Wisconsin “home team” Kellymoss made a strong statement in Thursday’s opening practice session at Road America with Riley Dickinson and Alan Metni topping their respective classes on home turf.
The Madison-based team placed three cars inside the top seven overall as Porsche Carrera Cup North America returned to the legendary 4.048-mile circuit to kick off the second half of the season.
Reigning champion Dickinson led the 29-car field with a best lap of 2:09.502 in the No. 91 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, setting the pace early in the hour-long session. Teammate Aaron Jeansonne made it a 1-2 for Kellymoss, just 0.160 seconds behind on the timesheets.
“Feels good so far — no complaints,” Jeansonne said.
“The car is solid out of the gate. I think the track is going to evolve a lot, so things will change. Everyone’s going to improve, and we just need to make sure we follow where the track goes and stay on top of it.
“Conditions seem a little slower than the test last week. The track just isn’t quite there yet, so we’ll see how it develops. It’s always a bit of a guess, but I’ve got the best team behind me, and they’ll help me adapt.”
Alan Metni added to the team’s dominance by going fastest in the Pro-Am class — and impressively seventh overall — with a time of 2:10.586. The Texas-based driver’s pace put him ahead of multiple Pro-class competitors.
The Pro class featured close competition behind the Kellymoss duo, with Topp Racing’s Tyler Maxson, JDX Racing’s Zachary Vanier, and ACI Motorsports’ Jimmy Llibre rounding out the top five.
In Pro-Am, Metni’s time put him more than a second clear of second-place JP Martinez, while Brady Behrman and Javier Ripoll Jr. followed in third and fourth.
Masters class honors in Practice 1 went to JTR Motorsports Engineering’s Rob Walker, who posted a 2:11.547 — a time that placed him ahead of multiple Pro and Pro-Am drivers as well. He led Ruckus Racing driver and class championship leader Scott Blind, and Kellymoss’ Todd Parriott in the session’s intra-class battle.
“The track’s really slippery — it’s changed a lot since we were here for testing a couple weeks ago,” Walker said.
“I’ve been struggling with front grip, but started to figure some things out later in the session. I think my fastest lap was actually my last one.
“Sector one seems to be quick for everyone, but sectors two and three are where the conditions really change. Sector two especially — it usually rubbers in well, including the Carousel — but with all the recent rain, there’s just nothing out there right now.”
Race 1 for Porsche Carrera Cup North America at Road America is scheduled for Saturday, August 2, at 11:55 a.m. ET (10:55 a.m. local time) following a second practice and qualifying on Friday. Race 2 goes green on Sunday, August 3, at 11:35 a.m. ET.
All Carrera Cup races, including replays from Road America, will be shown live on IMSA and Porsche Motorsport North America YouTube Channels, IMSA TV, Peacock, and the Porsche Motorsport North America social channels on Facebook, Linkedin, Threads and X.
