Acura Tops Rain Soaked First Practice Session at Watkins Glen

Colin Braun tops the GTP charts as rain soaks final two-thirds of opening practice session.

Michael Shank Racing driver Colin Braun topped the charts during Friday’s opening practice session for this weekends IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen. The session was contested under mixed conditions, as the final two thirds of practice was slowed by rain.

Before the rain fell, Braun piloted the No. 60 Acura ARX-06 to a 1:33.563 lap time beating both Penske Porsche 963 GTP machines. The time was 1.229 seconds clear of the next GTP runner. Second in the session went to the No. 7 Penske Porsche of Felipe Nasr while the No. 8 Penske Porsche of Nick Tandy posted the third quickest time. Rounding out the top five times in the GTP class were two Cadillac V-Series R machines. Renger van der Zande notched fourth quickest time in the No. 01 Cadillac while the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac was fifth in the GTP class.

Matthew Boyce/Prescott Motorsport Image

TDS Racing experienced both highs and lows in the first practice session of the weekend in the LMP2 class. Driving the No. 11 Oreca 07 Gibson, Mikkel Jenson posted the quickest time in the session with a 1:36.066 lap. The teams sister car did not find the same kind of luck, as John Falb made contact with the turn six tire wall damaging the right front and right rear of the No. 35 machine. The No. 18 fielded by Era Motorsport and the No. 20 High Class Racing entry rounded out the top three in LMP2. LMP3 class top honors went to the No. 30 JR III Racing entry driven by Garett Grist. Riley Motorsports and JDC Miller Motorsports completed the top three.

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In GTD and GTD-Pro, Paul Miller Racing’s No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 driven by Bryan Sellers set the fastest time overall. Sellers, who posted a 1:46.457 lap time, bested another GTD class entry with the No. 91 KellyMoss with Riley Porsche of Jaxson Evans clocking in the second fastest time Friday afternoon. The first GTD-Pro class entry on the speed charts was the No. 61 Ferrari Team Risi Competizione which posted a 1:46.552 lap time. Turner Motorsport and Heart of Racing rounded out the top three in the session.

The second practice session takes the green flag Saturday morning, bright and early, at 8am. Qualifying will begin tomorrow afternoon at 1:20 to set the lineup for Sunday’s Sahlens Six Hours at the Glen.