IMSA’s penultimate WeatherTech SportsCar Championship round opened in Monterey with the Wayne Taylor Cadillac DPi-V.R driven by Renger van der Zande atop the field.

The Dutchman’s fast lap (1m16.882s) was well clear of Dane Cameron’s Acura Team Penske’s ARX-05 (+0.651s) and Tequila Patron ESM’s Pipo Derani’s Nissan Onroak DPi (+1.093s) in warm conditions under blue skies.

Results

In GT Le Mans, The Ford Chip Ganassi Racing GT tandem of Richard Westbrook (1m23.644s) and Joey Hand Ford (+0.219s). Porsche GT Team’s Earl Bamber was third in his Porsche 911 RSR (+0.775s).

The Pro-Am GT Daytona class was the only group to offer close competition as the championship-leading Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 driven by Bryan Sellers (1m25.403s) edged title rival Jeroen Bleekemolen in the Riley Technologies Mercedes-AMG GT3 (+0.195s). Magnus Racing’s Andy Lally closed the top three in his Audi R8 LMS GT3 (+0.467s).

In a welcome change, the one-hour session was free of cautions and red flags.

UP NEXT: FP2, 3:15 p.m. PT