Watkins Glen IMSA: Acura sets pace again in second practice
The best efforts of Tom Blomqvist and Filipe Albuquerque left the Acuras of Meyer Shank Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing just 0.026sec apart at the top of the times in second practice for the Sahlen’s 6 Hours of The Glen.
The Andretti Autosport LMP3 entry caused a red flag, while there were other spins but without session stoppage for other LMP3 cars, as well as Frits van Eerd in the Racing Team Nederland LMP2 car and Luis Perez Companc in AF Corse’s GTD-class Ferrari 488.
But the DPi class didn’t take long to gain a familiar look, with yesterday’s pacesetting Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05, driven by Oliver Jarvis on top, again chased by Renger van der Zande in the Chip Ganassi Racing #01 Cadillac DPi-V.R and Ricky Taylor in Wayne Taylor Racing’s Acura. With 50mins down, the big difference compared with yesterday was that the top trio were covered by a mere 0.15sec.
That’s when the second red flag of the session came out. Kyffin Simpson in the Gradient Racing Acura NSX and Katherine Legge’s Team Hardpoint Porsche 911 GT3 R were off at Turn 6.
The retrieval of those cars and the repair of the wall took almost 15mins, and when action resumed, van der Zande turned a 1min31.232sec to move to the top of the times, before handing off to Sebastien Bourdais. Meanwhile, their teammate Earl Bamber made it a Ganassi 1-2, with a lap of the 3.4-mile track just 0.18sec slower.
With 20mins to go, there was another red flag, as the MLT Motorsports car of Josh Sarchet went off at the Bus Stop chicane and needed restarting.
The recommencement of track activities saw Filipe Albuquerque in the WTR Acura set by far the fastest time of the weekend, his 1min30.358sec run putting him on top by 0.874sec.
However, Bamber delivered a very impressive 1min30.096, and then yesterday’s pacesetter Tom Blomqvist twice ducked under the 90sec barrier his best effort producing a 1min29.581sec in the Meyer Shank Racing Acura. Bamber responded but came up 0.239sec short.
Albuquerque came a lot closer, punching in a 1min29.672sec, followed by a 1min29.607 – a mere 0.026sec slower than Blomqvist.
Six tenths behind Bamber was teammate Sebastien Bourdais in the #01 CGR Caddy, while Olivier Pla was fifth in the Action Express Racing Cadillac. Jimmie Johnson was seventh in the sister car, some 2.3sec off top spot and survived a huge spin in the dying minutes.
Giedo van der Garde in the Racing Team Nederland entry emerged with top LMP2 time, almost 0.8sec ahead of Mikkel Jensen of PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports, and the impressive Sebastian Montoya of DragonSpeed, while Jonathan Bomarito was a further 0.4sec back in the second PR1 car.
Sean Crech Motorsport’s Ligier set the fastest time in LMP3, 0.4sec ahead of Dakota Dickerson’s best in the recently stricken MLT car, with Colin Braun third for CORE autosport, and Matt Bell in the Forty7 Motorsports.
GTD Pro was led by Vasser Sullivan Racing’s #14 car piloted by Ben Barnicoat, ahead of Ross Gunn in the Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage and Mathieu Jaminet’s Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R.
In GTD, Stevan McAleer put the Team Korthoff Mercedes AMG GT3 on top, a mere 0.032sec ahead of Turner Motorsports’ BMW M4, with Simpson’s stricken Gradient Acura retaining third ahead of Jaden Conwright in the NTE/SSR Lamborghini Huracan.
Qualifying begins at 1.20pm local (Eastern) time.
| Cla | Driver | Class | Chassis | Laps | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Oliver Jarvis Tom Blomqvist | DPi | Acura DPi | 36 | 1'29.581 | |
| 2 |  Ricky Taylor  Filipe Albuquerque | DPi | Acura DPi | 35 | 1'29.607 | 0.026 |
| 3 |  Earl Bamber Alex Lynn | DPi | Cadillac DPi | 41 | 1'29.820 | 0.239 |
| 4 |  Renger van der Zande  Sébastien Bourdais | DPi | Cadillac DPi | 37 | 1'30.418 | 0.837 |
| 5 | Olivier Pla  Pipo Derani Mike Conway | DPi | Cadillac DPi | 39 | 1'30.529 | 0.948 |
| 6 | Tristan Vautier Richard Westbrook Loic Duval | DPi | Cadillac DPi | 38 | 1'31.302 | 1.721 |
| 7 |  Mike Rockenfeller  Kamui Kobayashi Jimmie Johnson | DPi | Cadillac DPi | 33 | 1'31.878 | 2.297 |
| 8 | Frits van Eerd Giedo van der Garde Dylan Murry | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 39 | 1'32.771 | 3.190 |
| 9 | Ben Keating  Mikkel Jensen Scott Huffaker | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 39 | 1'33.555 | 3.974 |
| 10 |  Henrik Hedman  Juan Pablo Montoya Sebastian Montoya | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 36 | 1'33.580 | 3.999 |
| 11 | Steven Thomas Josh Pierson Jonathan Bomarito | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 43 | 1'33.986 | 4.405 |
| 12 | Dwight Merriman Kyle Tilley Ryan Dalziel | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 39 | 1'34.406 | 4.825 |
| 13 | Dennis Andersen Anders Fjordbach  Fabio Scherer | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 43 | 1'34.507 | 4.926 |
| 14 |  John Farano Louis Deletraz Rui Andrade | LMP2 | ORECA LMP2 07 | 42 | 1'34.786 | 5.205 |
| 15 | Joao Barbosa Malthe Jakobsen Lance Willsey | LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | 38 | 1'39.669 | 10.088 |
| 16 | Dakota Dickerson Josh Sarchet Tyler Maxson | LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | 23 | 1'40.067 | 10.486 |
| 17 | Jon Bennett Colin Braun George Kurtz | LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | 29 | 1'40.378 | 10.797 |
| 18 | Anthony Mantella Matthew Bell Wayne Boyd | LMP3 | Duqueine D08 | 29 | 1'40.598 | 11.017 |
| 19 | Jarett Andretti Josh Burdon Gabby Chaves | LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | 33 | 1'40.701 | 11.120 |
| 20 | Gar Robinson Felipe Fraga Kay van Berlo | LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | 35 | 1'40.769 | 11.188 |
| 21 | Daniel Goldburg Rasmus Lindh  Cameron Shields | LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | 39 | 1'40.866 | 11.285 |
| 22 | Ari Balogh Garett Grist Nolan Siegel | LMP3 | Ligier JS P320 | 36 | 1'41.172 | 11.591 |
| 23 | Ugo De Danny Formal Dillon Machavern | LMP3 | Duqueine D08 | 33 | 1'41.508 | 11.927 |
| 24 | Orey Fidani Kyle Marcelli Lars Kern | LMP3 | Duqueine D08 | 39 | 1'41.744 | 12.163 |
| 25 | Nico Varrone Max Hanratty James Vance | LMP3 | Duqueine D08 | 35 | 1'43.402 | 13.821 |
| 26 | Ben Barnicoat Kyle Kirkwood | GTD PRO | Lexus RC F GT3 | 29 | 1'45.338 | 15.757 |
| 27 | Mike Skeen Stevan McAleer Dirk Muller | GTD | Mercedes AMG GT3 | 32 | 1'45.388 | 15.807 |
| 28 | Robby Foley Bill Auberlen Michael Dinan | GTD | BMW M4 GT3 | 35 | 1'45.420 | 15.839 |
| 29 | Ross Gunn  Alex Riberas | GTD PRO | Aston Martin Vantage GT3 | 34 | 1'45.476 | 15.895 |
| 30 | Matt Campbell Mathieu Jaminet | GTD PRO | Porsche 911 GT3 R | 34 | 1'45.496 | 15.915 |
| 31 | Connor de Phillippi John Edwards Augusto Farfus | GTD PRO | BMW M4 GT3 | 29 | 1'45.516 | 15.935 |
| 32 | Cooper MacNeil Maro Engel Mikael Grenier | GTD PRO | Mercedes AMG GT3 | 36 | 1'45.707 | 16.126 |
| 33 | Daniel Serra  Davide Rigon | GTD PRO | Ferrari 488 GT3 | 37 | 1'45.715 | 16.134 |
| 34 | Kyffin Simpson Till Bechtolsheimer Mario Farnbacher | GTD | Acura NSX GT3 | 23 | 1'45.742 | 16.161 |
| 35 | Jaden Conwright Marco Holzer Don Yount | GTD | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 | 34 | 1'45.844 | 16.263 |
| 36 | Bryan Sellers Madison Snow Erik Johansson | GTD | BMW M4 GT3 | 35 | 1'45.854 | 16.273 |
| 37 | Roberto Lacorte Giorgio Sernagiotto Antonio Fuoco | GTD | Ferrari 488 GT3 | 34 | 1'45.999 | 16.418 |
| 38 | John Potter Andy Lally Spencer Pumpelly | GTD | Aston Martin Vantage GT3 | 38 | 1'46.061 | 16.480 |
| 39 | Antonio Garcia Jordan Taylor | GTD PRO | Corvette C8.R GTD | 33 | 1'46.092 | 16.511 |
| 40 | Frankie Montecalvo Aaron Telitz Richard Heistand | GTD | Lexus RC F GT3 | 26 | 1'46.251 | 16.670 |
| 41 | Brendan Iribe Ollie Millroy  Jordan Lee Pepper | GTD | McLaren 720S GT3 | 37 | 1'46.285 | 16.704 |
| 42 | Robert Megennis Corey Lewis Jeff Westphal | GTD | Lamborghini Huracan GT3 | 34 | 1'46.290 | 16.709 |
| 43 | Russell Ward Philip Ellis Marvin Dienst | GTD | Mercedes AMG GT3 | 35 | 1'46.291 | 16.710 |
| 44 | Jon Miller Paul Holton Patrick Gallagher | GTD | McLaren 720S GT3 | 30 | 1'46.314 | 16.733 |
| 45 | Roman De Angelis  Maxime Martin Ian James | GTD | Aston Martin Vantage GT3 | 34 | 1'46.343 | 16.762 |
| 46 | Ryan Hardwick Zacharie Robichon Jan Heylen | GTD | Porsche 911 GT3 R | 35 | 1'46.360 | 16.779 |
| 47 | Rob Ferriol Katherine Legge Stefan Wilson | GTD | Porsche 911 GT3 R | 23 | 1'46.585 | 17.004 |
| 48 | Simon Mann  Luis Perez Companc  Toni Vilander | GTD | Ferrari 488 GT3 | 38 | 1'46.693 | 17.112 |
| View full results | ||||||
Lotterer to depart Porsche Formula E squad for LMDh seat
JDC-Miller becomes first Porsche LMDh customer in IMSA
Road America IMSA: Albuquerque/Taylor win, title rival Jarvis crashes
Wayne Taylor Racing’s Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor won Sunday’s rain-impacted IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship round at Road America, as title rival Oliver Jarvis crashed his similar Acura in the closing laps of the race and lost the points lead.
Road America IMSA: Albuquerque on pole for Acura, Bourdais crashes hard
Wayne Taylor Racing’s Filipe Albuquerque took pole position for Sunday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship round at Road America for Acura in a red-flagged qualifying, while Lexus took GTD pole thanks to Jack Hawksworth.
IMSA reveals 2023 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship schedule
IMSA has revealed an 11-race schedule for 2023, and while Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course has been confirmed as the penultimate race of the season, Mid-Ohio and Detroit have lost their dates.
Road America IMSA: Ganassi Cadillac 1-2 in second practice
Alex Lynn and Sebastien Bourdais sent Chip Ganassi Racing’s Cadillac DPi V-Rs to the top of the times in Practice 2 for Sunday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship round at Road America.
The British pair at the heart of Lexus's sportscar push
Have you heard the one about two British guys driving for a Japanese manufacturer in America’s top sportscar series? Time to sit down and talk with Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat about racing across the pond… and your accent being mistaken for Australian!
Why Peugeot couldn't afford to take a Le Mans gamble in 2022
Ahead of the much-anticipated arrival of its new 9X8 Hypercar, Peugeot revealed that it would not be entering this year's Le Mans 24 Hours with its incoming machinery. Although development restrictions for homologated cars are partially responsible, the French marque can draw on its own lessons from its history in sportscars
Why the GTP name undermines convergence between IMSA and WEC
OPINION: The adoption by IMSA of the GTP name for its forthcoming LMDh versus Le Mans Hypercar era in 2023 appeals to fans of nostalgia - but it undermines the commonality achieved by bringing its rulebook into line with the WEC. GTP or Hypercar, both sides should settle on a single name
Celebrating the weird and wonderful monsters of sportscar racing
Few disciplines of motorsport offer better possibilities to build a colossus of the track than sportscars. For Autosport's recent Monsters of Motorsport special issue, we picked out some of the finest (and not so fine) that have graced sportscar classics including Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring
How Castroneves and Meyer Shank conquered another US classic
Helio Castroneves continued his fine start to life with Meyer Shank Racing that netted the 2021 Indianapolis 500 victory by prevailing in last weekend's Daytona 24 Hours together with teammates Tom Blomqvist, Oliver Jarvis and Simon Pagenaud. As Cadillac fell by the wayside, the Brazilian veteran won out in an all-Acura duel to the finish
How Derani's long road to title success exorcised painful memories
It took Pipo Derani no time at all to establish himself as a winner in IMSA, winning the Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring 12 Hours on his first two starts in 2016. But it took until the final corner of the 2021 season before he could become its champion, the culmination of a journey that he believes has made him a better driver.
The significance of the next step in WEC/IMSA convergence
Following the latest convergence connection permitting Le Mans Hypercars from the FIA World Endurance Championship to compete against LMDh entries in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship from 2023, it could open up enticing options not only to manufacturers but also for the calendar and race formats
Why a Mazda IMSA Prototype title would bring bitter joy
Can Mazda win this year’s IMSA Prototype championship? Undoubtedly. But it will be the culmination of an achingly hard struggle, after which the brand has decided to quit. David Malsher-Lopez tells the story of a bizarre blend of heartache and positivity.