JMF’s Grenier Tops Opening Practice at COTA

Photo: Fabian Lagunas/SRO

Mikael Grenier picked up where he left off at Sonoma Raceway, with the JMF Motorsports driver leading the way atop the time charts.

The Canadian, driving the No. 34 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, paced Friday’s one-and-only practice session for Sunday’s GT World Challenge America powered by AWS three-hour race at Circuit of The Americas.

Grenier reeled off a chart-topping 2:04.678 lap time in the hour-long session, edging out Pro-Am class pace-setter Loek Hartog in the No. 88 Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo by 0.259 seconds.

The No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Robby Foley was third quickest overall and second in Pro, followed by Frederik Schandorff’s No. 16 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo, also in the top class.

Aaron Telitz completed the overall time five in the No. 69 Archangel Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, which was second quickest in Pro-Am.

Former Porsche Carrera Cup North America champion Riley Dickinson ended up sixth quickest overall, ahead of GMG Racing’s Tom Sargent and Aaron Povoledo in the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R.

Daniel Morad, in his series return, was ninth quickest in the No. 9 TR3 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, with Jan Heylen completing the top-ten in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche.

The No. 163 AF Corse Ferrari of Ozz Negri was quickest in Am, setting the 16th fastest time overall, and ahead of the No. 11 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG, which has joined the class this weekend.

The session saw a single red flag for Colin Braun, who went off into the gravel aboard his No. 017 Kellymoss Porsche, resulting in roughly a ten-minute stoppage.

Twenty one of the 22 cars set laps in the session, with the debuting No. 71 Rebel Rock Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo sitting out the session after Frank DePew suffered a comprehensive gearbox failure in the Paid Bronze Test earlier in the day.

Team manager/driver Robin Liddell told Sportscar365 they plan to return to action tomrrow.

The second practice of the weekend is scheduled for Saturday at 10:25 a.m. CST.

RESULTS: Practice 1

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John