O'Connell tops PWC Road America GT practice

Four-time Pirelli World Challenge GT champion Johnny O'Connell was the quickest driver Friday at Road America in the GT Round 2 practice in the No. 3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac ATS-V.R. sports car in preparation for the doubleheader weekend, the PWC Grand Prix of Road America presented by VP Racing Fuels.

O'Connell, the sports car legend from Flowery Branch, Ga., put in a blistering lap of 2:05:326s to easily top the 25-car GT field Friday at the legendary four-time road circuit north of Milwaukee. In the 30-minute practice session, O'Connell recorded his fastest lap (116.27 mph) in the sixth of seven circuits to be listed as the favorite for Saturday's qualifying and Round 4 of the PWC GT Sprint series.

• Friday's practice results

"It is nice to come here with a good set-up right off the truck on my Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe," O'Connell said. "If you look at last year, I had a car that was capable of running toward the front at this track. Road America has been good to me in the past. When I come here, I am extra motivated. We have ground to make-up after SprintX (races)."

The 2011 PWC GT champion Patrick Long of Manhattan Beach, Calif., was second in Friday's runs with a 2:05.852 (115.79 mph) at the wheel of the No. 58 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R followed by veteran Jon Fogarty of Bend, Ore., in the No. 99 GAINSCO/Stallings Racing "Red Dragon" Porsche 911 GT3 R at 2:05.889 (115.75 mph). O'Connell, Long and Fogarty were the only GT drivers to break the 2:06 mark Friday at Road America.

Rounding out the top-five GT racers in Friday's practice was Peter Kox of The Netherlands at 2:06.04 (115.58 mph) in the No. 93 RealTime Racing Acura NSX GT3 and last year's Road America pole winner Adderly Fong of Hong Kong at 2:06. 106 (115.55 mph) in the No. 88 Absolute Racing Bentley Continental GT3.

The GT division saw six different auto makes in the top seven positions in practice Friday with Italy's Daniel Mancinelli at 2:06.158 (115.51 mph) in the No. 31 TR3 Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 and Scotland's Ryan Dalziel at 2:06.234 (115.44 mph) in sixth and seventh overall at Road America.

Completing the GT top-10 Friday were last year's Road America double winner Ryan Eversley of Atlanta, Ga., at 2:06.261 (115.41 mph) in the No. 43 RealTime Racing Acura NSX GT3, defending GT series champion Alvaro Parente of Portugal at 2:06. 572 (115.13 mph) in the No. 9 K-PAX Racing McLaren 650S and college student Alec Udell of The Woodlands, Tex., at 2:06.573 (115.13 mph) in the No. 17 Euroworld Motorsports/GMG Porsche 911 GT3 R.

Topping the GTA division Friday was John Potter of Salt Lake City, Utah, in the No. 44 Magnus Racing Audi RS8 LMS at 2:08.109 (113.75 mph) over veteran James Sofronas of Villa Park, Calif., at 2:08.727 (113.20 mph) in the No. 14 GMG Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R.

Leading the GT Cup category Friday at Road America was Yuki Harata on Japan in the No. 55 Dream Racing Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo at 2:14.760 (108.13 mph).

GT/GTA/GT Cup qualifying is set for 8:35 a.m. Saturday (June 24) with the 50-minute Round 4 Sprint Race scheduled for 4:30 p.m. CDT at Road America.