After Olivier Pla and Ozz Negri took session topping honours in the #60 Michael Shank Racing Ligier Honda JS P2 in the two daytime Free Practice sessions for Saturday’s Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, Pla again bossed the final pair of practice session, completing a clean sweep for the team ahead of qualifying today.
Thursday evening’s 90 minute night practice session saw Pla again relegate a Mazda into second slot, his 1:13.541 half a second up on the #55 of Jonathan Bomarito with reigning Champ Joao Barbosa third fastest in the #5 Action Express Corvette DP a further couple of tenths back.
And it was the French driver/ French car to the fore in the final free practice session on Friday Morning as Pla’s 1:12.618s again left Mazda in second slot, the #55 of Tristan Nunez second fastest for the third of the four sessions (with the sister #70 also second in a session!)
Pipo Derani was third fastest in the #2 Tequila Patron ESM Ligier JS P2-Honda but was a full second off Pla’s stellar pace. with the fastest of the DPs a further half second back (The #90 Visit Florida car in the hands of Ryan Dalziel)
The final two sessions saw two different names top the times in PC.
Stefano Coletti, fresh from a great run last weekend at Spa in the ELMS took the #7 Starworks Oreca to the top of the class in the darkness of Thursday evening 1:16.580s.
Coletti led Tom Kimber-Smith in the #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports car by 7 tenths with Renger van der Zande in the #8 Starworks car a further tenth back.
Friday morning’s session saw James French take the #38 Performance Tech Oreca to the top with a 1:15.925s). Kimber-Smith was again second fastest in the #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports FLM09 just under half a second back with the #8 Starworks machine again third a further tenth back – again! but this time with David Heinemeier Hansson at the wheel.
The final Free practice sessions were dominated in GTLM by the ‘F’s, Ferrari and Ford!
Ford Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dirk Mueller put the #66 Ford GT on top in Thursday’s night session with a 1:18.240 that edged out Alessandro Pier Guidi in the #68 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari F488 GTE (-0.061s) with Richard Westbrook completing the top three in the #67 Ford GT less than 2 tenths off Mueller.
Friday morning saw the tables turned with a Ferrari 1/2 Scuderia Corsa’s Daniel Serra topping the times in the #68 488 GTE (1:17.693s) two tenths up on the identical #62 Risi Competizione car in the hands of Toni Vilander.
Richard Westbrook was again third fastest, just one hundredth of a second back from Vilander.
Magnus Racing’s Audi R8 LMS topped both final Free Practice sessions in GTD with Marco Seefried heading a very tight night session with a 1:21.187 in the #44 car, less than a tenth clear of Lawson Aschenbach in the #9 Stevenson Audi and under two tenths up on Alex Riberas in the #23 Hear of Racing/ Team Seattle Porsche.
The final free practice session saw Andy Lally take the reins of the #44 Audi, posting a 1:20.430 that edged out Riley Motorsports’ Jeroen Bleekemolen in the #33 Dodge Viper GT3-R, the Viper man half a tenth clear of third fastest Madison Snow in the #48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3.
