Cadillac Sets the Pace in Rolex 24 Evening Practice
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Earl Bamber clocked the fastest lap in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, signaling strong pace for the team ahead of the iconic endurance race.
- Earl Bamber posted a lap time of 1 minute, 35.914 seconds, leading evening practice.
- Julien Andlauer in the Porsche 963 was a close second, just 0.056 seconds behind.
- Antonio Felix da Costa topped the LMP2 class with a time of 1 minute, 39.791 seconds.
- Several incidents occurred during the session, including a red flag and car damage.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The Whelen Cadillac team is making a statement at Daytona International Speedway. Earl Bamber, 35, of New Zealand, put the No. 31 Cadillac V-Series.R on top of the timesheets during evening practice for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, setting a blistering lap of 1 minute, 35.914 seconds. This early speed suggests Cadillac is a serious contender as teams prepare for the grueling 24-hour endurance race.
Porsche and Acura Close Behind
Porsche Penske Motorsport’s Julien Andlauer wasn’t far behind, securing the second-fastest time with a 1 minute, 36.00 second lap in the No. 7 Porsche 963 – a mere 0.056 seconds separating the top two. Tom Blomqvist rounded out the top three, piloting the No. 60 Acura ARX-06 for Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian to a time of 1 minute, 36.147 seconds, 0.233 seconds off Bamber’s pace.
LMP2 and GT Classes See Competitive Times
In the LMP2 class, Antonio Felix da Costa drove the No. 43 ORECA LMP2 07 of Inter Europol Competition to the fastest time of 1 minute, 39.791 seconds around the 3.56-mile Daytona speedway road course. The GTD Pro class was led by Antonio Garcia, who posted a 1 minute, 46.742 second lap in the No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R for Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports.
The GTD class saw Wayne Taylor Racing’s No. 45 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, driven by Danny Formal, set the pace with a flying lap of 1 minute, 46.768 seconds.
Incidents and Repairs Mark Practice Session
The practice session wasn’t without its drama. Just 15 minutes in, Dudu Barrichello experienced a wheel issue with his No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, resulting in a brief off-track excursion in Turn 5. Fortunately, he avoided significant contact with the barriers, and the team will retain its qualifying pole position.
AO Racing’s No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) “Rexy” required substantial pit lane attention, with crew members removing the front bumper with 44 minutes remaining. They finished 10th in the GTD Pro class and 50th overall.
Further incident occurred when Paul Di Resta, in the No. 22 ORECA LMP2 07 for United Autosports USA, made contact with Carl Bennett, sending his car off track in Turn 7. Di Resta managed to return to the pits for repairs to the rear bodywork.
The session concluded with a fire on the No. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R of 13 Autosport. Safety crews worked diligently to extinguish the flames, requiring multiple hits to the rear of the car driven by Matt Bell before the fire was fully suppressed.
