This is only the second year of the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but it looks like there’s one IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship team that has figured out the Brickyard more than any other.
Reigning event winners Nick Tandy and Mathieu Jaminet led the opening practice Friday for the six-hour endurance sports car event Sunday, as Jaminet turned a top lap of 1 minute, 16.138 seconds in the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 GTP prototype.
SEE: Practice Results
“It’s very good competition and lots of good cars out there,” Tandy said. “But the car seems to be working well. It’s always good to start FP1 (first practice) with no issues. We’re just running through setup points, tire bits and pieces.
“I’m sure nobody’s car feels great. When the track is hot and the temperatures are hot, the tires take a pasting.”
Up next for the four classes of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, which compete simultaneously in the race that starts at 11:40 a.m. ET Sunday, is another 90-minute practice from 8:55-10:25 a.m. Saturday, followed by qualifying sessions grouped by classes starting at 3:40 p.m.
The Cadillac Racing team of four-time INDYCAR SERIES champion Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande ended up second in the GTP class and overall in practice Friday after a best lap of 1:16.177 in the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R prepared by Chip Ganassi Racing.
Nick Yelloly and Connor De Phillippi ended up third in GTP and overall at 1:16.565 in the No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8 fielded by BMW M Team Rahal Letterman Lanigan.
The chase for the pole Saturday should be tight in the premier GTP class, as just .753 of a second separated the top eight cars in the class in the 90-minute practice.
INDY NXT by Firestone race winner Hunter McElrea is one of three drivers in the No. 11 TDS Racing machine that turned the leading LMP2 class lap of 1:17.368. Mikkel Jensen and Steven Thomas also are behind the wheel for the team.
Riccardo Agostini drove the No. 023 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 to the top of the GT Daytona leaderboard with a lap of 1:23.855. That was quicker than the top GTD PRO class lap of 1:24.030 by Marvin Kirchhofer in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 EVO.
The Michelin Pilot Challenge also opened practice with two sessions for its two-hour race at 1:05 p.m. Saturday.
Leading both sessions in the GS class was the team of Trent Hindman and Stevan McAleer, with Hindman quickest overall at 1:30.320 in the first practice in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS. The team of Karl Wittmer and Dai Yoshihara were the quickest overall in the TCR class, leading the first practice at 1:32.188 in the No. 93 Montreal Motorsport Group Honda Civic FL5.
Racing began Friday in the single-make series competing this weekend at the Racing Capital of the World.
Bryson Morris and co-driver Loris Cabirou won the first of two 50-minute Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America races in the No. 30 ANSA Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan. The second race is at 5:10 p.m. Saturday.
Loek Hartog led from the pole to the checkered to win the first of two 40-minute Porsche Carrera Cup North America races in the No. 24 Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. The second race is at 11:10 a.m. Saturday.
Visit IMS.com for tickets and more information on the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks.
