IMSA Sebring Hour 1: #31 Aitken Cadillac leads from pole
SEBRING, Florida — Jack Aitken delivered a commanding opening stint as the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R led the first hour of the 74th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
Starting from pole, Aitken held off early pressure from Kévin Estre in the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963. The race was neutralized just before the 40-minute mark when a full-course yellow flew for debris. The ensuing pit stops shuffled the order slightly, but flawless work from the Whelen Cadillac crew kept Aitken out front on the restart.
At the one-hour mark, the #31 Cadillac still led a very tight GTP field. Renger van der Zande had charged up to second in the No. 93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura, while Estre ran third. Tom Blomqvist in the sister No. 60 Acura and Sheldon van der Linde in the No. 24 BMW M Team WRT machine completed the top five, with all four cars covered by just seconds.
In LMP2, PJ Hyett and the No. 99 AO Racing ORECA moved into the class lead following the pit cycle. The category was lively, featuring multiple spins and a drive-through penalty for Naveen Rao in the Era Motorsport entry after contact with another prototype.
Manthey Racing’s No. 911 Porsche took the GTD PRO lead after the stops with Ricardo Feller at the wheel, while Simon Mann moved the No. 21 AF Corse USA Ferrari to the front of the GTD class.
The 54-car field remains tightly packed as America’s endurance classic heads into its second hour.