Pagenaud tops first Lime Rock practice
Pagenaud is driving the team’s XM Acura ARX-02a with team owner Gil de Ferran. The duo won the last two rounds before the break for Le Mans, and their Acura was 1.146 seconds better than Luis Diaz in Lowe’s Fernandez Racing’s Acura ARX-01b entry, the quickest P2 car.
Diaz, whose best lap was a 49.004 (110.195 mph), and teammate Adrian Fernandez are a perfect 4-for-4 this season in P2. Acura also has swept the Series’ two prototype categories at the last three Series events.
David Brabham, last year’s overall pole-winner, was third fastest overall and second in P1. He is driving the Patr¢n Highcroft Racing entry with Scott Sharp, the duo entering as the defending overall race winners.
Next up in fourth overall and third in P1 was Intersport Racing’s Jon Field with a lap of 49.852 (108.321 mph) in the team’s AER-powered Lola B06/10. He will drive with son Clint and Chapman Ducote.
Dyson Racing’s two Mazda-powered Lola B09/86 coupes were second and third in LMP2. Chris Dyson led the Poughkeepsie, NY-based contingent with a lap of 50.474 (106.986 mph) in the entry that he will share with Guy Smith. Marino Franchitti was less than a second adrift; he is driving with Butch Leitzinger.
In GT2, Danbury, Conn.-based Farnbacher Loles Racing was quickest in its Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. Porsche factory driver Wolf Henzler set a lap of 55.338 (97.582 mph) in the car that he is sharing with Bryce Miller. The Farnbacher Loles entry qualified on pole position last year.
BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team’s Bill Auberlen was second in the first of the team’s BMW M3s. Auberlen’s lap of 55.621 (97.086 mph) gave him a gap of 0.045 seconds back to the Ferrari F430 GT of Risi Competizione’s Jaime Melo.
ORBIT Racing’s Guy Cosmo was fastest in the new Challenge class with a lap of 1:00.083 (89.876 mph). Teaming with John Baker this weekend, Cosmo last raced in the Series at Lime Rock with B-K Motorsports’ Mazda-powered Courage in 2005.
The husband-wife duo of Martin and Melanie Snow, winners in the first Challenge race at Utah, sat second with Melanie Snow’s time of 1:00.829 (88.773 mph). She was 0.175 seconds better than Bill Sweedler in ORBIT’s second Porsche 911 GT3 Cup entry.
The next practice session is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET. Qualifying at 3:35 p.m. ET will be streamed live at SPEEDtv.com.
Results
|
Pos |
Cl. Pos | Car No | Class | Drivers | Time | Speed | Diff | Make |
| 1 | 1 | 66 | P1 | de Ferran/Pagenaud | 47.858 | 112.834 | -.— | Acura ARX 02a |
| 2 | 1 | 15 | P2 | Fernandez/Diaz | 49.004 | 110.195 | 1.146 | Acura ARX-01B |
| 3 | 2 | 9 | P1 | Brabham/Sharp | 49.415 | 109.279 | 1.557 | Acura ARX 02a |
| 4 | 3 | 37 | P1 | J.Field/C.Field/Ducote | 49.852 | 108.321 | 1.994 | Lola B06/10 |
| 5 | 2 | 16 | P2 | Dyson/Smith | 50.474 | 106.986 | 2.616 | Lola B09 86 Mazda |
| 6 | 3 | 20 | P2 | Leitzinger/Franchitti | 51.347 | 105.167 | 3.489 | Lola B09 86 Mazda |
| 7 | 4 | 12 | P1 | Burgess/McMurry | 53.868 | 100.245 | 6.010 | Lola B06/10 |
| 8 | 4 | 19 | P2 | van der Steur/Pecorari | 53.887 | 100.210 | 6.029 | Radical SR9 |
| 9 | 1 | 87 | GT2 | Henzler/Miller | 55.338 | 97.582 | 7.480 | Porsche 911 RSR |
| 10 | 2 | 90 | GT2 | Hand/Auberlen | 55.621 | 97.086 | 7.763 | BMW E92 M3 |
| 11 | 3 | 62 | GT2 | Melo/Kaffer | 55.666 | 97.007 | 7.808 | Ferrari 430 Berlinetta GT |
| 12 | 4 | 92 | GT2 | Mueller/Milner | 55.790 | 96.792 | 7.932 | BMW E92 M3 |
| 13 | 5 | 45 | GT2 | Bergmeister/Long | 55.865 | 96.662 | 8.007 | Porsche 911 RSR |
| 14 | 6 | 18 | GT2 | Westbrook/Stuck | 56.122 | 96.219 | 8.264 | Porsche 911 RSR |
| 15 | 7 | 21 | GT2 | Farnbacher/James | 56.156 | 96.161 | 8.298 | Panoz Esperante |
| 16 | 8 | 40 | GT2 | Murry/D.Robertson/A.Robertson | 56.399 | 95.746 | 8.541 | Doran Ford GT-R |
| 17 | 9 | 44 | GT2 | van Overbeek/Neiman | 56.650 | 95.322 | 8.792 | Porsche 911 RSR |
| 18 | 5 | 48 | P1 | Mowlem/Johansson | 57.654 | 93.662 | 9.796 | Ginetta-Zytek 09HS |
| 19 | 10 | 11 | GT2 | Feinberg/Hall | 58.297 | 92.629 | 10.439 | Dodge Viper |
| 20 | 1 | 47 | Chal | Baker/Cosmo | 1:00.083 | 89.876 | 12.225 | Porsche 911 GT3 Cup |
| 21 | 2 | 57 | Chal | Me.Snow/Ma.Snow | 1:00.829 | 88.773 | 12.971 | Porsche 911 GT3 Cup |
| 22 | 3 | 08 | Chal | Brown/Sweedler | 1:01.004 | 88.519 | 13.146 | Porsche 911 GT3 Cup |
| 23 | 4 | 36 | Chal | Hoaglund/Faieta | 1:01.245 | 88.170 | 13.387 | Porsche 911 GT3 Cup |
| 24 | 5 | 02 | Chal | Parker/Pickering | 1:08.629 | 78.684 | 20.771 | Porsche 911 GT3 Cup |