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Edition

Australia
Qualifying report

Sebring 12 Hours: Vautier, De Phillippi, Serra take pole positions

Qualifying lap records fell in all three classes at Sebring Raceway, with Tristan Vautier clocking top time in the Spirit of Daytona Cadillac DPi-V.R.

Polesitter Tristan Vautier, Spirit of Daytona Racing

Polesitter Tristan Vautier, Spirit of Daytona Racing

Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images

Polesitter Tristan Vautier, Spirit of Daytona Racing
Polesitter Tristan Vautier, Spirit of Daytona Racing
GTD polesitter Daniel Serra, Spirit of Race
#2 Tequila Patron ESM Nissan DPi, P: Scott Sharp, Ryan Dalziel, Olivier Pla
#7 Acura Team Penske Acura DPi, P: Helio Castroneves, Ricky Taylor, Graham Rahal
#77 Mazda Team Joest Mazda DPi, P: Oliver Jarvis, Tristan Nunez, René Rast
#25 BMW Team RLL BMW M8, GTLM: Bill Auberlen, Alexander Sims, Connor de Phillippi
#15 3GT Racing Lexus RCF GT3, GTD: Jack Hawksworth, David Heinemeier Hansson, Sean Rayhall
#48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3, GTD: Madison Snow, Bryan Sellers, Bryce Miller
#4 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, GTLM: Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner, Marcel Fassler
#24 BMW Team RLL BMW M8, GTLM: John Edwards, Jesse Krohn, Nicky Catsburg
#55 Mazda Team Joest Mazda DPi, P: Jonathan Bomarito, Spencer Pigot, Harry Tincknell
#14 3GT Racing Lexus RCF GT3, GTD: Dominik Baumann, Kyle Marcelli, Philipp Frommenwiler

Prototype

Vautier lapped the 3.74-mile 17-turn course in 1min47.432sec – a new lap record for the class and 0.16sec faster than Olivier Pla’s #2 ESM Nissan.

Vautier, who claimed GT Daytona pole at Sebring one year ago, said: "This was a bit unexpected because we didn't do so much running in practice after having some problems. 

"It was hot, so the tires came in quickly and then degraded quickly, so you had to do the time early."

Ricky Taylor spun the #7 Penske-Acura but recovered to set a 1min47.773sec and grab third place ahead of the second Nissan of Pipo Derani.

Felipe Nasr was fastest of the Action Express Cadillacs in fifth ahead of the second Penske-Acura driven by Juan Pablo Montoya.

Rene Rast was the faster of the two Mazda RT24-Ps, 0.76 off top spot but ahead of Filipe Albuquerque in the #5 AXR Caddy, Jonathan Bomarito in the #55 Mazda and Renger van der Zande in the Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac.

Stephen Simpson posted the fastest time in an LMP2 car, ending up on a 1m48.742s to take 11th place aboard his JDC-Miller Motorsports Oreca 07. 

Sebastian Saavedra looped the #52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsport Ligier around but did enough to edge the similar car of United Autosports, driven by ex-F1 driver Paul di Resta, down to 16th.

GT Le Mans

Connor De Phillippi put the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing-run BMW M8 on pole by a mere 0.058sec ahead of James Calado in the Risi Competizione Ferrari 488, thereby scoring the new-for-2018 car’s first pole.

De Phillippi did the job with on his first flying lap, as did teammate Jesse Krohn who will grid the #24 M8 in third, with a time just 0.146 off his teammate.

Richard Westbrook edged teammate Joey Hand to take fourth in the #67 Ford GT, while Laurens Vanthoor will roll off sixth in the Porsche 911 RSR, 0.412sec from the front.

The Corvette C7.Rs will line up seventh and ninth, sandwiching the second Porsche of Nick Tandy, with the nine-car field covered by 1.061sec. Tommy Milner’s best in the #4 Corvette was just 1.8sec faster than the top GTD time.

GT Daytona

Daniel Serra set a sensational pole for GT Daytona, with a 1min58.710sec lap in his AF Corse-run Spirit of Race Ferrari 488. That was not only more than half a second quicker than his nearest rival, Christopher Mies in the Land Motorsport Audi R8, but a second under the GTD lap record from last year.

Third and fourth were the 3GT Lexus RC Fs of Jack Hawksworth and Dominik Baumann, with Paul Miller Racing’s Lamborghini Hurcan fifth, piloted by Madison Snow.

Early pacesetter Gunnar Jeannette pitted after just four laps in the Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 and wound up sixth, while Thomas Jaeger ws seventh in the SunEnergy1 Mercedes AMG GT, while the HART team usurped Michael Shank Racing as the top Acura NSX runners, although Tom Dyer was 1.3sec off the ultimate pace.

Additional reporting by Gary Watkins

Qualifying results:

Pos.No.DriverClassChassisTimeGap
1 90 united_states Matt McMurry 
france Tristan Vautier 
italy  Eddie Cheever III 
P Cadillac DPi 1'47.432  
2 2 united_states Scott Sharp 
united_kingdom Ryan Dalziel 
france Olivier Pla 
P Nissan DPi 1'47.592 0.160
3 7 brazil Helio Castroneves 
united_states Graham Rahal 
united_states Ricky Taylor 
P Acura DPi 1'47.773 0.341
4 22 brazil Pipo Derani 
united_states Johannes van Overbeek 
france Nicolas Lapierre 
P Nissan DPi 1'47.834 0.402
5 31 united_kingdom Mike Conway 
united_states Eric Curran 
brazil Felipe Nasr 
P Cadillac DPi 1'47.853 0.421
6 6 colombia Juan Pablo Montoya 
france Simon Pagenaud 
united_states Dane Cameron 
P Acura DPi 1'48.177 0.745
7 77 united_kingdom Oliver Jarvis 
germany René Rast 
united_states Tristan Nunez 
P Mazda DPi 1'48.192 0.760
8 5 brazil Christian Fittipaldi 
portugal Filipe Albuquerque 
portugal Joao Barbosa 
P Cadillac DPi 1'48.256 0.824
9 55 united_kingdom Harry Tincknell 
united_states Spencer Pigot 
united_states Jonathan Bomarito 
P Mazda DPi 1'48.279 0.847
10 10 united_states Jordan Taylor 
united_states Ryan Hunter-Reay 
netherlands Renger van der Zande 
P Cadillac DPi 1'48.370 0.938
11 99 canada Mikhail Goikhberg 
united_states Chris Miller 
south_africa Stephen Simpson 
P ORECA LMP2 1'48.742 1.310
12 38 united_states James French 
united_states  Kyle Masson 
mexico Patricio O'Ward 
P ORECA LMP2 1'49.068 1.636
13 54 france Romain Dumas 
united_states Jon Bennett 
united_states Colin Braun 
P ORECA LMP2 1'49.158 1.726
14 85 switzerland Simon Trummer 
france Nelson Panciatici 
united_states Robert Alon 
P ORECA LMP2 1'49.329 1.897
15 52 colombia Gustavo Yacaman 
mexico Roberto Gonzalez 
colombia Sebastian Saavedra 
P Ligier LMP2 1'49.423 1.991
16 32 united_kingdom Paul di Resta 
united_kingdom Alex Brundle 
united_kingdom Phil Hanson 
P Ligier LMP2 1'49.488 2.056
17 25 united_states Bill Auberlen 
united_states Connor de Phillippi 
united_kingdom Alexander Sims 
GTLM BMW M8 GTLM 1'55.839 8.407
18 62 united_kingdom James Calado 
finland Toni Vilander 
italy Alessandro Pier Guidi 
GTLM Ferrari 488 GTE 1'55.897 8.465
19 24 united_states John Edwards 
finland Jesse Krohn 
netherlands Nick Catsburg 
GTLM BMW M8 GTLM 1'55.985 8.553
20 67 australia Ryan Briscoe 
new_zealand Scott Dixon 
united_kingdom Richard Westbrook 
GTLM Ford GT 1'56.098 8.666
21 66 france Sébastien Bourdais 
united_states Joey Hand 
germany Dirk Müller 
GTLM Ford GT 1'56.191 8.759
22 912 italy Gianmaria Bruni 
new_zealand Earl Bamber 
belgium Laurens Vanthoor 
GTLM Porsche 911 RSR 1'56.251 8.819
23 3 denmark Jan Magnussen 
spain Antonio Garcia 
germany Mike Rockenfeller 
GTLM Corvette C7.R 1'56.588 9.156
24 911 united_kingdom Nick Tandy 
france Patrick Pilet 
france Frédéric Makowiecki 
GTLM Porsche 911 RSR 1'56.626 9.194
25 4 switzerland Marcel Fassler 
united_kingdom Oliver Gavin 
united_states Tommy Milner 
GTLM Corvette C7.R 1'56.900 9.468
26 51 portugal Pedro Lamy 
canada Paul Dalla Lana 
austria Mathias Lauda 
brazil Daniel Serra 
GTD Ferrari 488 GT3 1'58.710 11.278
27 29 belgium Alessio Picariello 
germany Christopher Mies 
south_africa Sheldon Van Der Linde 
GTD Audi R8 LMS GT3 1'59.229 11.797
28 15 denmark David Heinemeier Hansson
united_kingdom Jack Hawksworth 
united_states Sean Rayhall 
GTD Lexus RC F GT3 1'59.251 11.819
29 14 canada Kyle Marcelli 
austria Dominik Baumann 
switzerland Philipp Frommenwiler 
GTD Lexus RC F GT3 1'59.476 12.044
30 48 united_states Corey Lewis 
united_states Bryan Sellers 
united_states Madison Snow 
GTD Lamborghini Huracan GT3 1'59.489 12.057
31 63 united_states Cooper MacNeil 
united_states Gunnar Jeannette 
italy Alessandro Balzan 
GTD Ferrari 488 GT3 1'59.609 12.177
32 75 australia Kenny Habul 
germany Thomas Jäger 
canada Mikael Grenier 
GTD Mercedes-AMG GT3 1'59.952 12.520
33 69 united_states Ryan Eversley 
united_states Tom Dyer 
united_states Chad Gilsinger 
GTD Acura NSX GT3 2'00.069 12.637
34 64 united_states Townsend Bell 
united_states Frankie Montecalvo 
united_states Bill Sweedler 
GTD Ferrari 488 GT3 2'00.080 12.648
35 86 portugal Alvaro Parente 
united_kingdom Katherine Legge 
united_states Trent Hindman 
GTD Acura NSX GT3 2'00.198 12.766
36 58 united_states Patrick Long 
denmark Christina Nielsen 
germany Robert Renauer 
france Mathieu Jaminet 
GTD Porsche 911 GT3 R 2'00.378 12.946
37 36 united_states Marc Miller 
canada Kuno Wittmer 
united_states Till Bechtolsheimer 
GTD Acura NSX GT3 2'00.686 13.254
38 71 united_states Kenton Koch 
italy  Loris Spinelli 
colombia  JC Perez 
GTD Mercedes-AMG GT3 2'00.717 13.285
39 33 netherlands Jeroen Bleekemolen 
united_states Ben Keating 
germany Luca Stolz 
GTD Mercedes-AMG GT3 2'00.743 13.311
40 44 united_states Andy Lally 
united_states Andrew Davis 
united_states John Potter 
GTD Audi R8 LMS GT3 2'02.151 14.719
41 96 united_states Don Yount 
finland Markus Palttala 
united_states Dillon Machavern 
GTD BMW M6 GT3 2'03.227 15.795
42 73 germany Jörg Bergmeister 
united_states Tim Pappas 
united_states Patrick Lindsey 
GTD Porsche 911 GT3 R 2'04.650 17.218

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