Sebring 12H: Derani continues AXR domination in night practice

As the track cooled in the final half hour, several drivers turned their fastest lap of the session and three-time Sebring 12H winner Derani’s 1min46.898sec ensured AXR’s Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R was 0.454sec clear of the similar Chip Ganassi Racing machine driven by Renger van der Zande.

Filipe Albuquerque turned the fastest turbocharged lap, slotting the Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 into third, a further 0.1sec in arrears, but three tenths clear of Kamui Kobayashi in the second AXR Cadillac, and Sebastien Bourdais in the JDC Miller Motorsports Cadillac.

Olivier Pla claimed Meyer Shank Racing’s best time in the #60 Acura but a second adrift of top spot, while defending Sebring winner Jonathan Bomarito was 1.3sec off in the sole Mazda.

Mikkel Jensen again claimed top spot in LMP2 for PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports while Wayne Boyd slotted United Autosports’ entry into second place, half a second from top spot, and just a tenth clear of Gabriel Aubry in the Tower Motorsports by Starworks car.

Mathieu Jaminet was half a second clear of his nearest GTLM opposition, driving the WeatherTech Racing Proton Porsche 911 RSR, with the Rolex 24-winning #3 Corvette C8.R second in the hands of Antonio Garcia, a couple of tenths ahead of its sister car piloted by the impressive endurance extra Alexander Sims.

Connor De Phillippi’s best effort in the #25 BMW M8 ensured there were four GT cars ahead of the fastest LMP3 car, the #91 Riley Motorsports Ligier steered by Jeroen Bleekemolen.

The versatile Dutch driver was half a second clear of teammate Spencer Pigot, while Oliver Askew was third in the #7 Duqueine of Forty7 Motorsports.

Factory Porsche driver Laurens Vanthoor continues to show his class in a 911 GT3 R, clocking a lap in the Pfaff Motorsport entry that was 0.35sec clear of Aaron Telitz’s best effort in the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F. Its sister car, the #12, hit early trouble when it shed a wheel on an out lap for Frankie Montecalvo, bringing out a red flag. However, he returned to the track to set 11^th fastest time.

Franck Perera was third fastest in the Grasser Racing Lamborghini Huracan, just ahead of Trent Hindman who is clearly adapting well to the Wright Motorsports Porsche, as he again subs for Ryan Hardwick.

Maro Engel was fifth in the Sun Energy1 Mercedes AMG GT, while Earl Bamber was sixth in the faster of the two Hardpoint Racing EBM Porsches.

Qualifying for Saturday’s Sebring 12 Hours begins at 11.15am local (Eastern) time tomorrow.

Cla	Num	Driver	Class	Chassis	Laps	Time	Gap
1	31	Felipe Nasr Mike Conway Pipo Derani	DPi	Cadillac DPi	32	1'46.898
2	01	Renger van der Zande Kevin Magnussen Scott Dixon	DPi	Cadillac DPi	27	1'47.352	0.454
3	10	Ricky Taylor Filipe Albuquerque Alexander Rossi	DPi	Acura DPi	30	1'47.442	0.544
4	48	Jimmie Johnson Kamui Kobayashi Simon Pagenaud	DPi	Cadillac DPi	39	1'47.739	0.841
5	5	Tristan Vautier Loic Duval Sébastien Bourdais	DPi	Cadillac DPi	36	1'47.855	0.957
6	60	Dane Cameron Olivier Pla Juan Pablo Montoya	DPi	Acura DPi	28	1'47.945	1.047
7	55	Oliver Jarvis Harry Tincknell Jonathan Bomarito	DPi	Mazda DPi	34	1'48.211	1.313
8	52	Ben Keating Mikkel Jensen Scott Huffaker	LMP2	ORECA LMP2 07	35	1'50.270	3.372
9	22	James McGuire Wayne Boyd Guy Smith	LMP2	ORECA LMP2 07	36	1'50.762	3.864
10	8	John Farano Gabriel Aubry Timothé Buret	LMP2	ORECA LMP2 07	32	1'50.875	3.977
11	11	Thomas Steven Tristan Nunez Thomas Merrill	LMP2	ORECA LMP2 07	29	1'51.749	4.851
12	18	Dwight Merriman Kyle Tilley Ryan Dalziel	LMP2	ORECA LMP2 07	34	1'52.086	5.188
13	79	Cooper MacNeil Mathieu Jaminet Matt Campbell	GTLM	Porsche 911 RSR - 19	33	1'56.563	9.665
14	3	Antonio Garcia Jordan Taylor Nick Catsburg	GTLM	Corvette C8.R	28	1'57.019	10.121
15	4	Tommy Milner Nick Tandy Alexander Sims	GTLM	Corvette C8.R	30	1'57.205	10.307
16	25	Connor de Phillippi Philipp Eng Bruno Spengler	GTLM	BMW M8 GTE	33	1'57.223	10.325
17	91	Jim Cox Dylan Murry Jeroen Bleekemolen	LMP3	Ligier JS P320	31	1'57.269	10.371
18	24	John Edwards Jesse Krohn Augusto Farfus	GTLM	BMW M8 GTE	24	1'57.558	10.660
19	74	Gar Robinson Scott Andrews Spencer Pigot	LMP3	Ligier JS P320	28	1'57.794	10.896
20	7	Jim Norman Oliver Askew Austin McCusker	LMP3	Duqueine D08	29	1'57.984	11.086
21	54	Jon Bennett George Kurtz Colin Braun	LMP3	Ligier JS P320	32	1'58.116	11.218
22	38	Rasmus Lindh Mateo Llarena Dan Goldburg	LMP3	Ligier JS P320	31	1'58.210	11.312
23	33	Joao Barbosa Yann Clairay Lance Willsey	LMP3	Ligier JS P320	35	1'58.740	11.842
24	83	Matthew Bell Rodrigo Sales Niklas Kruetten	LMP3	Duqueine D08	27	1'59.689	12.791
25	9	Zacharie Robichon Laurens Vanthoor Lars Kern	GTD	Porsche 911 GT3 R	29	2'01.241	14.343
26	14	Aaron Telitz Jack Hawksworth Kyle Kirkwood	GTD	Lexus RC F GT3	36	2'01.601	14.703
27	19	Stephen Simpson Franck Perera Tim Zimmermann	GTD	Lamborghini Huracan GT3	28	2'01.755	14.857
28	16	Patrick Long Jan Heylen Trent Hindman	GTD	Porsche 911 GT3 R	33	2'01.882	14.984
29	75	Kenny Habul Maro Engel Mikael Grenier	GTD	Mercedes-AMG GT3	31	2'02.003	15.105
30	99	Rob Ferriol Earl Bamber Trenton Estep	GTD	Porsche 911 GT3 R	30	2'02.026	15.128
31	1	Bryan Sellers Madison Snow Corey Lewis	GTD	Lamborghini Huracan GT3	26	2'02.132	15.234
32	23	Ian James Roman De Angelis Ross Gunn	GTD	Aston Martin Vantage GT3	30	2'02.180	15.282
33	96	Bill Auberlen Robby Foley Aidan Read	GTD	BMW M6 GT3	26	2'02.404	15.506
34	44	John Potter Andy Lally Spencer Pumpelly	GTD	Acura NSX GT3	31	2'02.762	15.864
35	12	Frankie Montecalvo Zach Veach Robert Megennis	GTD	Lexus RC F GT3	24	2'02.773	15.875
36	28	Daniel Morad Michael de Quesada Billy Johnson	GTD	Mercedes-AMG GT3	36	2'02.833	15.935
37	88	Christina Nielsen Katherine Legge	GTD	Porsche 911 GT3 R	33	2'03.230	16.332
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