Sheldon van der Linde delivered a standout performance in the Long Beach IMSA 2025 opening practice, leading a BMW M Team RLL 1-2 finish.
The South African driver making his debut on the iconic Long Beach street circuit clocked an impressive lap time of 1:13.241 in the No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8. This remarkable effort not only secured him the top spot but also set the tone for what promises to be an intense weekend of racing.
Van der Linde’s lap came late in the 60-minute opening practice for the Long Beach IMSA 2025 round, narrowly edging out his teammate Dries Vanthoor in the No. 24 BMW who recorded a time of 1:13.377.
Both drivers showcased exceptional skill and control on the tight and technical Long Beach circuit, underscoring BMW M Team RLL’s dominance in the GTP class during this session.
However, Van der Linde’s session was not without drama as he encountered an incident at Turn 9 shortly after setting his fastest lap. Despite this setback he managed to return the car safely to pit lane.
The practice session itself was a high-energy affair characterized by fierce competition among GTP and GTD class cars. Renger van der Zande in the No. 93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 secured third place with a late-session improvement demonstrating the competitiveness of Acura’s entry.
Porsche Penske Motorsport also put up a strong showing with Mathieu Jaminet in the No. 6 Porsche 963 and Nick Tandy in the No. 7 Porsche rounding out the top five positions in the GTP class.
Earl Bamber delivered a solid performance in his Cadillac V-Series.R finishing sixth overall and ensuring Cadillac remained within striking distance of their rivals.
Meanwhile, Jordan Taylor faced challenges in his No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac after running into the Turn 1 runoff area early in the session though he recovered without significant damage.
In the GTD category, Laurens Vanthoor piloted the No. 177 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R to first place in Long Beach IMSA 2025 FP1 with a best lap time of 1:18.584.
His performance highlighted Porsche’s strength in this class, with Vanthoor’s skill earning him a comfortable margin over Parker Thompson in the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 and Philip Ellis in third place driving for Winward Racing.
The session also marked a notable debut for Robert Wickens in DXDT Racing’s Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R.
Wickens posted competitive times despite being new to the GTD field, finishing just behind teammate Tommy Milner. The Corvette team showed promise as they adapted to their new machinery.
However, not every driver had an incident-free session. Roman De Angelis experienced difficulties when he ran into the Turn 1 runoff area while driving his Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro and was subsequently handed a drive-through penalty for improper runoff procedure.
Such incidents underscored the challenging nature of Long Beach’s street circuit, where precision is paramount.
The opening Long Beach IMSA 2025 practice was briefly interrupted by a red flag with five minutes remaining due to debris on track which was suspected to have come from Van der Linde’s No. 25 BMW following his earlier incident at Turn 9.
Despite the stoppage, drivers quickly resumed their efforts once the track was cleared making full use of every remaining second to fine-tune their setups ahead of qualifying.
BMW’s commanding performance in the session has set high expectations for their team as they aim to maintain their lead throughout the weekend. The combination of Van der Linde’s raw speed and Vanthoor’s consistency has placed them as early favorites for victory at Long Beach.
