Kellani ari

Listen to this article GTP Electrical issues delayed the WTR-Andretti car from strutting its stuff on track, so that Albuquerque had just 14 laps to get the job done, but his eighth lap was a 1min48.303sec around the legendary 3.74-mile track. That was enough for him to shade Renger van der Zande’s top time in the #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac V-Series.R by 0.133sec, and the Action Express Racing Caddy of Jack Aitken by a further tenth. Connor De Phillippi was just 0.432sec away from top time in the #25 BMW M Hybrid, but his co-driver Sheldon van der Linde shunted the car in the closing minutes, bringing the session to a halt under a red flag. Augusto Farfus in the sister BMW was fifth, but 0.6sec behind. The #6 Porsche 963 of Porsche Penske Motorsport ran 29 laps, but was 1.1sec down on Albuquerque’s benchmark. Having been delayed in hitting the track by an electronics problem, the Meyer Shank Racing Acura then ground to a halt with less than 20mins of the session … [Read more...] about Sebring 12H: Albuquerque tops first practice in WTR-Andretti Acura

Listen to this article Amid a flurry of new-tired times at the end of the session, Blomqvist’s 1m47.049s was just 0.026s faster than Sebastien Bourdais in Chip Ganassi Racing ’s Cadillac. GTP Filipe Albuquerque ’s fastest time of 1m48.303s from FP1 in the Wayne Taylor Racing-Andretti Acura ARX-06 was immediately eclipsed by Alexander Sims in the Action Express-run Cadillac V-Series.R, who turned 1m47.732s and then 1m47.659s straight out of the box. Matt Campbell was three tenths off that in the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963, lapping in 1m47.974s, ahead of the Acuras of Ricky Taylor (WTR) and Colin Braun ( MSR Acura ) that remained in the 1m48s bracket to begin with. AXR’s day went from good to bad, as Jack Aitken locked up and nosed the #31 into the tires at Turn 3, causing a red flag. After the resumption, Taylor unleashed 1m47.378s to wrest P1 away. The times came thick and fast at the end of the session, as Blomqvist took the top spot with 1m47.049s. … [Read more...] about Sebring 12H: Blomqvist Acura beats Bourdais Cadillac by 0.026s in FP2

Listen to this article GTP Alexander Sims was the first driver to duck under the 1m50s barrier with a 1:49.256 on his seventh lap in the Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R and worked down to a 1:48.820. By then his nearest competitor was Nick Tandy in the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsports 963, 0.152s behind, with Louis Deletraz third for Wayne Taylor Racing Andretti another 0.06s down. Then the Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 expired on its 10th lap, bringing out the red, and with half hour to go, the WTR Acura also stopped on course with Filipe Albuquerque at the wheel. Philipp Eng’s best lap in the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 was, encouragingly, within half a second of the top spot. By the time of the final red flag, all eight GTP cars were lined up ready to roll, but the tire wall repairs necessary at Turn 17 for a shunt from a GTD Porsche left no time to get more laps in. LMP2 Josh Pierson and Scott Huffaker put their two TDS Racing Orecas top ahead of … [Read more...] about Sebring 12H: AXR Cadillac leads Porsche in disrupted night session

Listen to this article GTP A 20-minute session for eight class entrants on a 3.74-mile racecourse meant the teams could space themselves well on track. Wayne Taylor Racing Andretti Autosport’s Ricky Taylor delivered a 1m46.100 to go half a second clear of fellow Acura ARX-06 runner, Tom Blomqvist in the Meyer Shank Racing entry. They both pitted for fresh rubber and while in the pits, they were split by Pipo Derani in the Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R, who then went faster still, delivering a 1m45.836s to spring to the top. Sebastien Bourdais of Chip Ganassi Racing made it a Cadillac 1-2, just 0.087s away, and before anyone could effectively respond, Matt Campbell buried his #7 Porsche Penske Motorsports 963 in the Turn 1 tire wall after brushing the inside wall. Thus the V-Series.R not only scored its first pole, Cadillac locked out the front row. They had also run the whole session on just one set of tires, ensuring they have one more fresh … [Read more...] about Sebring 12H: Cadillac locks out front row, Porsche crashes

Listen to this article GTP After a furious battle between Cadillac and Acura in the opening hour, Ganassi jumped Sebastien Bourdais ahead of Pipo Derani out of the pits following the first round of stops, despite giving it four fresh Michelins – partly thanks to a very strong in-lap from Bourdais – but then the field was bunched by the second full course yellow just after the start of the second hour, so the Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R was right behind Ganassi’s similar car for the restart. Behind them, both Tom Blomqvist in Meyer Shank Racing’s Acura ARX-06 and Matt Campbell in the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 got ahead of Ricky Taylor’s Wayne Taylor Racing Acura. Under the elongated caution, both BMW M Hybrid V8s and the second Porsche of Mathieu Jaminet pitted a second time, emerging in the order Augusto Farfus (#24 BMW), Jaminet and Connor De Phillippi (#25 BMW). Immediately Taylor got around Campbell’s Porsche to grab fourth, and within three laps, … [Read more...] about Sebring 12H Hr3: Dixon leads in Ganassi Cadillac, BMW looking strong

Listen to this article Apart from a pitlane speeding penalty, the #10 Acura of Ricky Taylor , Filipe Albuquerque and Louis Deletraz had a seemingly comfortable race until a series of late restarts embroiled them in a battle with the #6 Porsche of Mathieu Jaminet , Nick Tandy and Dane Cameron . Albuquerque and Jaminet were battling for the win in the darkness when they came across GTD traffic in the closing minutes, and they took each other out – with the second Penske Porsche of Felipe Nasr piling into the accident and taking out the top three cars in an instant. That left the door open for the #31 AXR Cadillac of Pipo Derani , Alexander Sims and Jack Aitken to steal the victory, Derani taking his fourth overall win at Sebring. #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Matt Campbell, Felipe Nasr, Michael Christensen Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images GTP In a race of fluctuating fortunes, the lead had ebbed and flowed in the early … [Read more...] about Sebring 12 Hours: AXR Cadillac wins after wild, late-race GTP pile-up