Liddy Tops Friday Practice at Road America

Patrick Liddy was fastest overall across a pair of McLaren Trophy America practice sessions on Friday at Road America, setting the day’s quickest lap in his first-ever practice session in the series.

The Californian, who his making his first series start this weekend alongside Tanner Harvey, topped the Pro-Am class times in both hour-long practice sessions on Friday, though his 2:08.608 overall benchmark lap from Practice 1 in the No. 24 Forte Racing McLaren Artura Trophy Evo proved unbeatable in the afternoon’s Practice 2.

Forte’s Kevin Madsen made it a team 1-2 at the top of the times, finishing Practice 1 0.153 seconds off of Liddy’s pace in the Am class-leading No. 53 he shares with Neil Langberg.

Tommy Pintos’ 2:09.548-second lap in Practice 2 in his No. 919 Skip Barber Racing Artura paced the Pro class on Friday and was enough for third-fastest overall in the McLaren he shares with Cooper Broll.

Jeff Cook was fourth-fastest on the day and second-quickest in Am with his best effort in first practice aboard the No. 5 Dark Horse Racing entry she co-drives with Deniz Teoman.

Alexandra Hainer proved fifth-fastest overall, reeling off the third quickest time in Practice 2 and rebounding after her and Jesse Lazare’s No. 43 Motorsports In Action McLaren filed to set a representative lap time in Practice 1.

Bob Stockard brought out the red flag in first practice after beaching his No. 56 Hooper Street Racing Artura Trophy Evo in the gravel rap outside Turn 14 and requiring recovery.

Though running resumed, the red briefly came out again when Hainer’s No. 43 MIA Artura momentarily stopped on track in the final sector, though she was able to continue into pit lane under her own power.

Lazare went back out late in the session, but appeared to stop on track before The Kink as the checkered flag came out.

Lazare wasted no time jumping to the top of the overall times in Practice 2 in the first half of the session, however, laying down a 2:10.504-second lap on his third attempt, before Hainer improved further, with the No. 43 entry finishing the session second-quickest in class behind Liddy and Pintos.

In Practice 2, Colin Harrison’s solo-driven TechSport McLaren failed to turn laps, despite turning the fourth fastest Am class time in Practice 1 this morning.

Both practice sessions ran 60 minutes in length, allowing the field of 15 cars to gain maximum track time.

Qualifying for Race 1 is slated for Saturday at 8:05 a.m. CST, ahead of Race 1 of the weekend at 12:05 p.m.

RESULTS: Practice 1/Practice 2