IMSA: Mazda goes 1-2 in first practice at Laguna

Joel Miller and Jonathan Bomarito led a Mazda Prototype 1-2 to open the Prototype/GT Le Mans portion of IMSA's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Miller's lap of 1:18.564 around the 11-turn, 2.2-mile road course was almost matched by Bomarito (1:18.604) and Michael Shank Racing's Ozz Negri in his Ligier JS P2-Honda (1:18.699). The fastest Daytona Prototype belonged to Ricky Taylor in the Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP (1:21.316), who was 0.356 seconds behind Miller.

Scuderia Corsa's Alessandro Pier Guidi topped GT Le Mans in his Ferrari 488 (1:22.975). Dirk Muller placed his Ford GT second in GTLM (1:23.047) and Toni Vilander claimed third in his Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 (1:23.307).

The three-day event got underway with overcast skies and cool air greeting the 18-car P/GTLM field. Low track temperatures meant the Continental-shod Prototypes and Michelin-shod GTLMs had limited grip, and most cars were seen understeering or oversteering through the slow and medium-speed corners.

Other than a brief off by one DP, the session was clean. The only noticeable mechanical issue present was the Mazda Prototype of Miller and teammate Tom Long, who were missing spark to some of the turbocharged engine's four cylinders before the team made changes to its electrical system.

Up Next: FP1 for IMSA's split PC/GT Daytona class from 10:50-11:50 a.m. PT.