Practice Day With The WEC At Circuit Of The Americas

Sights from the first full day of the World Endurance Championship at the Circuit of the Americas.

By Rip Shaub

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www.thedrive.com

The World Endurance Championship at COTA is quite the spectacle. These incredible cars are on America’s premier track for the final time for at least a couple years. And they’re going out with a bang. We’re bringing photos of the action all weekend.

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The WEC isn’t alone in Austin. With 3 support races on the undercard, it’s a busy weekend on the track. Here, Formula 4 driver Parker Locke Takes a practice session early Thursday., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
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Matveos Isaakyan competes in the World Series Formula V8 3.5 series. Here he is gliding through the straight between turns 10 and 11., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
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Diego Menchaca of Mexico, also of the Formula V8 3.5 series, rounds turn 10., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
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The Ford Performance team releases the hounds just ahead of the WEC’s second practice session., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
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The pair of Ford GTs would finish 1-2 in the first practice session and barely missed out on the top spot in the second session. , © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
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Clearwater Racing’s Ferrari 488 GTE picks up speed after rounding turn 1 late Thursday afternoon., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
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Valliante Rebellion’s second test session went better than their first. They finished 1-2 after sorting out what had them in the middle of the pack earlier in the day., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
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A rivalry older than time. Ferrari vs Ford in Le Mans series racing. Here, the teams hang tight in the first sector. The ferrari would be glued to the GT for most of the second session., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
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Spirit of Race runs the same 488 GTE in the amateur class. , © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
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Two generations of the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR chase an Oreca 07 in Turn 9. The older model is run my the amateur teams and the newer one is one of the Porsche factory team’s entries., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
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A closer look at that 991-based RSR, because that Gulf livery never gets old., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
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The Valliente Rebellion team turned in the fastest lap of the day for LMP2 in this Oreca 07. They ran a 1:54.601 late in the session., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
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Another Oreca heads for the far end of the circuit as the sun lowers over COTA., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
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One of the Ford GTs, manages Turn 9 during practice. Turn 9 has settled a bit since the circuit opened, making it a much more interesting corner than originally designed., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
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Sometimes the tower shot at COTA just doesn’t need the tower. The other Valliente Rebellion Oreca crests the big hill in the second sector., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
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The #1 Porsche 919 Hybrid was the fastest car of the day. They turned in a 1:45.860 in the second session, plenty fast for overall P1., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved
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Toyota Gazoo Racing continued to chase the Porsche prototypes, in a story that’s been playing out all season. Their two entries finished 3-4 in both sessions. Here the prototype rides into the sun in the waning minutes of Thursday’s second test session., © Rip Shaub – All Rights Reserved