Ricky Taylor, the Cadillac factory driver, dominated the opening practice session for the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Taylor, substituting for the Brazil-bound Harry Tincknell, set a blistering 1:08.080 lap time in the No. 52 Bryan Herta Autosport with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca 07 Gibson, claiming the top spot. This time was a mere 0.098 seconds faster than second-placed Sebastian Alvarez in the No. 8 Tower Motorsport Oreca. The session was cut short by an accident involving a GTD car, but Taylor's performance stood out nonetheless.
In the LMP2 category, Alex Quinn secured third place with a 1:08.287 lap time. United Autosports' Ben Hanley and Inter Europol Competition's Tom Dillmann rounded out the top five. The GT car category was led by Philip Ellis in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, outpacing the entire GTD Pro field. Ellis' performance was particularly impressive, as he claimed the top spot in his class.
Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, driven by Antonio Garcia, secured the top position in the GT3 class, achieving the second-best time among GT3-based machinery. Ben Barnicoat in the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 and Neil Verhagen and Tommy Milner in the No. 3 Paul Miller Racing and Corvette by Pratt Miller respectively, followed closely behind in the GTD Pro category.
The session witnessed two red flags, the first due to an accident involving Lorenzo Patrese in the No. 34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo at Moss Corner. Patrese, with co-driver Albert Costa setting the second-quickest time in GTD, managed to return to the pit lane with minor damage. The second red flag was raised after Callum Ilott's No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo made heavy contact with the tire barriers at the same corner. Ilott exited the car from the passenger's side door, and the session did not resume due to the extensive barrier repairs required.
Taylor's performance raises questions about his potential in the upcoming qualifying session, as both cars that brought out the red flags are expected to lose their quickest times. The second and final practice session is scheduled for Saturday at 10:35 a.m. EST, followed by qualifying at 4 p.m., which will be streamed live on Peacock and IMSA's YouTube channel. Taylor's performance in practice has undoubtedly set the stage for an exciting race weekend, leaving spectators eager to see his further achievements.
