Ford Sweeps Front Row In GTLM Qualifying At Watkins Glen
As the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship celebrates the Fourth of July this weekend at Watkins Glen International, it’ll be an all-American first two rows leading the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class to the green flag Sunday in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.
A pair of Ford GTs will lead a pair of Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs ahead of the remaining GTLM field to start the six-hour race with Richard Westbrook on pole with a lap of one minute, 41.948 seconds (120.061 mph) in the No. 67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT. He’ll be joined by teammate and 2017 Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen pole winner Joey Hand in the No. 66 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing entry on the front row.
“I knew Joey was going to make me work hard for it,” said Westbrook. “And he’s beaten me too many times in qualifying in the last two years, so I finally get back on him. We didn’t have a pole the first year, but the last year in the Ford we had plenty. Just happy to keep it going.”
Westbrook’s pole was his second at Watkins Glen (2016) and his sixth in the WeatherTech Championship, moving him into fourth on the WeatherTech Championship career poles list. It also extended Ford’s streak of GTLM poles at the track to three.
Given his and Ford’s recent success at the track, it’s no surprise that Westbrook considers Watkins Glen one of his favorite circuits. Westbrook won the race in the Prototype class and overall in 2014 and 2015, and took the GTLM win in the 2016 Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.
“This whole track is cool,” Westbrook added. “It’s just an amazing part of motorsports history and the fact that it just keeps going and keeps delivering. The new surface is awesome. We love coming here and hope to keep coming back here.”
Westbrook continuously posted quicker laps throughout the 15-minute session, ultimately topping Hand’s lap of 1:42.059 by just 0.111 seconds.
Another 0.3 seconds back was the No. 4 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R of Tommy Milner with a lap of 1:42.365, who edged out the No. 3 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R of Antonio Garcia. Both Milner and Garcia jumped into the second row on the final lap of the session, topping a pair of Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSRs.
The Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen is the midway point of the WeatherTech Championship season and the third round of the four-race Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup. The Patrón Endurance Cup rewards top performers in the four WeatherTech Championship endurance races: the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen and the 10-hour Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.
Hawksworth, Lexus Take Second Motul Pole Award of Season
Amidst a breakout season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Lexus continued to show plenty of speed at Watkins Glen International on Saturday as Jack Hawksworth delivered the manufacturer’s second GT Daytona (GTD) Motul Pole Award of the season ahead of Sunday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.
Driving the No. 15 3GT Racing Lexus RC F GT3, Hawksworth hung around the top of the time charts throughout the 15-minute qualifying session, ultimately ending up first with a time of one minute, 44.499 seconds (117.130 mph).
“It was an interesting (session),” said Hawksworth, who co-drives with David Heinemeier Hansson. “Normally, this year we’ve felt really happy with the balance of the car the minute we roll off the truck, but we kind of stalled with it this weekend. Didn’t know what to expect, but the guys did a great job and turned the car around and I was pretty happy with the car in qualifying.”
Lexus’ first pole of the season came back at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in May, also at the hands of Hawksworth. The No. 15 and its sister car, the No. 14 of Dominik Baumann and Kyle Marcelli, led every lap of that race, with the No. 14 delivering Lexus’ first win in the WeatherTech Championship. The No. 14 qualified third for Sunday’s six-hour race.
“Obviously, it was a great performance at Mid-Ohio and a great victory for the team,” said Hawksworth. “Alongside that and all the highlights, we’ve run top five pretty much everywhere we’ve gone. The car’s been fast, it’s been reliable, and the execution from the team has been a lot better this year. As a team, we’ve evolved in every department and obviously you can see the results with how things have gone this year. It’s certainly very promising.”
Starting between the two Lexus race cars will be the No. 29 Montaplast by Land Motorsport Audi R8 LMS GT3, a team entered in the four Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup events on the WeatherTech Championship schedule. Christopher Mies qualified the car and will share driving duties at with Sheldon van der Linde.
Additionally, the top eight cars – made up of six different manufacturers – in the 18-car GTD field were all within one second of Hawksworth’s time.
Source. IMSA
Porsche 911 RSR take up six-hour race from third grid row
The two Porsche 911 RSR head into the six-hour Watkins Glen race in the US state of New York from the third grid row. In the 15-minute qualifying for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Earl Bamber set the fifth quickest time in the GTLM class with a time of 1:42.507 minutes. Patrick Pilet planted the #911 car directly behind. Shortly before the end of the qualifying session, which took place in sunshine and a temperature of 30-degree Celsius, both ca. 510 hp vehicles had locked out the second grid row, only to be out-qualified by the competition in the final seconds.
The Porsche GT Team tackles round five of North America’s premier race series on Sunday on the tradition-steeped 5.472 kilometre racetrack. For the long-distance race over six hours, New Zealander Bamber and Belgian Laurens Vanthoor share the cockpit of the #912 car, with Pilet (France) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain) driving the sister car. In the strongly represented GTLM class, in which four automobile manufacturers fight for honours, Porsche currently ranks first in the manufacturers’ category after four races and two victories.
Qualifying quotes
Steffen Höllwarth, Porsche Programme Manager IMSA SportsCar Championship: “Until 20 minutes before the end of the session we’d counted on the second grid row. Then the situation in the qualifying changed. Still, we’re not worried about the race. We performed well in the race simulation during practice. It’ll be tougher in the race compared to the qualifying. But we’re heading into the race well prepared.”
Earl Bamber (Porsche 911 RSR #912): “Positions five and six are not what we’d hoped for, but we’ll have a good car for the race. I’m confident of this. We’re expecting a temperature of 30-degrees Celsius for the race and it’ll get pretty hot in the car for us drivers. The heat puts stress on the tyres, too, but let’s see how things go.”
Patrick Pilet (Porsche 911 RSR #911): “That was a difficult qualifying. We were a tiny bit off with our tyre choice, but I think we’re well sorted for the race. I like this track and we’ll do everything possible to climb the podium at the end. We have six hours to achieve this. The main thing here is to have a consistently fast car. That’s our forte.”
Qualifying result
GTLM class
1. Briscoe/Westbrook (AUS/GB), Ford GT, 1:41.948 minutes
2. Hand/Müller (USA/D), Ford GT, + 0.111 seconds
3. Gavin/Milner (GB/USA), Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, + 0.417 seconds
4. Magnussen/Garcia (DK/E), Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, + 0.549 seconds
5. Vanthoor/Bamber (B/NZ), Porsche 911 RSR, + 0.559 seconds
6. Tandy/Pilet (GB/F), Porsche 911 RSR, + 0.667 seconds
7. Krohn/Edwards/Blomqvist (FIN/USA/S), BMW M8 GTE, + 1.329 seconds
8. Sims/De Phillippi/Auberlen (GB/USA/USA), BMW M8 GTE, + 1.591 seconds
GTD class
1. Hawksworth/Heinemeier Hansson/Farnbacher (GB/DK/D), Lexus RC F GT3, 1:44.499 minutes
2. Mies/van der Line (D/SA), Audi R8 LMS, + 0.112 seconds
3. Marcelli/Baumann (CAN/A), Lexus RC F GT3, + 0.213 seconds
8. Long/Nielsen/Renauer (USA/DK/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R, + 0.930 seconds
18. Lindsey/Bergmeister (USA/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R, did not take part in the qualifying
Source. Porsche
BMW Team RLL Qualifies Seventh and Eighth for Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen
BMW Team RLL will start the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen from the seventh and eighth positions following today’s 15-minute GTLM class qualifying session. The green flag waved this afternoon at a very hot high noon and conditions are expected to be even warmer tomorrow.
In his first race weekend with BMW Team RLL, Tom Blomqvist qualified the No. 24 BMW M8 GTE seventh with a time of 1:43.227 minutes on his seventh lap of the classic Watkins Glen International circuit. Connor De Phillippi qualified the No. 25 BMW M8 GTE eighth with a 1:43.539 minute lap. The pole position was won by the No. 67 Ford GT. Blomqvist will share the No. 24 M8 with John Edwards and Jesse Krohn tomorrow and De Phillippi will co-drive the No. 25 M8 with Bill Auberlen and Alexander Sims. Auberlen and Sims won the six-hour contest last year in the No. 25 BMW M6 GLTM.
Last year, the two IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races at Watkins Glen International and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park resulted in two wins for BMW Team RLL – the first two of four victories for the BMW M6 GLTM racing program in 2017.
No. 25 M8 GTE fulltime co-drivers De Phillippi and Sims stand sixth in GTLM driver points, while No. 24 M8 GTE fulltime drivers Edwards and Jesse Krohn stand eighth. BMW holds the fourth spot in GTLM manufacturer points.
“We knew coming in that it was going to be a challenge in terms of performance for us.” said Brandon Fry, BMW Team RLL Technical and Racing Operations Director. “We continue making performance improvements to both BMW M8 GTE’s and will keep looking at things tonight, looking forward to tomorrow. It’s going to be hot and that is going to make things difficult for everyone, but having three drivers, will be an advantage we feel. Tomorrow is a long race, which is something we like so we will be looking for opportunities and we are going to give it our best”
Tom Blomqvist, driver No. 24 BMW M8 GTE (P7):
“The car, in general is good. Our qualifying performance wasn’t up to par today but we are banking on having a consistent car tomorrow. Tire wear can be an issue for some teams, and we have focused on our durability and will try to play that durability card tomorrow in the race. We have extracted the most out of the chassis but there are a lot of straightaways and we can only do so much with the power we have. We can only hope to improve here and there, use BMW M8 GTE’s very good drivability and focus on out-thinking the competition.”
Connor De Phillippi, driver No. 25 BMW M8 GTE (P8):
“Qualifying was fine in regards to the heat because we aren’t doing many laps so you don’t have time to really feel the heat. Last time I drove the BMW M8 GTE was at Spa in the rain where the heat wasn’t as bad as it is here this weekend. It is going to be an interesting race to deal with due to the heat but at the end of the day it’s the same for everyone, so it shouldn’t really be a problem for us. We’re supposed to be young, fit and able to deal with that stuff. We were lacking a bit of speed in qualifying so there wasn’t really much more we could do in that respect. Looking forward to the race, we just need to see how things will develop. We’re not hoping for miracles but if we can stay out of trouble and avoid mistakes, we’ll see where we end up.”
Source. BMW
WeatherTech Racing Qualifies Sixth at The Glen
WeatherTech Racing drivers Cooper MacNeil (Hinsdale, Ill.), Jeff Segal (Miami, Fla.) and Gunnar Jeannette (Salt Lake City, Ut.) will start the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen from sixth in GTD.
Segal had the wheel of the No. 63 WeatherTech Racing Ferrari for the 15-minute qualifying session that took place at noon around the 3.4-mile, 11-turn undulating road course located in the Finger Lakes region of New York. The Floridian was able to post a fast lap of 1:44.812 that will have him starting the white and black WeatherTech car from the third row in the GTD class. The heat index for tomorrow’s race, 9:45 a.m. ET start, is expected to be over 100°F.
“I put in some good laps and the car balance was exactly what we expected,” Segal said. “The lap time was one-one-hundredth of a second faster than the mock qualifying run. I think that was about everything. Satisfying in time, but a little disappointing to be P6. The group of cars in front of us is very tight on the time sheet, so I think it is going to be a great race. We have a good car. We will see what we can do tomorrow.”
“All three drivers have been fast in the WeatherTech Ferrari,” MacNeil said. “The car is quick and the team is on it. I think we have a strong car for the race tomorrow. The Scuderia Corsa guys have been working hard all weekend. We had a good car right out of the box as a result of testing here. Continental has mandated a minimum left rear camber number that all teams have to run. That hurts us some. Car is good and the drivers are feeling good. Long race tomorrow, six hours, and it will be a hot one. We are ready.”
“It is going great,” Jeannette said. “The car is really good. We tested here, so we rolled off of the trailer in a pretty happy place. The big question will be how everyone will do in the heat. We have a good WeatherTech Ferrari. We will see how the car changes as the temperature increases throughout the six-hours of racing tomorrow.”
Source. Kyle Chura/WeatherTech Racing
Braun Leads Front-Row Sweep of LMP2 Cars for Watkins Glen Motul Pole Award
Colin Braun was just 0.006 seconds quicker than Paul Di Resta in qualifying for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on a warm Saturday afternoon at Watkins Glen International, but that was just enough to give the Texan his first Motul Pole Award in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Prototype class.
Braun lapped the 3.4-mile upstate New York circuit in one minute, 32.350 seconds (132.539 mph) in the No. 54 CORE autosport ORECA LMP2 car, breaking Pipo Derani’s year-old track record of 1:34.405 in the Tequila Patrón ESM Nissan DPi. While it was Braun’s first pole in WeatherTech Championship Prototype class competition, it was his seventh pole in the series as he previously raced in the Prototype Challenge (PC) and GT Daytona (GTD) classes.
Overall, it was his 16th pole in IMSA competition (seven in the WeatherTech Championship, three GRAND-AM and six American Le Mans Series). He’ll share the car in Sunday’s race with Romain Dumas – who posted the fastest time in Friday’s practice – and Jon Bennett.
“That’s great,” Braun said. “You know, these guys did a nice job. We obviously had a good test here a couple of weeks ago which I think allowed us yesterday to give a lot of time to Romain. He did a great job, was quick in practice, quickest in practice.
“We honestly haven’t really worked too much on the race car. This is the first time I’ve gone on new tires all week, so it’s unknown what we were going to have balance-wise. I’m just happy for the guys, they’ve
been working their butts off.”
Di Resta turned a best lap of 1:32.356 (132.530 mph) in the No. 32 United Autosports Ligier LMP2 machine that he is co-driving with Phil Hanson and Bruno Senna. It is the team’s first WeatherTech Championship appearance since the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts in March.
Ricky Taylor was the quickest of the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) drivers, qualifying third in the No. 7 Acura Team Penske Acura ARX-05 at 1:32.638 (132.127 mph). He and co-driver Helio Castroneves are pursuing their third consecutive podium result after taking their first victory two races ago in the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio and second place at the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic at Detroit’s Belle Isle earlier this month.
Dane Cameron put the other Acura Team Penske fourth on the starting grid with a best lap of 1:32.782 (131.922 mph) in the No. 6 Acura DPi he shares with Juan Pablo Montoya, and Simon Trummer completed the top five at 1:33.016 (131.590 mph) in the No. 85 JDC-Miller Motorsports ORECA LMP2 machine. Trummer shares the car affectionately known as the “Banana Boat” with Robert Alon and Nelson Panciatici.
Source. IMSA
Cadillac Racing Teams Ready to Battle at The Glen
Cadillac V-Performance Racing team Konica Minolta Cadillac will start the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen from the fourth row for tomorrow’s 9:45 a.m. ET start. The Whelen Engineering Cadillac will start 11th, Spirit of Daytona Cadillac 12th and the Mustang Sampling Cadillac will take the start from 14th.
Renger Van Der Zande had the wheel of the black No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R for the 15-minute qualifying session at the 3.4-mile, 11-turn Watkins Glen International Raceway located in upstate New York. The Dutchman was able to post a fast lap of 1:33.538 that will have him come to the green flag from the fourth row in the Daytona Prototype category.
The teams will also be battling the heat, which will play a roll in the race with temperatures in the Finger Lakes region expected to exceed 100°F tomorrow for six-hours of racing.
“We knew it was not going to be easy here at Watkins Glen,” Van Der Zande said. “Free practice one and two were like a bit of a surprise to be P2 and so close. But we came here with a very good basic set-up. We improved a lot since Mid-Ohio and Detroit. Brian (Pillar) our engineer and our whole group, it’s so nice that we work on it together and I think we found something. So, that’s really good. Going into this qualifying, we’re happy to be in the top-10, and we’re happy to be P8. Looking at our other competition here, it’s the other Cadillacs and I think we’re quite a bit in front of them, so that’s a good thing. It’s a long race. I feel quite happy with the car. Let’s see what the heat will bring to all of us, if we are struggling with the heat or not. I have quite a bit of confidence to get through this race with a good result.”
Felipe Nasr had the controls of the No. 31 Whelen Engineer Cadillac DPi-V.R and posted a time of 1:33.716 and will start 11th with teammates Eric Curran and Mike Conway.
“We made the right adjustments through the weekend in regards to top speed,” Nasr said. “It requires a lot of downforce which can be tricky around a place like this. We are in the middle right now between giving and taking on top speed and downforce configurations since we are struggling compared to our competitors. I think we got all we could. The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac was the best car we had all weekend, it is stable and we were able to find pace everywhere around the track, but that was the maximum that we had on the package today. On the team side, I think we are all doing well. The drivers are happy going through the race with what we have. We have to think about the championship since we are running for two different ones this weekend. I cannot just show up and throw everything out since we have big points to play. It’s going to be a long, hot, demanding race. I know Action Express is good at calling strategy and looking after the tires and we will do the maximum we can.”
The No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Cadillac DPi-V.R was wheeled by Tristan Vautier in qualifying, he put in a lap of 1:33.761 that will have he and teammate Matt McMurry starting 12th.
“The balance of performance just isn’t in our favor here,” Vautier said. “That comes and goes. We didn’t do anything crazy in terms of changes to the car, but the track changed, and it wasn’t as good for us as we had too much understeer. There was plenty of grip, we just missed the balance. But the race is long, we’ll expect plenty to happen, especially since passing will be difficult for us. We’ll do our best, we’re not the kind to just complain and wait until BOP gets better, we’ll make the most of it tomorrow.”
The points leading Mustang Sampling Cadillac team will be starting 14th based upon Filipe Albuquerque’s lap of 1:33.971. He is joined by Christian Fittipaldi and IndyCar sub Gabby Chaves in the No. 5 Cadillac.
“This is not an ideal place to start the race tomorrow, but we got everything that we could out of the car today and will just focus on what we can do as a team tomorrow,” Albuquerque said. “The race will be very hot and there will be a lot of pit stops so we will have to lean on our teamwork to move to the front tomorrow. This team is really strong and we will just focus on our execution for the race tomorrow and aim for a big result.”
Source. Kyle Chura/Cadillac Racing
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