MSR Acura tops first Rolex 24 practice at Daytona with Blomqvist

Tom Blomqvist piloted the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 to the fastest lap in first Rolex 24 practice at Daytona as the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship officially kicked off with the endurance classic.

Blomqvist set the benchmark at 1:35.415 with just over 30 minutes remaining in the 90-minute run, marking a strong rebound for the Honda-backed squad following a subdued showing during the preceding Roar Before the 24 test days.

Practice 1 commenced promptly as scheduled, with teams adhering to IMSA’s strict pit lane protocols, though 21 cars incurred drive-through penalties for prematurely setting up equipment—a minor hiccup that did not derail the overall flow.

Blomqvist’s flyer in the black-and-orange MSR Acura ARX-06 eclipsed the previous Roar benchmark set by Porsche Penske’s Felipe Nasr by nearly a full second, showcasing the team’s refined aerodynamic package and hybrid deployment strategy for 2026.

Tom Blomqvist No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 first Rolex 24 practice at Daytona
No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 first Rolex 24 practice at Daytona

Hot on Blomqvist’s heels, Porsche Penske Motorsport’s factory entries demonstrated their enduring prowess in the GTP class with Kevin Estre taking second in the No. 6 Porsche 963, just 0.105 seconds adrift, establishing an early session lead before Blomqvist’s intervention.

Felipe Nasr in the sister No. 7 963 followed closely 0.014 seconds behind Estre, underscoring the German marque’s twin-threat status as defending Rolex 24 Daytona winners.

Filipe Albuquerque elevated the Cadillac contingent into fourth place overall aboard the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R, while Dries Vanthoor rounded out the top five in the No. 24 Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 with a competitive effort.

However, the sister No. 25 BMW endured a frustrating outing due to battery and hybrid system woes that necessitated a post-session change, managing only five laps.

Renger van der Zande slotted the No. 93 MSR Acura ARX-06 into sixth, ahead of Nico Pino’s No. 85 JDC Miller Motorsports Porsche 963 in seventh.

Jack Aitken’s No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R and Louis Deletraz in the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing entry completed the top nine in GTP, with the session revealing tight competition among the manufacturer heavyweights.

Further back, the No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Valkyrie GTP managed 10th in class with Ross Gunn at the wheel, 1.9 seconds off the pace, signaling potential as the newcomer acclimates to IMSA’s high-stakes prototype battles.

Shifting to LMP2, Nick Cassidy’s No. 43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca 07-Gibson stole the show with a 1:39.764, edging Alex Quinn in the No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR machine by 0.354 seconds.

Nick Cassidy No. 43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca 07-Gibson first Rolex 24 practice at Daytona
Nick Cassidy No. 43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca 07-Gibson first Rolex 24 practice at Daytona

The Formula E championship leader’s effort came amid a penalty stop-go for his squad, yet it held firm as the class benchmark.

Pietro Fittipaldi’s No. 73 Pratt Miller Motorsports entry took third despite a late puncture forcing Chris Cumming to limp back to the pits, highlighting the pitfalls of Daytona’s abrasive surface.

Mikkel Jensen in the No. 2 United Autosports Oreca rounded out the top four in LMP2, with the class displaying robust participation as teams dialed in fuel strategies for the endurance test.

The GTD ranks burst into life with Valentin Hasse-Clot dominating in the No. 19 Van der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, unleashing a blistering 1:46.325—the quickest of all GT cars and nearly a second beyond Roar standards.

Valentin Hasse-Clot No. 19 Van der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo first Rolex 24 practice at Daytona
No. 19 Van der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo first Rolex 24 practice at Daytona

Antonio Fuoco’s No. 21 AF Corse USA Ferrari followed suit in second among GTD, while Nicki Thiim propelled the No. 44 Magnus Racing Aston Martin to third, just ahead of Frederik Schandorff’s No. 70 Inception Racing Ferrari.

In the fiercely contested GTD Pro category, newcomer Triarsi Competizione made waves with Alessio Rovera posting a 1:46.348 in the upgraded No. 033 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo, topping the class.

Dean MacDonald in the No. 59 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing McLaren 720S GT3 Evo took second, ahead of Frederic Vervisch’s class-defending No. 65 Ford Mustang GT3 in third and Maro Engel’s No. 75 Heart of Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo in fourth.

READ MORE:

IMSA Rolex 24 at Daytona 2026 schedule: Start times, where to watch

Full 2026 IMSA Rolex 24 at Daytona entry list

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