwick Jan Heylen Zacharie Robichon Dennis Olsen	GTD	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	1'48.444	12.951
53	91	Alan Metni Kay van Berlo Jaxon Evans Julien Andlauer	GTD	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	1'48.682	13.189
54	38	John DeAngelis Christopher Allen Cameron Shields Connor Bloum	LMP3	Ligier JS P320	1'48.683	13.190
55	77	Alan Brynjolfsson Trent Hindman Max Root Kevin Estre	GTD	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	1'48.918	13.425
56	1	Bryan Sellers Madison Snow Corey Lewis Maxime Martin	GTD	BMW M4 GT3	1'49.338	13.845
57	92	David Brule Alec Udell Andrew Davis Jeroen Bleekemolen	GTD	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	1'49.495	14.002
58	42	Don Yount Jaden Conwright Kerong Li Alessio Deledda	GTD	Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2
59	53	Mark Kvamme Trenton Estep Jan Magnussen Jason Hart	GTD PRO	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)
60	57	Russell Ward Philip Ellis Indy Dontje Lucas Auer	GTD	Mercedes AMG GT3
61	95	Bill Auberlen Chandler Hull Bruno Spengler John Edwards	GTD PRO	BMW M4 GT3
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