Petit Le Mans: Derani leads Cadillac 1-2 in darkness of FP3
Pipo Derani ensured Action Express Racing remained top in third practice for one of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s marquee events, Motul Petit Le Mans.

The Brazilian lapped the 2.54-mile Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in 70.347sec, just quick enough to beat fellow Cadillac DPi-V.R driver, Wayne Taylor Racing’s Renger van der Zande.
The two Acura Team Penske cars were next up, Dane Cameron a hair quicker than Ricky Taylor, while Harry Tincknell was fifth – yet within 0.13sec of pacesetter Derani.
The 90min session was interrupted twice by red flags, one for Chris Miller in the #85 JDC-Miller Cadillac who spun and lost his rear wing, and an earlier one for a gravel-trap excursion by the Inter Europol Competition LMP2 Oreca.
LMP2 was led by Mikkel Jensen in the Tower Motorsports by Starworks car, who was around 0.3sec than Performance Tech Motorsports’ pacesetter Colin Braun.
The Porsche 911 RSRs sat 1-2 by the end of the session, Laurens Vanthoor a quarter-second faster than Frederic Makowiecki.
Nicky Catsburg was one of the ‘extra’ enduro drivers who excelled in the session, setting third fastest time in the Corvette C8.R he’ll be sharing with Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor.
Jack Hawksworth set fastest time in GT Daytona, his AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F lapping mere hundreths quicker than the impressive Jan Heylen in the Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Markus Winkelhock made an impressive return to IMSA with third fastest in the Hardpoint Audi R8, just ahead of Alessandro Balzan’s Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488.
Qualifying commences at 12.30pm ET on Friday, while the race starts at 12.40pm ET on Saturday.
Cla | Num | Driver | Class | Chassis | Laps | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 31 | | DPi | Cadillac DPi | 63 | 1'10.175 | |
2 | 10 | | DPi | Cadillac DPi | 52 | 1'10.215 | 0.040 |
3 | 6 | | DPi | Acura DPi | 45 | 1'10.262 | 0.087 |
4 | 7 | | DPi | Acura DPi | 41 | 1'10.285 | 0.110 |
5 | 55 | | DPi | Mazda DPi | 49 | 1'10.304 | 0.129 |
6 | 77 | | DPi | Mazda DPi | 56 | 1'10.809 | 0.634 |
7 | 5 | | DPi | Cadillac DPi | 47 | 1'10.819 | 0.644 |
8 | 8 | | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 60 | 1'11.195 | 1.020 |
9 | 38 | James McGuire | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 48 | 1'11.503 | 1.328 |
10 | 52 | | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 50 | 1'12.146 | 1.971 |
11 | 85 | | DPi | Cadillac DPi | 34 | 1'12.307 | 2.132 |
12 | 51 | | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 55 | 1'13.670 | 3.495 |
13 | 912 | | GTLM | Porsche 911 RSR - 19 | 58 | 1'17.252 | 7.077 |
14 | 911 | | GTLM | Porsche 911 RSR - 19 | 51 | 1'17.481 | 7.306 |
15 | 3 | | GTLM | Corvette C8.R | 54 | 1'17.512 | 7.337 |
16 | 24 | | GTLM | BMW M8 GTE | 58 | 1'17.580 | 7.405 |
17 | 4 | | GTLM | Corvette C8.R | 54 | 1'17.741 | 7.566 |
18 | 25 | | GTLM | BMW M8 GTE | 56 | 1'17.874 | 7.699 |
19 | 14 | | GTD | Lexus RC F GT3 | 54 | 1'20.501 | 10.326 |
20 | 16 | | GTD | Porsche 911 GT3 R | 51 | 1'20.547 | 10.372 |
21 | 30 | | GTD | Audi R8 LMS GT3 | 47 | 1'20.660 | 10.485 |
22 | 63 | | GTD | Ferrari 488 GT3 | 32 | 1'20.753 | 10.578 |
23 | 23 | | GTD | Aston Martin Vantage GT3 | 39 | 1'20.861 | 10.686 |
24 | 9 | | GTD | Porsche 911 GT3 R | 47 | 1'20.937 | 10.762 |
25 | 86 | | GTD | Acura NSX GT3 | 47 | 1'20.980 | 10.805 |
26 | 96 | | GTD | BMW M6 GT3 | 42 | 1'21.001 | 10.826 |
27 | 48 | | GTD | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 | 43 | 1'21.045 | 10.870 |
28 | 12 | | GTD | Lexus RC F GT3 | 55 | 1'21.049 | 10.874 |
29 | 57 | | GTD | Acura NSX GT3 | 49 | 1'21.212 | 11.037 |
30 | 74 | | GTD | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | 37 | 1'21.267 | 11.092 |
31 | 44 | | GTD | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 | 44 | 1'21.633 | 11.458 |
View full results |

Previous article
Petit Le Mans: AXR Cadillac tops second practice
Next article
Marquardt steps down from BMW Motorsport

About this article
Series | IMSA |
Event | Road Atlanta II |
Author | David Malsher-Lopez |
Petit Le Mans: Derani leads Cadillac 1-2 in darkness of FP3
Trending
24 Hours of Daytona Video Recap
24 Hours of Daytona: Fourth Place for Ferrari
Watch the entire Rolex 24 in just over a minute
The GTE dilemma that IMSA has created for the WEC
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s decision to scrap its GT Le Mans class for 2022 raises the question of whether the FIA World Endurance Championship should phase out GTE cars. But it's a much harder decision than it appears on the surface.
Nine things to watch at the 2021 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona
After a 100-minute sprint race to whet the appetite, the 2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship gets underway properly this weekend. With plenty of significant changes during the winter, here are the key points you need to keep an eye on
Why Magnussen is relishing a fresh start in sportscars
Having gone over seven years without a race win through spells with McLaren, Renault and Haas, Kevin Magnussen's departure from Formula 1 for IMSA with big-hitters Chip Ganassi Racing could give him what he craves most - a chance of success
Oliver Gavin's Corvette Racing highlights
Oliver Gavin has stepped down from the full-time Corvette Racing line-up after a stellar career with the team spanning nearly 20 years. He looks back on a stint that encompassed, among other successes, five Le Mans 24 Hours victories.
How Tandy joined an exclusive club of endurance legends
Victory at last year's Spa 24 Hours meant Nick Tandy had completed the unofficial sextuple crown of the world's six biggest endurance races, becoming the first Briton to do so. Ahead of his fresh start with Corvette Racing, he explains how he did it…
The 12 greatest Sebring 12 Hours ranked
The 2020 edition of the Florida sportscar classic is finally taking place this weekend, eight months after its traditional date in March. That meant there was plenty of time for Motorsport.com to pour over its previous 67 races and select the best.
Tony Kanaan’s top 10 races – in his own words
The 2004 IndyCar champion and 2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan probably hasn’t yet driven his final IndyCar race, but we still asked him for the 10 most significant races of his career. He explained his choices to David Malsher-Lopez.
Why the GTE ruleset looks to have run its course
The GTE ruleset has served sportscar racing in both Europe and the United States well over the past decade. But now there are clear signs that the end of its life is in sight as manufacturer support continues to fade.