As movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer waved the green flag, poleman Pipo Derani (#31 Action Express Cadillac) led from the #7 Penske Porsche of Felipe Nasr, who grabbed second place into Turn 1 from Bourdais’ Chip Ganassi-run Caddy.
Derani pulled over 1s clear almost immediately, while Bourdais tracked Nasr and repassed him on lap three to restore the Caddy 1-2, with Derani now 2s up the road.
Bourdais clawed into Derani’s lead and they ran nose-to-tail for much of the opening hour.
Behind Nasr, Connor De Phillippi’s #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 held fourth, ahead of Ricky Taylor’s #10 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06.
During the opening 20 minutes, Nick Tandy passed Taylor for fifth in the second Penske Porsche.
The first full-course caution of the race was required just before the half-hour mark, as Misha Goikhberg shunted the #78 Forte Racing GTD class Lamborghini Huracan at the Bus Stop chicane and the damage against the tyre wall was such that he couldn’t rejoin.
The prompted wholesale pitstops, with Taylor taking the lead from Derani, Bourdais and Nasr. The #6 Porsche of Tandy required a steering arm check, dropping him from fifth to the tail of the GTP class.
The race went green after 47 minutes, with Bourdais snatching second from Derani, but went back to yellow just moments later following a three-car LMP2 wreck and then a tangle between Mike Conway’s GTD Pro class Vasser Sullivan Lexus and the spun LMP2 car of Dennis Andersen.
At the hour mark, Taylor led Bourdais, Nasr, Derani and Louis Deletraz (#40 WTRA Acura).
Source: Autosport