Overview
- Laurens Vanthoor led Saturday night practice at Daytona for Porsche Penske, capping a day that also saw Cadillac pace Session 4 after Porsche and BMW topped earlier runs.
- IMSA penalized three LMP2 teams — Tower Motorsports, Era Motorsport and Pratt Miller Motorsports — with stop‑plus‑60‑minute sanctions for unapproved sensors during Saturday’s third session.
- Porsche opened the Roar with a 1-2-3; BMW M Team WRT headed Session 2; Acura Meyer Shank lost early running to “gremlins,” and the Aston Martin Valkyrie underwent an engine change.
- In Dubai, TFT’s Mercedes earned a surprise pole in the first top‑10 shootout, but Team WRT’s No. 669 BMW jumped to the lead on lap one and BMWs ran 1‑2‑3 at mid‑distance with the No. 669 ahead of Paradine’s No. 992.
- Two Dubai contenders — Winward’s No. 81 Mercedes and HAAS RT’s No. 2 Audi — stopped with missing right‑rear wheels, causing retirement or heavy delays and significantly altering the running order.