Sebring IMSA Prototype Challenge race winner Stevan McAleer delivered an opening salvo in qualifying for Saturday’s three-hour race here at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (4:30 p.m. ET, IMSA.TV).

McAleer is back to sharing the No. 10 Robillard Racing Norma M30 LMP3 car with Joe Robillard this weekend.

The rapid Scotsman, who has made his U.S. home in New York and is a past IMSA MICHELIN Pilot Challenge ST class champion (under a different series name), laid down a best time of 1:12.957 around the 2.459-mile circuit.

Nine of the 19 LMP3 prototypes entered for Saturday’s race and qualifying on Michelin’s commercial slick tires eclipsed the 2018 pole time of 1:14.672, set by Leo Lamelas.

For reference of the pace, the fastest GT Le Mans class time set Friday was a 1:14.218 by Jan Magnussen in the No. 3 Corvette C7.R. The top seven LMP3 qualifiers set a time faster than that using the commercial slicks. The GTLM class remains IMSA’s lone open-tire category with full use of confidential tires selected by each of the Michelin technical partner teams.

CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERS START SLIGHTLY FURTHER BACK

Lamelas and Neil Alberico hope to close a four-point gap to Austin McCusker and Rodrigo Pflucker in the championship. The Lamelas/Alberico ANSA Motorsports No. 4 Ligier JS P3 will hope to charge forward from eighth. Meanwhile McCusker and Pflucker seek a repeat CTMP win for the Forty7 Motorsports No. 47 Norma from P3.

Elsewhere Dylan Murry and Dakota Dickerson, the Mid-Ohio winners, roll off from fourth in the No. 54 MLT Motorsports Ligier. Daytona polesitter Garett Grist has slotted the No. 51 K2R Ligier he shares with Rob Hodes into second.

Qualifying results are linked here.