Elkhart Lake, WI - Bill Auberlen posted the fastest time in Thursday morning's combined Pirelli GT4 America Sprint/SprintX practice at Road America. The 60-minute session was held under overcast, 78-degree Fahrenheit weather conditions at the 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit.
Early in the session, ST Racing's SprintX Silver-classed BMW M4 GT4 driver Nick Wittmer in the #28 machine, topped the charts with a 2:18.824. Soon after, SprintX Pro/Am driver Andrew Davis in the #2 GMG Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 went to top with a 2:18.802. Davis then improved his time a lap later to a 2:18.715. Fastest Sprint competitor early on was Am driver Sean Quinlan in the #119 Stephen Cameron Racing BMW M4 GT4 (7th overall) with a 2:20.371.
At the 15-minute mark, RS1’s Jen Heylen piloting the #37 Porsche Cayman CS MR in Pro-Am SprintX moved to second on the charts with a 2:18.752, while BimmerWorld's Pro-Am SprintX pilot Auberlen in the #82 BMW M4 GT4, slotted into third with a 2:18.765. A lap later, Heylen posted a 2:18.462 to eclipse Davis' fast time. By a hair, Auberlen then bested Heylen's time with a 2:18.452.
Pro division Sprint driver Spencer Pumpelly behind the wheel of the #66 TRG-The Racers Group LaSalle Solutions Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 slotted into 10th overall with the fastest Sprint time of 2:19.948.
At the checkered, Auberlen's, Heylen's and Davis' times held. Wittmer's time held for fastest SprintX Silver division time. Of note, Sprint Championship points leader Michael Cooper, winner of the last five Pro division races, had the 15th fastest time of the season, 2:20.476 in the #10 Blackdog Speed Shop McLaren 570s GT4. Quinlan's time held for the fastest time in the Sprint Am division, 14th overall. Am Division championship leader Michael Dinan in the #210 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage GT4 had the 16th fastest time, second in Am with a 2:20.481. Rearden Racing's Kris Wilson driving the #16 Mercedes AMG GT4 had the fastest SprintX Am time, 9th overall, with a 2:19.406.
Action for the Pirelli GT4 America Sprint series continues Thursday afternoon with the second practice session of the day scheduled for 2:35pm Central. Follow all the action at gt4-america.com and across social channels.
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Sprint PROVISIONAL RESULTS - PDF Link
SprintX PROVISIONAL RESULTS - PDF Link