DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—For the third straight session the top of the timesheets at the Tudor United Sports Car Championship Roar Before the Rolex 24 test session was packed with Chevrolet-powered “Corvette” Daytona Prototypes, thought the ESM P2 HPD got within six-tenths of the quickest DP.
Thought the weather was considerably warmer Saturday and fewer cars were visibly struggling for grip, times were a few tenths slower than Friday’s.
The #90 Spirit of Daytona Racing Coyote-Chevrolet “Corvette” DP was quickest in the Saturday morning session, as it was in the Friday afternoon session. The SDR car turned a lap of 1:39.196 at 129.199, only .036 quicker than the #01 Ganassi Racing Riley-Ford, using the new turbocharged Ecoboost V6.
The next three cars were “Corvette” DPs: the #10 Taylor Racing Dallara-Chevrolet and the #5 and #9 Action Express Coyote-Chevrolets.
The #1 Extreme Speed Motorsports HPD ARX-03b managed a lap of 1:39.750, .554 seconds off the leader’s pace. The top ten prototypes lapped within 1.5 seconds of the SDR car, proving both that everyone was getting the hand of Daytona’s banking, and that the DP and P2 balance is getting closer.
