Taylor Cadillac leads IMSA Sebring testing times
Friday, 24 February 2017
By Marshall Pruett / Image by LAT
IMSA's two-day test at Sebring International Raceway was topped by Wayne Taylor Racing's No. 10 Cadillac DPi-V.R. From the four sessions spread across Thursday and Friday, Jordan Taylor posted the fastest time of the event with a lap of 1m49.600s.
Despite IMSA's efforts
to slow the Rolex 24 at Daytona-winning Cadillac model through Balance of Performance changes made leading into the test, all three factory DPi-V.R entries combined to run 1-2-3 in every session.
Taylor's best lap was 1.616s below the 2016 pole position, which is to be expected with the increased power and overall performance capabilities with the new 2017 LMP2-based prototypes.
"It was our first time there with the new car, and there was a lot to learn," Taylor told
RACER. "So much of the testing we did over the winter going into Daytona was about durability running that we haven't actually been able to do a lot of performance testing with the car. It didn't start off well the first morning over the bumps, but we worked on the springs and dampers and ride height and overall it was really productive. We're leaving happy."
The WTR Cadillac drivers and those in the two Cadillacs fielded by Action Express Racing were instructed by the manufacturer to run as hard as possible during the test in an effort to dispel the belief its DPi-V.Rs were sandbagging. Taylor says he enjoyed attacking the 3.56-mile road course and pointed to the effort exerted by new WTR endurance driver Alex Lynn as an indicator of the approach taken by the Cadillac camp.
"To be honest, as a driver it's the best thing you can hear – to be told to go out and run as hard as you can," he continued. "It was great; it's an intense track in high-downforce configuration. We were definitely not leaving anything on the table; Alex actually rubbed the wall exiting Turn 17, so if that's not proof we were pushing hard, I don't know what is."
With Taylor's 1m49.600s lap as the Prototype class standard, the No. 5 AXR Cadillac (1m49.651s) and sister No. 31 DPi-V.R (1m49.687s) set nearly identical times.
The best WEC-spec P2 was fourth with JDC-Miller Motorsports' No. 85 ORECA 07 (1m50.348s) and fifth went to PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports' Ligier JS P217 (1m50.682s). Of the remaining DPis, Tequila Patron ESM's fastest Nissan Onroak DPi (1m50.767s) and Mazda Motorsports lead RT24-P (1m50.828s) were close to each other, but well shy of the Cadillacs.
In GT Le Mans, Corvette Racing's Jan Magnussen paced the class in his No. 3 Corvette C7.R (1m58.525s). The No. 3's test concluded prematurely when a drive belt problem in the engine bay sent Antonio Garcia back to the garage with approximately 30 minutes left in the final session.
The Porsche GT Team's No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR came within a few thousandths of a second of the Corvette (1m58.531s) and the No. 67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT was just over a tenth away from the No. 3 (1m58.636s).
Two-time Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya
got his first taste of GTLM machinery after completing a handful of laps in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE, and appeared to enjoy the experience.
"It's fun. It's different. I only ran, probably, eight laps just to get the hang of it a little and I'm going to try to get in a little bit later. It's fun. I've never really run the big track. It's pretty bumpy," he said.
GT Daytona was led by CORE autosport's Colin Braun in the No. 54 Porsche 911 GT3 R (2m02.476s). The continually impressive No. 29 Montaplast by Land-Motorsport Audi R8 LMS GT3 was second (2m02.662s), and Audi stablemate Stevenson Motorsports was third with its No. 57 R8 LMS GT3 (2m02.772s).
The two-car PC class was led by Chuck Quinton in the No. 8 Starworks Motorsport entry (1m56.120s).
IMSA's next WeatherTech SportsCar Championship action will take place when the series returns for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring March 16-18.