Barbosa Fastest in First Practice at Sebring

Joao Barbosa has taken the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP to the top of the timesheets in the opening one-hour practice session for the 63rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Barbosa’s best time was 1:52.485, with the Daytona Prototype-spec car ahead of two LMP2-spec cars.

The pair of Ligier JS P2 cars entered were second and third in the session, with Ozz Negri second in the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Ligier JS P2 Honda at 1:53.732 and Nic Jonsson third in the No. 57 Krohn Racing Ligier JS P2 Judd at 1:53.731.

Two other Corvette DPs from Wayne Taylor Racing and Action Express Racing rounded out the top five.

Other class leaders in the session included Colin Braun in Prototype Challenge at 1:55.144, Dirk Werner in GT Le Mans at 1:59.496 and Mario Farnbacher in GT Daytona at 2:03.455.

The top eight cars in GTLM were covered by 0.805 of a second, with the top six in GTD spread out by just 0.603.

One red flag flew 24 minutes into the session when Jeroen Bleekemolen stopped on track in the No. 33 TI Automotive/Riley Motorsports Dodge Viper GT3-R at Turn 14. Bleekemolen’s car was taken back to the pits.

Two cars (No. 18 Muehlner Motorsport Porsche 911 GT America and No. 009 TRG-AMR Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3) did not set times of the 45 still entered.

Second practice runs from 2:25 to 3:25 p.m. ET and local time.

RESULTS: Practice 1