Nasr Quickest in Roar Qualifying, but Jarvis moved to pole (Update)

Driving the No. 55 Mazda Motorsports Mazda DPi, Oliver Jarvis was second fastest in qualifications Saturday at Daytona International Speedway for Sunday’s Motul Pole Award 100 – the qualifying race that will determine the starting order for the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 30-31. But when the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi that had set the best lap failed post-qualifying technical inspection for being underweight, Jarvis and the No. 55 moved to the head of the grid.

“I just found out we’ve been promoted to pole,” Jarvis said during the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship night practice session. “I’d rather do it on the track but that pole at Daytona is always special. … Any pole is special but this one in particular. I love this track, such an amazing race.”

#55 Mazda Motorsports Mazda DPi, DPi: Oliver Jarvis, Harry Tincknell, Jonathan Bomarito – LAT Images for IMSA

Jarvis’ timed lap of 1 minute, 34.442 seconds (135.702 mph) puts the No. 55 Mazda that he’ll share with Harry Tincknell on the point for the 100-minute qualifying race. Starting alongside on the front row in the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) class will be the No. 5 Mustang Sampling/JDC-Miller Motorsports with Tristan Vautier and Loic Duval at the wheel.

“You always want to start out front and try and stay out of trouble,” Jarvis said, “which is working for our program now. I think we’ve got a good race car as well, so we’re hopeful for tomorrow. … I think we’ll be strong tomorrow but never underestimate the competition.”

The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac, meanwhile, slips to sixth on the DPi and overall starting grid, with 49 cars in five classes expected to take the green flag at 2:05 p.m. ET Sunday. A live stream of the race begins at 2 p.m. on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold. The NBCSN telecast airs at 4:30 p.m.

Keating, No. 52 PRI Mathiasen Motorsports Top LMP2 Qualifying

Ben Keating recorded the fastest lap in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class, at 1:37.368 (131.624 mph) in the No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07. He’ll start eighth overall Sunday with co-driver Mikkel Jensen.

Keating’s lap topped Dennis Andersen, who was clocked at 1:38.532 in the No. 20 High Class Racing ORECA. Keating will pull double duty in the Rolex 24, co-driving the No. 97 TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage GT3.

The wet, cool conditions Saturday didn’t create as much trouble as Keating expected.

“The temps were cold, (and it was) a wet track,” he said. “(We) weren’t sure if the curbs were going to be wet or not. And it takes time to get heat into the prototype tires. I was expecting it to be really sketchy, but I was delighted when we got out there and had a lot of grip. It felt really good in the car.”

The No. 51 RWR-Eurasia Ligier LMP2 was found out of compliance with its rear wing in technical inspection and moved to the rear of the 10-car class grid for Sunday’s race.

Kranz Fastest Qualifier in New LMP3 Class

Moritz Kranz took the top position in Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) – the class debuting this season in the WeatherTech Championship – with a lap of 1:42.384 (125.176 mph) in the No. 6 Muehlner Motorsports America Duqueine M30-D08. That topped the fastest lap of 1:43.623 by Ryan Norman in the No. 7 Forty7 Motorsports Duqueine.

Kranz, who earlier in the day won the IMSA Prototype Challenge Scouts of America 145, will team with Laurents Hoerr as the No. 6 car starts 18th overall in Sunday’s qualifying race.

“It was a little bit hectic after my last race because I also had to drive for qualifying as well,” said Kranz, a native of Linz am Rhein, Germany, who raced the LMP3 in the Michelin Le Mans Cup last season. “After the celebration, I had to pick up my stuff and run around the grounds to be back in the car on time.

“Racing here, and actually getting a pole in this WeatherTech Championship, is a kind of a dream come true because I just always see it on TV, and now I’m actually racing here. So, I’m still processing. It’s awesome.”

REVISED Motul Pole Qualifying Results

Pos Class No. Drivers Team Car Time
1 DPi 55 O. Jarvis / H. Tincknell Mazda Motorsports Mazda DPi 1:34.442
2 DPi 5 T. Vautier / L. Duval Mustang Sampling / JDC-Miller MotorSports Cadillac DPi 1:34.485
3 DPi 01 R. van der Zande / K. Magnussen Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi 1:34.514
4 DPi 60 D. Cameron / O. Pla Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian Acura DPi 1:34.897
5 DPi 48 J. Johnson / K. Kobayashi Ally Cadillac Racing Cadillac DPi 1:35.688
6 DPi 31 F. Nasr / M. Conway Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi 1:34.311
7 DPi 10 R. Taylor / F. Albuquerque Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 Acura DPi 1:34.706
8 LMP2 52 B. Keating / M. Jensen PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07 1:37.368
9 LMP2 20 D. Andersen / F. Habsburg-Lothringen High Class Racing ORECA LMP2 07 1:38.532
10 LMP2 47 R. Lacorte / A. Fuoco Cetilar Racing Dallara LMP2 1:38.573
11 LMP2 11 S. Thomas / T. Nunez WIN Autosport ORECA LMP2 07 1:39.332
12 LMP2 29 F. Van Eerd / G. van der Garde Racing Team Nederland ORECA LMP2 07 1:39.424
13 LMP2 82 E. Lux / D. Defrancesco DragonSpeed USA LLC ORECA LMP2 07 1:39.786
14 LMP2 81 R. Hodes / G. Grist DragonSpeed USA LLC ORECA LMP2 07 1:39.825
15 LMP2 18 D. Merriman / K. Tilley Era Motorsport ORECA LMP2 07 1:40.515
16 LMP2 8 J. Farano / G. Aubry Tower Motorsport ORECA LMP2 07 1:39.117
17 LMP2 51 C. Ware / S. Yoluc RWR-Eurasia Ligier LMP2 1:39.181
18 LMP3 6 M. Kranz / L. Hoerr Muehlner Motorsports America Duqueine D08 1:42.384
19 LMP3 7 M. Kvamme / R. Norman Forty7 Motorsports Duqueine D08 1:43.623
20 LMP3 38 R. Lindh / C. Cassels Performance Tech Motorsports Ligier JS P320 1:43.676
21 LMP3 54 J. Bennett / G. Kurtz Core Motorsport Ligier JS P320 1:44.964
22 LMP3 33 L. Willsey / J. Barbosa Sean Creech Motorsport Ligier JS P320 1:46.721
23 LMP3 74 G. Robinson / S. Pigot Riley Motorsports Ligier JS P320
24 LMP3 91 J. Cox / D. Murry Riley Motorsports Ligier JS P320
25 GTLM 24 A. Farfus / M. Wittmann BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE 1:42.980
26 GTLM 25 P. Eng / T. Glock BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE 1:43.343
27 GTLM 4 N. Tandy / A. Sims Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R 1:43.631
28 GTLM 3 J. Taylor / N. Catsburg Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R 1:43.729
29 GTLM 62 J. Calado / A. Pier Guidi Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE 1:44.277
30 GTLM 79 C. MacNeil / K. Estre WeatherTech Racing Porsche 911 RSR – 19 1:45.336
31 GTD 16 R. Hardwick / P. Long Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R 1:46.831
32 GTD 21 S. Mann / N. Nielsen Af Corse Ferrari 488 GT3 1:47.095
33 GTD 1 B. Sellers / M. Snow Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 1:47.182
34 GTD 57 R. Ward / P. Ellis Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 1:47.198
35 GTD 23 I. James / R. De Angelis Heart Of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 1:47.224
36 GTD 9 Z. Robichon / L. Vanthoor Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R 1:47.323
38 GTD 96 B. Auberlen / R. Foley Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 1:47.653
39 GTD 97 M. Root / C. Eastwood TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 1:47.710
40 GTD 75 K. Habul / R. Marciello SunEnergy1 Mercedes-AMG GT3 1:47.896
41 GTD 12 Z. Veach / R. Megennis VasserSullivan Lexus RC F GT3 1:48.095
42 GTD 14 A. Telitz / O. Gavin VasserSullivan Lexus RC F GT3 1:48.208
43 GTD 42 A. Metni / A. Davis NTE Sport Audi R8 LMS GT3 1:48.336
44 GTD 19 M. Goikhberg / F. Perera GRT Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracan GT3 1:48.575
45 GTD 44 J. Potter / A. Lally Magnus with Archangel Acura NSX GT3 1:48.614
46 GTD 63 E. Jones / B. Curtis Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 1:48.809
47 GTD 64 T. Giovanis / O. Trinkler TeamTGM Porsche 911 GT3R 1:57.513
48 GTD 28 D. Morad / M. de Quesada Alegra Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3
49 GTD 88 R. Ferriol / E. Bamber Team Hardpoint EBM Porsche 911 GT3R

 


January 23, 2021 

Felipe Nasr put the #31 Action Express Racing Cadillac in the #1 starting slot for Sunday’s Motul Pole Award 100 that will set the grid for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Nasr turned a quick lap of 1m34.311s, edging Mazda’s Oliver Jarvis by 0.131 seconds.

Tristan Vautier was third in the No. 5 JDC-Miller Motorsports Cadillac, followed by IMSA debutant Kevin Magnussen for Chip Ganassi Racing.

The top Acura ARX-05 runner was Filipe Albuquerque in fifth for Wayne Taylor Racing.

#10: Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 Acura DPi, DPi: Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque, Alexander Rossi, Helio Castroneves – LAT Images for IMSA

LMP2 saw Ben Keating beat LMP2 champions PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports in the No. 52 Oreca 07 Gibson.

BMW to start 1-2 in GTLM

Marco Wittman led the charge in a BMW Team RLL 1-2 in the GTLM class for the Motul Pole Award 100.

Wittman cracked the 1:43 barrier with a best lap of 1:42.980 in the No. 24 BMW M8 GTE, 0.343 seconds clear of his teammate Timo Glock in the sister car.

#24 RLL Porsche on pole for GTLM – LAT Images for IMSA

A long-time BMW factory driver, Wittman joined No. 24 BMW Team RLL for this year’s attempt to repeat as GT Le Mans (GTLM) winner in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The 31-year-old German didn’t drive the BMW M8 GTE until testing began Friday at the Roar Before the Rolex 24, but that didn’t stop him from setting the fastest qualifying time for his class on Saturday.

In slick conditions, Wittman toured the 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway road course in 1 minute, 42.980 seconds (124.451 mph) to secure the first GTLM starting position in Sunday’s 100-minute race that sets the starting grid for the 59th Rolex 24 on Jan. 30-31.

“Yesterday was actually the first laps ever for me in the M8 GTE,” Wittman said, “so every lap (I’m) trying to get more into the car, feeling the confidence, and then I have to say that the qualifying went pretty good. It was a bit tricky because there were some damp spots on track, but it worked out pretty well and I’m happy with the result. It’s just the beginning, it’s a long week, but it’s been a good start.”

Wittman said the primary benefit of being fastest qualifier for a qualifying race is the emotional boost it provides.

“It’s always good to start in the right way, in a good way – also to keep the motivation high for the team,” he said. “There is a lot of work behind (the scenes). All of the mechanics, the engineers, hands on, it’s always great to know if you’re bringing a good result. It keeps the motivation and the spirit high.”

Alexander Sims qualified the No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R third in his Corvette Racing debut followed by the No. 3 Corvette of Jordan Taylor.

Hardwick Savors Unofficial First Pole in GTD

GT Daytona quick man was Ryan Hardwick, who took the top spot by 0.264 seconds in the No. 16 Porsche 911 GT3 R.

Simon Mann was second in the No. 21 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020, with Madison Snow’s Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo and Russell Ward’s Winward Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo close in tow.

“This is all new for us, this entire qualifying process,” Hardwick said after turning a lap of 1:46.831 (119.965 mph) that made him the best of 19 GTD qualifiers for Sunday’s race. Since the Motul Pole Award for the upcoming Rolex 24 At Daytona is determined from the results of the qualifying race, Saturday’s effort doesn’t count as Hardwick’s first career pole position.

“That felt like this was my first, I guess not quite officially, a pole in the WeatherTech Championship, but I’m going to take it as such,” he said. “I didn’t get the Motul sticker but I’m going to remember this one for a long time. It was a great lap, probably one of the best laps I’ve ever put together.”

The driver of the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R was proud of his accomplishment in the treacherous conditions that saw light rain fall intermittently throughout the day.

“It’s really rewarding for me to put together a lap like that in the conditions that we had today,” Hardwick said. “It was raining in the frontstretch every lap and going into Turn 1 was super slick, and then it was kind of dry in other parts of the track. You had to be really disciplined to understand when you could push and when you had to be a little reserved, so it took a little bit of balance today.”

Motul Pole Qualifying Results

Pos Pic No. Class Drivers* Team Car Time Behind Gap Mph
1 1 31 DPi F. Nasr / M. Conway Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi 1:34.311 +0.000s +0.000s 135.891
2 2 55 DPi O. Jarvis / H. Tincknell Mazda Motorsports Mazda DPi 1:34.442 +0.131 +0.131 135.702
3 3 5 DPi T. Vautier / L. Duval Mustang Sampling / JDC-Miller MotorSports Cadillac DPi 1:34.485 +0.174 +0.043 135.640
4 4 01 DPi R. van der Zande/K. Magnussen Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi 1:34.514 +0.203 +0.029 135.599
5 5 10 DPi R. Taylor / F. Albuquerque Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 Acura DPi 1:34.706 +0.395 +0.192 135.324
6 6 60 DPi D. Cameron / O. Pla Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian Acura DPi 1:34.897 +0.586 +0.191 135.051
7 7 48 DPi J. Johnson / K. Kobayashi Ally Cadillac Racing Cadillac DPi 1:35.688 +1.377 +0.791 133.935
8 1 52 LMP2 B. Keating / M. Jensen PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07 1:37.368 +3.057 +1.680 131.624
9 2 20 LMP2 D. Andersen/F. Habsburg-Lothringen High Class Racing ORECA LMP2 07 1:38.532 +4.221 +1.164 130.069
10 3 47 LMP2 R. Lacorte / A. Fuoco Cetilar Racing Dallara LMP2 1:38.573 +4.262 +0.041 130.015
11 4 8 LMP2 J. Farano / G. Aubry Tower Motorsport ORECA LMP2 07 1:39.117 +4.806 +0.544 129.301
12 5 51 LMP2 C. Ware / S. Yoluc RWR-Eurasia Ligier LMP2 1:39.181 +4.870 +0.064 129.218
13 6 11 LMP2 S. Thomas / T. Nunez WIN Autosport ORECA LMP2 07 1:39.332 +5.021 +0.151 129.022
14 7 29 LMP2 F. Van Eerd / G. van der Garde Racing Team Nederland ORECA LMP2 07 1:39.424 +5.113 +0.092 128.902
15 8 82 LMP2 E. Lux / D. Defrancesco DragonSpeed USA LLC ORECA LMP2 07 1:39.786 +5.475 +0.362 128.435
16 9 81 LMP2 R. Hodes / G. Grist DragonSpeed USA LLC ORECA LMP2 07 1:39.825 +5.514 +0.039 128.384
17 10 18 LMP2 D. Merriman / K. Tilley Era Motorsport ORECA LMP2 07 1:40.515 +6.204 +0.690 127.503
18 1 6 LMP3 M. Kranz / L. Hoerr Muehlner Motorsports America Duqueine D08 1:42.384 +8.073 +1.869 125.176
19 1 24 GTLM A. Farfus / M. Wittmann BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE 1:42.980 +8.669 +0.596 124.451
20 2 25 GTLM P. Eng / T. Glock BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE 1:43.343 +9.032 +0.363 124.014
21 2 7 LMP3 M. Kvamme / R. Norman Forty7 Motorsports Duqueine D08 1:43.623 +9.312 +0.280 123.679
22 3 4 GTLM N. Tandy / A. Sims Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R 1:43.631 +9.320 +0.008 123.669
23 3 38 LMP3 R. Lindh / C. Cassels Performance Tech Motorsports Ligier JS P320 1:43.676 +9.365 +0.045 123.616
24 4 3 GTLM J. Taylor / N. Catsburg Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R 1:43.729 +9.418 +0.053 123.552
25 5 62 GTLM J. Calado / A. Pier Guidi Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE 1:44.277 +9.966 +0.548 122.903
26 4 54 LMP3 J. Bennett / G. Kurtz Core Motorsport Ligier JS P320 1:44.964 +10.653 +0.687 122.099
27 6 79 GTLM C. MacNeil / K. Estre WeatherTech Racing Porsche 911 RSR – 19 1:45.336 +11.025 +0.372 121.668
28 5 33 LMP3 L. Willsey / J. Barbosa Sean Creech Motorsport Ligier JS P320 1:46.721 +12.410 +1.385 120.089
29 1 16 GTD R. Hardwick / P. Long Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R 1:46.831 +12.520 +0.110 119.965
30 2 21 GTD S. Mann / N. Nielsen Af Corse Ferrari 488 GT3 1:47.095 +12.784 +0.264 119.669
31 3 1 GTD B. Sellers / M. Snow Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 1:47.182 +12.871 +0.087 119.572
32 4 57 GTD R. Ward / P. Ellis Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 1:47.198 +12.887 +0.016 119.554
33 5 23 GTD I. James / R. De Angelis Heart Of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 1:47.224 +12.913 +0.026 119.525
34 6 9 GTD Z. Robichon / L. Vanthoor Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R 1:47.323 +13.012 +0.099 119.415
35 7 111 GTD R. Ineichen / M. Bortolotti GRT Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracan GT3 1:47.546 +13.235 +0.223 119.167
36 8 96 GTD B. Auberlen / R. Foley Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 1:47.653 +13.342 +0.107 119.049
37 9 97 GTD M. Root / C. Eastwood TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 1:47.710 +13.399 +0.057 118.986
38 10 75 GTD K. Habul / R. Marciello SunEnergy1 Mercedes-AMG GT3 1:47.896 +13.585 +0.186 118.781
39 11 63 GTD E. Jones / B. Curtis Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3 1:48.019 +13.708 +0.123 118.646
40 12 12 GTD Z. Veach / R. Megennis VasserSullivan Lexus RC F GT3 1:48.095 +13.784 +0.076 118.562
41 13 14 GTD A. Telitz / O. Gavin VasserSullivan Lexus RC F GT3 1:48.208 +13.897 +0.113 118.438
42 14 42 GTD A. Metni / A. Davis NTE Sport Audi R8 LMS GT3 1:48.336 +14.025 +0.128 118.298
43 15 19 GTD M. Goikhberg / F. Perera GRT Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracan GT3 1:48.575 +14.264 +0.239 118.038
44 16 44 GTD J. Potter / A. Lally Magnus with Archangel Acura NSX GT3 1:48.614 +14.303 +0.039 117.996
45 17 64 GTD T. Giovanis / O. Trinkler TeamTGM Porsche 911 GT3R 1:57.513 +23.202 +8.899 109.060
46 18 28 GTD D. Morad / M. de Quesada Alegra Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 No Time No Time
47 6 74 LMP3 G. Robinson / S. Pigot Riley Motorsports Ligier JS P320 No Time No Time
48 19 88 GTD R. Ferriol / E. Bamber Team Hardpoint EBM Porsche 911 GT3R No Time No Time
49 7 91 LMP3 J. Cox / D. Murry Riley Motorsports Ligier JS P320 No Time No Time