During a one-hour session with optimal track conditions, Hanson recorded a lap time of 1m35.216s on the 3.56-mile road course, driving the GTP class JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 963.
Brendon Hartley quickly set a benchmark of 1m36.197s in the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-06, showcasing his speed as an ex-F1 driver and three-time Le Mans winner.
Connor De Phillippi later surpassed Hartley, clocking a lap of 1m35.468s in the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 from RLL, edging out Tom Blomqvist’s run in the Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R by 0.038s.
Neel Jani took the lead with a 1m35.329s lap in Proton Competition’s Porsche 963, likely simulating qualifying for the upcoming race.
As the session progressed, De Phillippi improved his time to 1m35.399s, just 0.070s behind Jani. He later matched Jani’s time exactly at 1m35.329s.
However, Hanson surprised everyone by setting the fastest Roar time with 20 minutes remaining, securing the top spot with his 1m35.216s in JDC-Miller’s 963, beating Pipo Derani’s previous best by 0.001s.
Sebastien Bourdais claimed the fourth position in Chip Ganassi Racing’s Cadillac V-Series.R, with Blomqvist following closely. The rankings also included Augusto Farfus, Brendon Hartley, Felipe Nasr (Penske Porsche), Jenson Button (WTR Acura), and Kevin Estre (Penske Porsche).
In the LMP2 class, Joao Barbosa initially led in the sole Ligier for Sean Creech Motorsport, but Ben Keating’s #2 United Autosports machine eventually took first place with a time of 1m39.047s.
In the GTD class, Frederic Makowiecki set the pace in his #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, outdone later by Klaus Bachler in the #86 MDK Motorsports 911.
Trent Hindman of Kellymoss with Riley secured second place in the final minutes, resulting in a 1-2-3 finish for Porsche, a notable improvement from their performance in the previous year’s event.
The best performer from non-Porsche entries in the GTD Pro class was Mario Farnbacher for Aston Martin, driving the #23 Heart of Racing-run Vantage. Dennis Olsen led American muscle cars in his Proton-run Ford Mustang GT3, followed by Mike Rockenfeller’s Multimatic version.
Former IndyCar star James Hinchcliffe faced trouble on his first flying lap due to an issue with his Pfaff Motorsports McLaren 720S, but he managed to rejoin the session, completing eight laps and finishing 42nd overall.