Porsche Sweeps Front Row In GTLM Qualifying At Daytona
- plugged2racing
- Jan 29, 2016
- 3 min read
Nick Tandy captured the GT Le Mans pole for the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.
Driving the No. 911 Porsche North America with teammate and last year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTLM champion, Patrick Pilet, Tandy – a two-time GTLM pole winner in 2015 and the reigning 24 Hours of Le Mans overall champion – posted a best time of 2:01.408 (105.561 mph).
Frédéric Makowiecki qualified second in GTLM with a time of 2:02.364 (104.737 mph) in the No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR, making an all-Porsche front row for Saturday’s starting lineup. The qualifying session was interrupted by a red flag for an incident involving Gianmaria Bruni in the No. 72 SMP Ferrari 488 GTE and was extended by a few minutes to satisfy the minimum guaranteed green-flag time requirement of 10 minutes.
“In the end it was a really interesting qualifying session,” said Tandy, who also won the GTLM class in the 2014 Rolex 24. “When we went out after the red, there was only time for one flying lap. The risk of going off and getting higher on the grid was really high. We got the cars one-two on the front row, and that’s what we wanted.”
John Edwards qualified third in the No. 100 BMW Team RLL IHG Rewards Club BMW M6 GTLM with a time of 2:02.497 (104.623 mph).
Siedler Takes GT Daytona TOTAL Pole Award in Porsche Debut
The new Porsche GT3 R made good in its debut at Daytona International Speedway, winning the GT Daytona (GTD) TOTAL Pole Award in the hands of Norbert Siedler. The Park Place Motorsports driver posted a best time of 2:04.798 (101.878 mph) in the No. 73 Park Place Porsche/Jet Edge entry.
“The Porsche is a car you want in conditions like this, the Porsche is always good in the rain,” said Siedler. “Conditions were quite tricky, but I couldn’t be happier for the team. To capture the pole for Park Place is pretty special.”
Marc Basseng qualified second in the No. 28 Konrad Motorsports Lamborghini Huracán GT3 with a time of 2:06.357 (101.427 mph). This weekend marks the first appearance for Lamborghini in the 54-year history of the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
Leh Keen took third on the GTD grid in the No. 22 Weather Tech Porsche 911 GT3 R with a time of 2:06.556 (101.267 mph).
Plumb, Skeer Capture Poles For Porsche In Continental Tire Challenge Qualifying
Defending BMW Performance 200 winner Hugh Plumb took the first step towards giving Rum Bum Racing its fourth Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge victory at Daytona by winning the TOTAL Pole Award in the Grand Sport (GS) class. Plumb ran a lap of 2:12.492 (96.730 mph) in the No. 13 Run Bum Studios/Billfish Foundation Porsche 911 co-driven by his brother, Matt Plumb.
Elliott Skeer took his second Street Tuner (ST) TOTAL Pole Award in two career Continental Tire Challenge races, running 2:17.340 (93.316 mph) in the No. 8 Rebel Rock Racing Borla/Urban Grid/Euro Classic Porsche Cayman co-driven by 2015 GS champion Robin Liddell. Skeer, the 2015 IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama champion and a past IMSA Scholarship recipient, made his only previous Continental Tire Challenge start at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in 2014. For that race, he won the pole and finished second for CJ Wilson Racing.
The Ford GT made its qualifying debut at Daytona, with Joey Hand clocking in ninth fastest in the class. “The conditions were treacherous,” Hand said. “The Bus Stop is usually third or fourth gear, and this was first gear. A lot of guys took it easy. Our main goal with this car is not really to throw down the ultimate lap in this first race, it’s to finish 24 hours.”
Mark Pombo qualified second in the first Daytona appearance of MINI’s top-of-the-line John Cooper Works. He co-drives the No. 37 MINI USA entry with Ethan Low. … Happy with its setup from the recent Roar Before the Rolex 24 test, CRG-I Do Borrow Racing decided to park its No. 44 Honda Civic Si during both practice and qualifying, both run in damp conditions. Instead, the team will save the car for the race, when dry conditions are in the forecast.
Contact:
nsiebens@imsa.com
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