RS1’s Heylen Tops Laguna Seca Practice

Photo: Jake Galstad/IMSA

Jan Heylen topped IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge practice at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for Saturday’s two-hour race.

Heylen, in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, reeled off a chart-topping 1:29.592 in Friday morning’s opening 60-minute session.

It was 0.042 seconds quicker than Daniel Morad, who paced the afternoon session in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4, with Thomas Merrill third in the No. 14 AR Motorsports Porsche.

Caio Chaves and Robby Foley completed the top-five in the Panam Motorsport Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 and No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 EVO.

TCR was led by the No. 93 MMG Honda Civic FL5 TCR of Karl Wittmer, who also set the time in the morning session.

Both sessions saw red flags each for separate incidents in Turn 4, the first for the No. 18 Victor Gonzalez Racing Hyundai Elantra N of Lance Bergstein.

The afternoon session, meanwhile, saw troubles for the No. 46 Team TGM Aston Martin Vantage GT4 Evo of Paul Holton in the same corner.

There was an additional incident in the morning between the No. 98 BHA Hyundai of Mason Filippi and teammate Preston Brown’s in the No. 76 Hyundai in Turn 11.

Brown was given incident responsibility, which resulted in a drive-through penalty that he did not serve until the beginning of Practice 2.

Scott Thomson in the No. 30 LAP Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4, meanwhile, had several off-course excursions in the closing minutes of the session but continued.

Session 2 came to an early end with less than two minutes on the clock for an incident by Brian Lock in the No. 66 CDR Valkyrie Porsche in Turn 10.

Qualifying is set for a 5:40 p.m. PST (8:40 p.m. EST) start time.

RESULTS: Practice (Combined)