KohR’s Signoretti Quickest in Pilot Challenge Testing at Roar

Photo: Wes Duenkel/Ford Performance

Marco Signoretti set the overall fastest time of the weekend during IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge pre-season testing at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona, setting an insurmountable benchmark time in the first of five sessions across the three days of track action.

The Canadian took his No. 60 KohR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4 to the top of the times, reeling off a 1:57.449 lap time in the weekend’s opening session on Friday morning, outpacing Stephen Cameron Racing’s Gregory Liefooghe by 0.173 seconds and leading a Mustang GT4 1-2.

The top three fastest times of the weekend in the GS class all came from the first test session, with RS1’s Jan Heylen winding up third-quickest, 0.444 tenths of a second off of  Signoretti’s pace.

The Mustang GT4 continued to show its strength on the high banks, with the No. 13 McCumbee McAleer Racing with Aerosport entry of Jenson Altzman setting the fourth fastest overall time in Session 2.

Last year’s TCR class champions Unitronic/JDC Miller MotorSports rounded out the overall top five in their new Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.

Robin Liddell was sixth-fastest for Rebel Rock Racing, with Spencer Pumpelly’s BGB Motorsports Porsche seventh quickest overall.

Meanwhile, Hattori Motorsports’ JP Southern, the sister No. 59 KohR Motorsports Mustang GT4 of Billy Johnson and the No. 12 RAFA Racing Team Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 completed the top-ten, respectively.

Tim Lewis was the fastest overall TCR class driver of the weekend, reeling off a 1:57.449 second lap in his No. 5 KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering Honda Civic FL5 TCR in Session 4.

Lewis was 0.797 seconds clear of Ryan Eversley’s best lap from the third session aboard the No. 7 Precision Racing LA Audi RS 3 LMS TCR.

MMG Racing completed the top three with Karl Wittmer’s best time from Session 1 placing him less than a second off of Lewis’ benchmark time.

The weekend also saw the first official testing outing for the new-to-IMSA Cupra Leon VZ TCR in the hands of Gou Racing. Pilot Challenge’s newest TCR car finished preseason testing 16th fastest in class.

However, the No. 55 Cupra showed stronger pace in the wet, finishing inside the top-five in a wet fifth session, with Eddie Gou behind the wheel.

The final session of the weekend on Sunday session was condensed to 45-minutes and ran in wet conditions following a morning schedule delay caused by severe weather in the area.

Pilot Challenge opens its season with a four-hour endurance race at Daytona International Speedway next Friday.

RESULTS: Pre-Season Testing (Combined)