09:17: Green Flag
Jordan Taylor is looking hard for a way by Barbosa into T3, then T5, has to back out of both with Taylor also having to watch his mirrors with Kanaan in close company too.
The top three in GTLM are close together too, Magnussen, Farfus and Gavin separated by just 5 seconds.
GTD sees the top three (#93 Viper, 22 Porsche and #63 Ferrari) separated by 17 seconds.
Judging by a recent tweet from Andy Lally the #44 Magnus Porsche has hit an opossum on the banking, the impact enough for the unfortunate furry friend to penetrate both the splitter and the bulkhead behind.
Bad News, Magnus are in the garage, Good news, Stew for lunch, bad news Andy is a Vegan!
Against expectations the crew manage to fix the extensive damage and the #44 rejoins.
09:50: The leading pair pit, and Taylor takes a dive up the inside at pit in, cutting in front of the #5 before the pitlane speed limiter line, the move seeing the #5 car hit the rear of the #10, Taylor gathers it up and the WTR crew turn the car around much more quickly, Jordan Taylor emerges a clear 15-20 car lengths ahead as the #5 crew put Fittipaldi aboard.
The #02 is next in, Kyle Larson climbs aboard, rejoins but with the right side door still unsecured.
09:56: #01 pits, Sage Karam climbs aboard.
Taylor leads, from Fittipaldi (by 14 seconds) Behind the Ganassi boys were having their own battle, Larson grabbing third, claiming the inside line into the Bus Stop after a drag race along the back straight. Karam was forced to use the cut through and lost ground as a result. No team orders it seems!
The #66 RG Racing Riley pits with what looks like a small oil fire at the rear, the car goes behind the wall.
10:15: Extended stop on pit lane for the #90 Corvette DP, an electronics issue it seems – Mike Rockenfeller has climbed aboard as the team go to work.
The VisitFlorida.com car is released but does not get fully up to speed and pits again immediately, with the Michael Shank Racing Ligier Honda with Matt McMurry at the wheel closing to a single lap astray before the #90 emerged again.
10:29: The gaps have pretty much stabilized. J Taylor leads overall for WTR by 8 seconds over Fittipaldi. Following in 3rd and 4th are Larson, who is 15 seconds back and then Karam who is 26 seconds back.
10:36: Fittipaldi pits and then Taylor stops too. This vaults the Ganassi Fords to a 1-2, at least temporarily.
GTLM sees the Corvette 1-2 continue, with the 3 leading. The 4 is 12 seconds back, followed by the remaining BMW, nearly a minute back.
CORE leads PC by a lap over PR1 Mathiasen, with BAR1 another lap back.
GTD is constantly changing with the 93 Viper currently in the class lead, followed by the AJR Porsche 5 seconds back. These two have established a two lap over the rest of the class.
10:47: Yellow for the 009 Aston Martin parked at the exit of 6.
Kyle Larson: “I felt pretty good. I did the fastest lap in the car. I just tried to not make any mistakes. I think we’ve got Dixon in the car at the right time. He is the best driver with our car and I think he can take it to the end.”
Pits are open, no real contending prototypes pitted, but the contending GTLM and GTD entries did pit.
It appears as if the issues for the No. 90 are electrical. Also the power steering failed before Rocky got into the car.
11:03: Green.
On the first green lap, the No. 4 ‘vette with Milner driving got into someone at turn 6 and damaged the right fender. This vaulted the remaining BMW into second, only about a second back of Mags in the No. 3. The damage has cost the 4 at least a lap.
