IMSA: Friday Roar Before The 24 Live Report

RACER is reporting live from the Jan. 8-10 Roar Before The 24 at Daytona International Speedway as teams prepare for the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona Jan. 28-31. Check back regularly for updates, and scroll down for earlier reports.

[5:30 p.m. ET]

 The first day of running at the Roar Before The 24 closed with two P2s and the DeltaWing atop the field. Michael Shank Racing's No. 60 Ligier JS P2-Honda was fastest once again, with Olivier Pla (1:39.445) taking over the fastest lap from teammate Ozz Negri who was fastest in the first session. The Frenchman was a full 0.883 seconds clear of Tequila Patron ESM's Pipo Derani in the No. 2 Ligier JS P2-Honda (1:40.328). Sean Rayhall, on his official debut for the DeltaWing Racing team, placed the DWC13 an impressive third overall (1:40.420).

"It went really well," Pla said. "I knew the team from the last two years racing in the U.S. The team is great, the car is working well. All good."

CORE autosport's Colin Braun was fastest in PC (1:42.800) with the No. 54 ORECA FLM09-Chevy, leading the No. 8 Starworks Motorsport PC (1:43.423) and the rest of the class by a wide margin.

"Honestly, it's probably pretty irrelevant to be quick today," said an extremely non-plussed Braun. "We put out our test plan and worked through it. We did nothing special and are just getting ready for the race."

The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship's GT Le Mans class was a flurry of activity on Friday as new turbocharged cars from BMW, Ford, and Ferrari continued to find pace and proven GTLM models fought to match their pace.

BMW Team RLL's new twin-turbo V8 M6, which has been converted from its base GT3 design, led GTLM. Lucas Luhr pushed the No. 25 entry (1:45.120) to lead the sister No. 100 BMW M6 (1:45.150) for a German 1-2. Corvette Racing's Antonio Garcia placed the No. 3 C7.R third (1:45.164) as the No. 4 C7.R was being repaired after its fire in Session 1. Ford's Richard Westbrook was fourth in the No. 67 Ford GT (1:45.426) after the car missed the first session due to being stranded in its transporter after the lift gate failed to open. SMP Racing's new twin-turbo V8 Ferrari 488 was fifth (1:45.438).

The Spirit of Race team headed GT Daytona with the older Ferrari 458 model as Raffaele Gianmaria (1:48.358) displaced the defending class winners at Riley Technologies. Their No. 33 Dodge Viper (1:48.612) edged out the Konrad Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán (1:48.700).

"We will take part in the race with the old model Ferrari," Gianmaria said. "The day was very good because we know the old car. The new cars, the Ferrari [turbo], Lamborghini, Porsche, maybe they have a lot to learn."

Action continues on Saturday as IMSA holds five sessions for WeatherTech Championship cars.

[5:00 p.m. ET]

 • Two red flags for contact at the Bus Stop have come from the second and final session of the day. Joao Barbosa crashed the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP there, and the No. 38 PC entry was also a victim of the complex. Along with the fire that damaged Tommy Milner's Corvette in the Bus Stop in the first session, it has been a busy time for the DIS safety team in the stretch between speedway Turns 2 and 3.

• Corvette Racing reports the cause of the fire that damages Milner's No. 4 C7.R was a failed check valve in the refueling overflow system. The car will be back on track in the morning.

• Turner Motorsport made its first appearance halfway through the second session (TOP). Its unmistakable BMW M6 GT3 turned sporadic laps for the remainder of the 2.5-hour outing.

[3:00 p.m. ET]

[2:30 p.m. ET]

• RACER spoke with Porsche factory driver Patrick Long, who's attached to the Black Swan Racing Porsche GT3 R program in GT Daytona. Long helps form one of the most eclectic lineups for the Rolex 24 with team owner Tim Pappas, rising star Nicky Catsburg, and veteran ace Andy Pilgrim.

"So far, it's been seamless to fit in," Long said. "Andy's such a versed legend. Nick is such a hungry young talent; he's raw, he's quick, but he's easy to get on with. And I've known Tim for a good while and raced against him in every class around the world. Even the crew, I recognize a ton of guys and the engineer is really talented. We have all the elements and now we're learning how to get the most out of it. I jumped in the car this morning and it's really easy to drive. I was involved with some of the endurance test with the car here and at Sebring, and it's a monster on the brakes. It has more aero and a lot of damping development. That's the biggest step forward from the previous Porsche GTD car. You have to be good on the banking and under braking here, and I like our chances."

[1:00 p.m. ET]

 • The top-3 in GTLM after the first session was an impressive reflection of new and old machinery. BMW's new twin-turbo V8 GT3-based M6 was fastest, followed by defending Daytona class winners Corvette Racing in second, and the lone new Ford GT in third. The No. 100 BMW (1:45.088), No. 3 Corvette C7.R (1:45.367) and No. 66 Ford GT (1:45.505, BELOW) were remarkably close for the opening salvo at the Roar. The No. 67 Ford GT did not make it out for the session due to its delay being extracted from its transporter (story on second page).

[12:50 p.m. ET]

 • Honda Performance Development vice president Steve Eriksen has yet to confirm if Honda will participate in IMSA's 2017 Prototype class, but he said working with Michael Shank Racing, HPD's only full-time WeatherTech SportsCar Championship entrant, would be a strong possibility if it happens: "I hope so. I wish we'd started working with them 10 years ago," he responded.

[12:30 p.m. ET]

 • Michael Shank confirmed his team will accept the invitation to compete at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans. Belgian Laurens Vanthoor will drive with John Pew and Ozz Negri for the event in the team's Ligier-Honda P2. The car will use Dunlop tires.

[12:08 p.m. ET]

• The first session is done and Michael Shank Racing's No. 60 Ligier JS P2-Honda held onto the top spot with a 1:39.655 set by Ozz Negri. The Brazilian was a full 0.856 seconds clear of the second-place Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP driven by Ricky Taylor (1:40.511). Mark Wilkins remained fastest in the CORE autosport PC (1:42.423), Lucas Luhr topped GT Le Mans in his No. 100 BMW M6 (1:45.088) (BELOW), and Tim Pappas stayed atop in GT Daytona with his Black Swan Racing Porsche GT3 R (1:48.822).

• Tommy Milner (fire) and Lance Stroll (crash) were evaluated and released from the infield care center. Stroll crashed on his out lap in the No. 01 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing EcoBoost DP, wiping the radiator and most of the bodywork off the front of the car. Milner experienced a fire in the right rear of his Corvette C7.R  (BELOW). The burnt corner left a pungent odor in the garage as the No. 4's mechanics looked for the source of the flames.

• The Konrad Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán GTD team  (BELOW) emerged at the end of the session and pulled onto pit lane but did not record any official laps.

[11:38 a.m. ET]

 • It's a quick return to red as Lance Stroll crashed the No. 01 Ford EcoBoost DP between Turns 5 and 6 (BELOW). The Canadian driver is being taken to the infield for evaluation.

[11:32 a.m. ET]

• A red flag halted the action just after 11 due to a fire at the Bus Stop with Tommy Milner's Corvette. It wasn't the first fire of the day for the team. The fire brigade was also called to their garage to douse flames that broke out above a work bench (BELOW). The session resumed at 11:32.

[11:15 a.m. ET]

 • One hour into the first test session, Michael Shank Racing's No. 60 Ligier JS P2-Honda tops the lap times with a 1:40.747 set by John Pew. The BR01-Nissan P2 piloted by Nic Minassian is a close second at 1:m40.808. The best DP belongs to Action Express Racing's Filipe Albuquerque with a 1:41.209 in the No. 5 Corvette DP. Mark Wilkins is fastest in the CORE autosport PC (1:42.423), Corvette Racing's Tommy Milner leads GT Le Mans (1:45.367), and Tim Pappas heads GT Daytona in his Black Swan Racing Porsche GT3 R (1:48.822).

• Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim MLB pitcher and IMSA Continental Tire Series team owner CJ Wilson (RIGHT) has been approved to test his team's new Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport. The Lefty is expected to turn laps later today.

[9:45 a.m. ET]

• Among the interesting threads to follow during the Roar will be to see what kind of lap times and top speeds that come from Mazda's P2s. It wouldn't be fair to say all of the Daytona Prototype entrants are worried about the Japanese brand's new gas-fueled 4-cylinder turbo, but there is some notable apprehension in the paddock. The direct-injected engines make a lot of power—far more than the turbodiesels they've replaced, which should allow the SpeedSource Mazda to be competitive for the first time at Daytona since the IMSA program launched in 2014.

[9:00 a.m. ET]

• Only two official IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship sessions are scheduled today. The 54-car grid will take to the heavily overcast track from 10:15-12 p.m. ET, and return for a long session to end their day from 3-5:30. Five sessions are set for Saturday, and two for Sunday.

• IMSA manufacturers started off their day with the first official manufacturers' meeting with the series. Of note, veteran engineer Kevin Fandozzi was introduced to the group. Fandozzi will take over from Bruce Foss as product manager for Continental Tire's racing program. Foss is reportedly headed back to sister brand Hoosier Tire.

• The Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team found adversity early Friday morning (RIGHT). Its No. 66 Ford GT was successfully unloaded and moved into its garage, but the sister No. 67 wasn't as fortunate. The FCGR transporter housing the No. 67 encountered an issue with its hydraulic lift gate, which refused to fully open. Multiple team members and a fork lift were pressed into action to resolve the problem.

• Rumor has the Tequila Patron ESM team moving to Nissan power after Sebring for its full-season WEC campaign. Its pair of Ligier JS P2s used Honda's twin-turbo V6s in 2015, and will race with the units here and again in March for IMSA Round 2.

• New cars and new liveries fill the Daytona garages. Scuderia Corsa has its pair of brand-new twin-turbo V8 Ferrari 488s ready to go. Porsche North America has modified its abstract motif for a more muted presentation with its 911 RSRs (BELOW). The DeltaWing DWC13 is sporting a retro livery honoring the ALMS Panoz Roadsters from 2002 (TOP). We'll have more images to share once the first session gets under way. Stevenson Motorsports' patriotic livery looks lovely on its new Audi R8s (BELOW), and Mazda has added some new elements to its Soul Red P2 (BELOW).