IMSA: Koch leads 1-2-3 JDC sweep in final Prototype Lights practice

JDC Motorsports claimed the top three spots in the second practice of the weekend Friday, sending a powerful statement before Rounds 3 and 4 of the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda championship at NOLA Motorsports Park.

Series rookie Kenton Koch took the top time for the second time this weekend with the quickest lap of the 40-minute session, 1 minute, 34.404 seconds, in the No. 60 JDC Motorsports entry. Koch led Thursday at 1:34.092.

Both practices for the field were completed in dry weather. The arrival of heavy rain will change things for the drivers the rest of the weekend, however. A majority of the field, including Koch, participated in a test session in February in which they experienced the new 2.74-mile, 13-turn road course in the rain.

“The car setup definitely changes a lot when you’re looking at rain,” Koch said. “You raise it up, put softer springs on it, take the front sway bar off and pretty much add all the downforce in the world you can put on it. You just change the little things here and there. The driving style’s a little different. You’re looking for the grip. It’s fun. I love driving in the rain. 

Koch was joined by JDC Motorsports teammates Clark Toppe and Matt McMurry at the top of the speed charts Friday during the second practice. Toppe, a rookie, took the second overall position at 1:35.455. McMurry finished the JDC sweep at 1:35.602.

Series rookie Austin Versteeg claimed the fourth overall spot in the No. 16 Performance Tech Motorsports Élan DP02 chassis powered by a Mazda engine on Cooper Tires at 1:35.635. Versteeg’s teammate Robert Alon rounded out the top five at 1:36.134.

Eurosport Racing driver Michal Chlumecky was the fastest L1 Masters driver with a time of 1:37.314. Todd Slusher was quickest in the Lites 2 class at 1:39.643 in a ONE Motorsports entry.

Qualifying will take place from 8:30-8:50 a.m. (CT) Saturday morning, followed by the 30-minute Round 3 at 1:35 p.m. Round 4, a 45-minute race, is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. Sunday.

Live timing of all on-track sessions is available at scoring.imsa.com. Live text commentary from all sessions is available on Twitter at @IMSALive.