Askew, Willsey Lead Michelin Encore Saturday Practice

Photo: Brian Cleary

Sean Creech Motorsport’s Oliver Askew and Lance Willsey topped the timesheets after a day of practice sessions for this weekend’s IMSA Michelin SportsCar Encore at Sebring.

Three practice sessions were held over the course of Saturday in preparation for qualifying on Sunday morning, which will set the grid for the four-hour race that combines LMP3, GT3 and GT4 machinery.

The best time of the day was set by Askew, driving the No. 33 Ligier JS P3 Nissan during the third and final session, with a 1:58.077 good enough to put him comfortably at the top of the table.

Robillard Racing’s Norma M30 Nissan was second quickest with Joe Robillard and Steven McAleer sharing driving duties and going 0.287 seconds down on the lead Sean Creech entry.

The day’s top five was completed by a trio of other Ligiers, including the other Sean Creech car driven by Naj Husain and Wayne Boyd, as well as both of K2R Motorsports’ cars.

Paul Miller Racing led the second and third sessions in the GT3 class, with a best time in the afternoon of 2:00.731.

Its Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo, shared by Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow, was 1.5 seconds quicker than the next fastest GT3 entry, Riley Motorsports’ Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Turner Motorsport’s Robby Foley and Vin Barletta set the GT4 pace with their BMW M4 GT4 after setting a best time of 2:11.927 to go 0.157 seconds clear.

A final 25-minute practice session is set for 9 a.m. EST on Sunday ahead of qualifying after a ten-minute break. The race will get underway at 12:05 p.m.

RESULTS: Practice (Combined)

Jake Kilshaw

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.