Hanson secured the top spot on the 3.56-mile road course, clocking 1m35.216s in his GTP class JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963. The track conditions were optimal throughout the one-hour session.
Initially, Brendon Hartley set the pace, achieving a record of 1m36.197s in the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-06 early in the session. However, Connor De Phillippi’s #25 RLL-run BMW M Hybrid V8 later surpassed him with a lap of 1m35.468s, edging out Tom Blomqvist’s time in Action Express Racing’s Cadillac V-Series.R at the same time.
Neel Jani took the lead with a 1m35.329s in Proton Competition’s Porsche 963, likely during a qualifying simulation for the following day.
Post the halfway mark, fast laps continued, with De Phillippi improving to 1m35.399s, a mere 0.070s difference from Jani. He matched Jani’s best time exactly at 1m35.329s. Hanson ultimately broke all these records with the fastest time of the Roar so far, clocking 1m35.216s in JDC-Miller’s 963, beating Pipo Derani’s previous best by 0.001s.
Sebastien Bourdais in Chip Ganassi Racing’s Cadillac V-Series.R secured the fourth spot, followed by Blomqvist. Augusto Farfus, Hartley, Felipe Nasr, Jenson Button, and Kevin Estre completed the top ten.
In the LMP2 category, United Autosports claimed the top two spots, with Ben Keating’s #2 United Autosports machine leading at 1m39.047s, 0.047s faster than Paul di Resta in United’s #22. These times were three-tenths better than Mikkel Jensen’s #11 TDS-run ORECA at 1m39.414s.
The GTD category witnessed a Porsche 1-2-3 finish, with Klaus Bachler in the #86 MDK Motorsports 911 setting the pace at 1m46.229s, surpassing Frederic Makowiecki’s 1m45.999s. Trent Hindman (Kellymoss with Riley) secured the second spot in the closing minutes with a 1m45.990s.
The best non-Porsche in GTD Pro was Mario Farnbacher for Aston Martin, in his #23 Heart of Racing-run Vantage, leading the category. Dennis Olsen with his Proton-run Ford Mustang GT3 led the American muscle cars, securing the fifth spot, ahead of Mike Rockenfeller’s Multimatic version.
Former IndyCar champion James Hinchcliffe faced an issue on his initial flying lap with his Pfaff Motorsports McLaren 720S, getting stuck on the track’s backstretch. Despite returning to the session later, he wrapped up 42nd overall after managing just eight laps.