Ryan Hardwick and Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R take GTD Pole at the Roar

HARD FOUGHT QUALIFYING SESSION WHERE LAP TIMES KEPT CREEPING UP TO THE LAST LAP

Some teams elected to stay longer out on track to try to maximize their Michelin tires and car performance as much as they could to get the quickest lap. We usually see the quickest time around the fifth lap but today we have seen fastest time recorded on their seventh lap.

Such was the case for Ryan Hardwick who managed to clear the field by just short of three tenths of a second on his last lap with a 1:46.831. In second place, Simon Mann (#21 Af Corse Ferrari 488 GT3) also ran his fastest time on the last lap with a 1:47.095. In third place, we find Madison Snow (#1 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3) with a time of 1:47.182.

For our Canadians, Roman De Angelis’s The Heart of Racing will start fifth as teammate Ian James qualified the car (1:47.224). Pfaff Motorsports had chosen Zach Robichon for the qualifying effort and he bettered his time lap after lap to get a 1:47.323 giving him sixth place.

Completing the top 10 is Mikaël Grenier’s #75 SunEnergy1 team as team owner Kenny Habul clocked a time of 1:47.896.

Alegra Motorsports with Daniel Morad at the wheel ended up not registering a time this afternoon and the team will start in 18th place.

There is an 2-hour practice session this evening from 7-9pm.

Then, a 10 minutes warm-up Sunday morning followed by the Motul Pole award race in the afternoon.

Image: Courtesy Jake Galstad / IMSA