IMSA News: Penske Porsches dominate 3rd Roar Test Session
Porsche Penske Motorsport kicked off Saturday’s testing at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 with a commanding performance, securing a 1-2 finish in the GTP class during the third session at Daytona International Speedway. Make no mistake – everyone is sandbagging in the Roar Before the Rolex 24 to prevent having a BoP change imposed on them to slow them down before the real race. It’s hilarious.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
Under sunny skies and milder temperatures compared to Friday, Laurens Vanthoor, the defending Rolex 24 winner, piloted the No. 6 Porsche 963 (pictured) to the top spot with a blistering lap time of 1:36.549. Right behind him, teammate Laurin Heinrich in the No. 7 Porsche 963 clocked a 1:36.968, trailing by just 0.419 seconds and underscoring the team’s early dominance in the 90-minute outing.
The session highlighted a strong showing from Cadillac, which claimed the next three positions in the GTP category. Filipe Albuquerque placed third in the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R with a 1:37.021, followed closely by teammates Will Stevens (or Jordan Taylor, depending on the stint) in the No. 40 sister car in fourth, and Frederik Vesti rounding out the top five in the No. 31 Action Express Racing entry.
Tom Blomqvist delivered a solid sixth for the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06, while Ross Gunn managed seventh in the No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH despite the car facing multiple on-track halts that necessitated an engine change post-session.
The BMW M Hybrid V8 duo from WRT filled eighth and ninth, with Robin Frijns in the No. 24 and Raffaele Marciello in the No. 25, the latter briefly stopping at Turn 7 but resuming without major delay. The No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 completed the top ten.
Shifting to LMP2, TDS Racing continued its impressive form as Mathias Beche set the pace with a 1:40.159 in the No. 11 Oreca 07 Gibson, edging out Hunter McElrea in the No. 2 United Autosports entry by 0.156 seconds.
Jonny Edgar followed in third aboard the No. 99 AO Racing Oreca, just 0.035 seconds off McElrea’s time, showcasing the competitive edge among the Silver-rated drivers early on. However, the class wasn’t without drama—three teams, including Tower Motorsports (No. 8), Era Motorsport (No. 18), and Pratt Miller Motorsports (No. 73), faced penalties for technical infractions involving unapproved sensors, resulting in a stop-plus-60-minute hold that limited their track time until the final half-hour. This move by IMSA officials aimed to ensure fairness across the board.
In the GT ranks, the GTD class saw Felipe Fraga unleash the potential of the No. 16 Myers Riley Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 EVO, posting the overall quickest GT lap of 1:47.453.
Indy Dontje secured second in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, with Jake Walker third in the No. 66 Gradient Racing Ford. Over in GTD Pro, the Mercedes-AMG contingent shone brightly, with Will Power leading the way in what appears to be the No. 75 SunEnergy1 Racing entry (noted as Express in reports) at 1:47.612, ahead of Maxime Martin in the No. 69 GetSpeed Mercedes and Sandy Mitchell in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2.
The session wasn’t flawless, as several teams encountered setbacks. The No. 93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura, driven by Nick Yelloly, managed only a handful of laps before retiring to the garage with overheating brakes. Clutch problems sidelined the No. 36 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R entirely, preventing any timed laps, while other minor stops—including Oliver Jarvis going off at Turn 5 in the No. 37 Intersport Racing Oreca and Harry King halting the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche at Turn 3—added to the interruptions. The session wrapped up slightly early when Dave Musial Sr. stopped the No. 123 Muehlner Motorsports Porsche at Turn 7 with minutes remaining.
As teams gear up for the remaining sessions, including the fourth outing that kicked off around 3:10 PM ET, Porsche Penske’s strong start signals their intent to challenge for the overall victory at the upcoming Rolex 24. With a mix of speed, reliability tweaks, and penalty enforcements shaping the narrative, the Roar continues to build excitement for one of endurance racing’s crown jewels.