The primary IMSA-sanctioned take a look at previous to the 2025 season – and solely till the Roar Earlier than the 24 – is full. Whereas there are by no means any clear-cut solutions in testing as a result of groups are working by means of totally different testing agendas and aren’t all the time exhibiting off their full potential, some patterns emerge.
First, Lamborghini Iron Lynx has made some strides, indicating that the tempo the SC63 confirmed at Indianapolis wasn’t a fluke. The automobile didn’t race at Daytona final 12 months, as Lamborghini selected Sebring as its competitors debut, but it surely did present some potential ultimately 12 months’s Daytona take a look at. This time, Romain Grosjean set the quickest GTP time of the weekend, a 1m35.611s lap (134.043mph). Andrea Caldarelli backed that up with the fourth-fastest time of the take a look at.
Acura Meyer Shank Racing appears set to choose up the place it left off, with two of its drivers setting the third- and fourth-quickest occasions. New to the crew, former BMW shoe Nick Yelloly within the No. 93 Acura ARX-06 set a time 0.097s off Grosjean’s greatest and 0.197s higher than teammate Tom Blomqvist within the No. 60.
“Working with the blokes and women right here and on the store and with MSR has been implausible, and clearly with HRC,” stated Yelloly following the take a look at. “We’ve been ticking off all the things we are able to do on our program. Working by means of, sticking to our personal program and ensuring we constructively take a look at all the things we have to earlier than we come again right here in January. So, all the things’s gone easily.
“Lap time-wise, it’s all the time good to see your self additional on the entrance, but it surely doesn’t matter till we go racing, to be trustworthy. However, yeah it’s been implausible. I believe Mike [Shank] runs a terrific operation right here, as do HRC and its pleasant faces on a regular basis. Nothing’s too large of a job. Everybody will get their heads down and works their tails off to chase our finish aim, which is clearly to be on the entrance.”
From fifth to ninth, it was all BMW M Workforce RLL. Operating the identical 4 drivers in each automobiles, three of the drivers had been accounted for in these 5 locations. Marco Wittman was the quickest of the bunch within the No. 25 BWM M Hybrid V8.
Cadillac examined an up to date model of its V-Collection R. Richard Prince/Cadillac Picture).
Jack Aitken was the quickest of the Cadillac drivers – no shock given his expertise with the V-Collection.R and Whelen Cadillac Racing – in tenth total whereas Cadillac examined some updates and Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing labored to stand up to hurry with its new automobiles. CWTR’s Jordan Taylor was a kind of getting aware of the V-Collection.R.
“It has been nice coming again to Cadillac and driving the brand new V-Collection.R,” he declared. “It positively has its personal driving style-wise: the best way it feels, the best way you assault corners, the set-up modifications are totally different, the terminology is all totally different. It has been quite a bit to be taught however good to get a head begin right here in November, earlier than the 12 months ends. We should always get head begin from this take a look at and go into the low season with extra concepts to come back again to the Roar with.
“We’re all excited to start out the season subsequent 12 months. I believe there may be lots of expectation on large outcomes. Clearly, final 12 months, we had two wins and the crew would positively like to extend that and I believe we could have a terrific likelihood to with Cadillac.”
The quickest of the Porsche runners was JDC-Miller MotorSports’ Gianmaria Bruni, 14th total and main the Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963s. All three 963s had been armed with updates for subsequent season.
Ford topped the GTD timesheets. LAT Photographs/IMSA
Ford Multimatic Motorsports sextet of drivers dominated the GTD PRO proceedings. The Mustang GT3 held the highest 5 and 6 of the highest seven occasions, interrupted solely by
Klaus Bachler within the AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R in fifth. Dennis Olsen held the highest spot with a 1m47.822s lap (118.862mph) within the No. 65 Mustang. Olsen, who raced the Mustang for Proton Competitors in WEC in 2024, might be an endurance addition for the crew in 2025.
“It’s positively very nice to be again in IMSA,” famous Olsen. “I’m entering into the groove right here with Multimatic and it’s very good. The crew may be very new to me, and we’re working to get the 2 automobiles speaking strongly collectively. We’re sharing all the things and dealing collectively as a crew and as a gaggle.
“We’re engaged on all of the techniques attempting to organize for the large one. Nonetheless quite a bit left to do, and it’s positively difficult, however we’ll carry on working and bettering,” he added.
Malthe Jakobsen set the highest time in LMP2 for CrowdStrike by APR because the crew prepares for its return to competitors after a hiatus within the latter half of 2024. Jakobsen’s 1m38.635s was the quickest of eight LMP2 groups on the take a look at.
Elliott Skeer was quickest among the many GTD drivers testing at Daytona, as Porsche pilots took the highest three spots. Skeer turned a 1m48.221s lap within the No. 120 Wright machine to raised Matteo Cressoni within the Iron Dames Porsche 911 GT3 R, in addition to teammate Loek Hartog. The fourth and fifth spots had been occupied by Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evos; first was Andy Lally for Magnus Racing, adopted by Valentin Hasse-Clot for brand spanking new GTD entry van der Steur Racing.
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship groups will embark on particular person testing applications for the remainder of the 12 months earlier than reconvening at Daytona for the Roar Earlier than the 24 on Jan. 17.
