Nasr fastest in Rolex 24 mock qualifying
Ex-Formula 1 driver Felipe Nasr led the Whelen Engineering Racing #31 team to victory in the first competition of the Daytona 24 Hours.
Nasr set the only sub-1m36s time of the three day Roar Before the 24 test in the mock qualifying.
The session, which took place on the final day of the test, has no impact on grid position, but determined the allocation of pit boxes for the race later this month.
Nasr led a Cadillac DPi top four lock out, with Tristan Vautier putting the Spirit of Daytona Racing’s #90 Cadillac second with a 1m36.037s.
After topping the times in both of Friday’s sessions, Felipe Albuquerque could only put the Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac in third, ahead of Renger van Der Zande in the Konica Minolta Cadillac and Team Penske’s Acuri DPi, driven by Dane Cameron.
Fernando Alonso couldn’t repeat the instant success he found in his Indy500 outing. He finished the session 12th fastest of 20 prototype cars, 1.709s slower than Nasr but a quarter of a second faster than the sister United Autosport Liger.
The Chip Ginassi Racing squad led the way in the GTLM class. Ryan Briscoe in the #67 Ford GT was set the pace early in the session, before Joey Hand put the #66 car top with five minutes remaining.
Oliver Gavin in the Corvette Racing run Chevrolet knocked Briscoe down to third before the end of the session.
In the GTD class, Mirko Bortolotti in the GRT Grasser Racing Team’s Lamborghini was fastest.