The first control struggle has ended at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the center of speed and precision. Perfectly driving the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsports 963, Matt Campbell set the afternoon’s quickest lap time.
Everything lined up perfectly under the broad Indiana sky, fitting the event’s importance. This historic track hosted the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship for the first time in over a decade. Campbell’s breathless 1:15.184 feat broke records. It showed the best driving skills on these famous bricks. A mix of engine roars and tire squeals signaled speed.
Filipe Albuquerque, who never gave up, was 0.022 seconds behind Campbell in the #10 WTR Andretti Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06.
This victory was another Porsche GTP comeback highlight. They sailed over the Pacific to America after a vital software update. They made their presence known on these historic grounds.
Veteran Brickyard racer Sebastien Bourdais drove the #01 Cadillac Racing V-Series to the top with style. Connor de Phillippi, an Indy 8-Hour winner, entered the top group. He did this using the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8’s power. Four GTP makers stood tall, showing the sport’s constant improvement.
But the #7 Porsche’s journey has its challenges. Felipe Nasr danced close to disaster as the final line approached. He came near to hitting the #80 AO Racing “Roxy” Porsche 911 GT3 R in turn one when his tires locked up. Nasr performed a stunning 180-degree turn to get back into the race, avoiding a crash with the #6 Penske Porsche, which had drifted off to prevent a collision.
Two red interruptions occurred during practice. Alan Brynjolfsson’s #77 Wright Motorsports Porsche GT3 R momentarily grabbed interest at 40 minutes, but it continued.
The #94 Andretti Autosport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 engine failed with 15 minutes left. The heroic firefighting crew battled the conflagration after Jarett Andretti carefully stopped it after turning seven. Unfortunately for the third-generation Andretti, his Aston had been sitting since a horrific crash at Lime Rock Park and missed the final two races.
Mikkel Jensen drove the #11 TDS Racing Oreca LMP2 07 to LMP2 pole position with precision. He led Ryan Dalziel in the Era Motorsports #18 and Ben Hanley in the CrowdStrike Racing by APR #04 by 56 milliseconds. Dan Goldburg, a new Tower Motorsports driver, set the fastest Bronze-rated LMP2 masters time. His first impression was good.
Garett Grist drove the #30 Jr III Racing Ligier JS P320 well in LMP3, while Matt Bell drove the #13 AWA Duquiene D08.
The determined Jack Hawksworth led GTD Pro with the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 to a 1:23.636. In GTD, Patrick Gallagher drove the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3, and Loris Spinelli drove the #78 Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2.
Patrick Pilet’s #9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche was second fastest in GTD Pro, and Jules Gounon’s #79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 finished third.
Despite Brynjolfsson’s poor start, Russell Ward’s #57 Winward Racing Mercedes and Mikal Grenier’s renamed #32 Korthoff Preston Motorsports Mercedes finished third and fourth in GTD. Despite the session’s obstacles, Trent Hindman’s #77 Wright Porsche finished fifth in class.
Once the engines and tires stop, the stage is poised for the next performance. The second practice begins at 8:50 a.m. ET. This shows how hard people strive to excel in this high-stakes sector.
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