Laurens Vanthoor led a Porsche Penske 1-2 in the third Roar Before the Rolex 24 test at Daytona International Speedway as IMSA slapped three LMP2 teams with penalties for failing technical inspection.
The 90-minute outing, part of the intensive pre-race testing for the iconic Rolex 24 at Daytona, showcased the early dominance of Porsche GTP entries as teams fine-tuned setups while carefully managing BoP implications through strategic sandbagging to avoid pre-race adjustments.
As the session unfolded, the GTP field quickly established a hierarchy with defending Rolex 24 at Daytona winner Laurens Vanthoor extracting maximum performance from the No.6 Porsche 963 to set the fastest lap time of 1:36.549.
Teammate Laurin Heinrich followed closely in the No.7 Porsche Penske 963, just 0.419 seconds adrift, highlighting the squad’s superior pace and reliability in the GTP class as they build momentum for the endurance classic.
Meanwhile, Cadillac teams mounted a robust challenge to claim positions three through five with Filipe Albuquerque leading the charge in the No.10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R followed by teammate Will Stevens in the No.40 WTR Cadillac.
Frederik Vesti rounded out the top five in the No.31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R, his effort benefiting from the team’s focus on reliability tweaks following Friday’s sessions where they had hovered just behind the Porsches.
Meyer Shank Racing’s No.60 Acura ARX-06 slotted sixth in the hands of Tom Blomqvist, while the sister No.93 encountered brake overheating issues that limited Nick Yelloly’s running, forcing the team to call the car back to the pits.
Further back in GTP, the No.23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH managed seventh courtesy of Ross Gunn, despite the car suffering multiple on-track stops that prompted post-session engine changes.
BMW M Team WRT’s duo filled eighth and ninth with Robin Frijns in the No.24 BMW M Hybrid V8 leading Raffaele Marciello in the No.25.
The latter briefly stopped at Turn 7 but recovered to post competitive times, signaling BMW’s potential in the hypercar fray after topping Friday evening’s Roar Before the Rolex 24 test.
The No. 85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963 rounded out the GTP field in 10th.
Three LMP2 teams suffer penalties for failing technical inspection
IMSA officials enforced strict technical compliance prior to the green flag, issuing significant penalties to three LMP2 entries—No. 8 Tower Motorsports, No. 18 Era Motorsport, and No. 73 Pratt Miller Motorsports—for running unapproved sensors.
Each team was handed a stop-plus-60-minute penalty that sidelined them for the majority of the session before rejoining in the final 30 minutes.
The No. 11 TDS Racing Oreca 07 Gibson ultimately topped the third Roar Before the Rolex 24 test at Daytona with Mathias Beche posting 1:40.159, beating the No. 2 United Autosports entry driven by Hunter McElrea by a mere 0.156s.
Jonny Edgar kept AO Racing’s No. 99 Oreca within striking distance in third, just 0.035 seconds off McElrea.
Transitioning to the GT divisions, Felipe Fraga unleashed the No. 16 Myers Riley Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 EVO to the quickest overall GT lap of 1:47.453, outpacing the pro ranks.
Indy Dontje claimed second in GTD with the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, while Jake Walker was third fastest in the No. 66 Gradient Racing Ford.
GTD Pro saw Will Power dominate in the No. 75 Express Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo with 1:47.612, narrowly beating Maxime Martin in the No. 69 GetSpeed Mercedes and Sandy Mitchell’s No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2.
The session was punctuated by several stoppages that tested teams’ preparedness, adding realism to the Roar format which simulates race-day variables like full-course cautions.
Harry King brought out the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R to a halt at Turn 3 due to mechanical gremlins, while Oliver Jarvis ventured off-track at Turn 5 in the No. 37 Intersport Racing Oreca but recovered without major damage.
Dave Musial Sr. prematurely ended proceedings by stopping the No. 123 Muehlner Motorsports Porsche at Turn 7 with three minutes left, and the No. 36 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R failed to register any timed laps due to persistent drivetrain woes.
READ MORE:
Full 2026 IMSA Rolex 24 at Daytona entry list
Full 2026 IMSA SportsCar Championship calendar: 11 rounds, venues and dates
