(BOWMANVILLE, ONT.) – The Blancpain GT World Challenge field took to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park's renowned 3.957-km (2.459-mi.) Grand Prix circuit Friday morning for their second practice session of the weekend. Finland’s Toni Vilander driving for Canadian team R. Ferri Motorsport posted the fastest lap of the session.
Weather conditions for the 60-minute practice session were overcast and 15 degrees Celsius/59 degrees Fahrenheit.
Early on Canadian Kyle Marcelli driving the #80 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX entry in the Pro/Am category posted the fastest time with a 1:17.078, while fellow countryman Daniel Morad driving in the Pro category in the #22 Alegra Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R slotted in second with a 1:17.353. Both drivers have considerable experience at the track. Spain’s Andy Soucek in K-PAX Racing #9 Bentley Continental GT3 slotted into third with a 1:17.463.
Seventeen minutes into the session American Dane Cameron in the RealTime Racing #43 Acura NSX went to the top with a 1:16.260, followed by Scottish driver Ryan Dalziel in the #63 Mercedes-AMG GT3 with a 1:16.613. Soucek’s teammate Alvaro Parente then slotted into second with a 1:16.444.
Twenty-eight minutes into the session, Vilander in the #61 Ferrari 488 GT3 jumped to the top of the charts with a 1:16.199. Soucek then posted a 1:16.296 for 3rd.
At the checkered the top three teams were the Pro division team of Vilander/Molina (1:16.199), the Pro/Am team of Cameron/Curtis (1:16.260), and the Pro team of Soucek/Parente (1:16.296). The Pro/Am team of Dennis Olsen and Anthony Imperato in the #91 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (1:16.321) and Morad and American Michael De Quesada (1:16.451) rounded out the top 5. Six different manufacturers (Ferrari, Acura, Bentley, Porsche, Mercedes-AMG and BMW) were all represented in the top 10.
Of note, Pro division driver championship co-leaders coming into the weekend Rodrigo Baptista from Brazil and Maxime Soulet from Belgium co-piloting the K-PAX Racing’s #3 Bentley Continental GT3 posted the 9th fastest time with a 1:17.156.
Results are provisional until posted final. Blancpain GT World Challenge America competitors now get set for their first race of the weekend scheduled for a green flag start of 2:10 pm Eastern Saturday. Watch the race at gt-world-challenge-america.com.
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