Joel Miller set the fastest time in the final free practice session of the IMSA round at CoTA, putting the #70 Mazda on top for the first time this weekend with a 1:58.033. The lap time was set just 16 minutes into the session, and was 0.161 quicker than Ricky Taylor’s best in the #10 WTR Corvette DP that finished the morning second.
Third, behind Miller and Taylor was the #60 Mike Shank Ligier of Oz Negri Jnr and John Pew, following Negri’s 1:58.312 to make it two LMP2-spec cars in the top three. The pair of Action Express Corvettes finished the morning in fourth and fifth, the #31 ahead of the #5, three and sixth tenths off Miller’s session-topping lap.
Toni Vilander in the Risi Ferrari meanwhile set a 2:03.380 to top the GTLM class, the first time a non-Ford had done so thus far in the weekend’s running.
The two Ganassi GTs did however slot in second and third in the class, with Dirk Muller in the #66 setting a 2:03.499 in the final minute of the hour-long session to go second and Richard Westbrook touring the track in 2:03.519 to go third.
Just shy of the top three was the #100 RLL BMW, under two tenth’s off the Risi 488, with the #912 and #911 Porsches fifth and sixth, half a second back.
GTD was also very close, with the top 10 within a second of each other. The quickest of the bunch was the #23 Alex Job Racing Porsche that saw Alex Riberas set a 2:07.116. Second was John Potter for Magnus Racing, leading the class for a time before slipping down to second late on; his best a 2:07.308.
Rounding out the top three was Paul Ruberti in the Dream Racing Lamborghini Huracan, who was a late call up for the team, setting a time just 0.151 off the quickest from Riberas.
In LMPC, the #8 Starworks and #52 PR1 Orecas traded fastest times, but eventually it was Tom Kimber-Smith in the PR1 car that went quickest. The Brit’s time a 2:00.238, two tenths quicker than Renger van der Zande in second.
The session ran green for its entirety, and allowed all the runners to complete a lot of laps ahead of qualifying, which starts at 15:45 local time in Austin.
Featured image courtesy of IMSA
