Pipo Derani, starting from pole position in the No. 31 Cadillac V-Series.R, made a smooth start and comfortably led the pack into Turn 1.
However, trouble brewed behind him as the No. 62 Ferrari 296 GT3, driven by Davide Rigon, got tangled in contact at the start of the GTD and GTD Pro race, sending Rigon off course at Turn 3. Fortunately, he managed to resume without causing a caution.
Moments later, the No. 9 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO of Oliver Jarvis suffered a flat tire, prompting an unscheduled pit stop. In a similar incident, the No. 70 GTD McLaren driven by Brendan Iribe also experienced a puncture, necessitating a pit visit for repairs.
Meanwhile, Vasser Sullivan’s Lexus RC F GT3 entries, piloted by Jack Hawksworth and Parker Thompson, took charge in the GTD Pro and GTD classes respectively.
Derani maintained a steady lead of around 1 second over Sebastien Bourdais in the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R in the early stages of the race.
However, George Kurtz in the No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR ORECA 07 encountered a puncture, leading to a slow lap back to the pits and a subsequent penalty for the team due to too many crew members assisting.
Amidst Kurtz’s troubles, Ben Keating’s No. 2 United Autosports USA machine, driven by Daniel Goldburg, surged to the front in LMP2, building a significant lead.
Unfortunately, just 30 minutes into the race, the No. 17 AWA Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R retired due to apparent alternator issues.
The first full-course yellow was prompted by debris on the track, pausing the escalating battle for the overall lead between Derani and Bourdais, who closed in on Derani as they negotiated traffic.
All GTP cars opted to pit during the caution, with Phil Hanson in the No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963 receiving attention for a new rear clip. Derani led the field off pit lane, followed by Louis Deletraz in the No. 40 Acura ARX-06 for Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti, while Bourdais fell to third.
In the LMP2 pit stops, Nick Boulle emerged as the leader in the No. 52 Inter Europole by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA 07, relegating Keating to second place.
Despite the pit stops, Vasser Sullivan’s entries maintained their positions, with Frankie Montecalvo taking over from Thompson in the team’s No. 12 car.
As the race resumed just before the completion of the first hour, Bourdais wasted no time in passing Deletraz to reclaim second place.
Shortly after the first hour mark, Bourdais executed a daring move, slipping his Ganassi-prepared Cadillac past Derani’s AXR machine to take the lead for the first time in the race.