Solid grid positions for Porsche Penske Motorsport at Road America
- Works team targets stronger race performance after qualifying
- Matt Campbell sets fifth-fastest lap in fiercely contested time trials
- Felipe Nasr climbs to eighth place with final flying lap
- 911 GT3 R from AO Racing and Wright Motorsports face challenges
- Race commences on Sunday at 13:10 hours local time (20:10 CEST)
The two Porsche 963 from the Porsche Penske Motorsport factory team will start the eighth round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship from the third and fourth rows of the grid. Matt Campbell set the fifth-fastest time in qualifying at Road America in the US state of Wisconsin. He currently leads the drivers' standings together with Mathieu Jaminet. Felipe Nasr secured eighth place in qualifying and shares the hybrid prototype with Nick Tandy. The customer-run Porsche 963 fielded by JDC-Miller Motorsports will start from eleventh position. In the GTD Pro class, AO Racing's Porsche 911 GT3 R, nicknamed 'Rexy,' will line up in seventh place. Wright Motorsports qualified twelfth in the GTD category.
Stuttgart. The battle for the best starting positions in the top GTP class turned into a thrilling contest, decided by fractions of a second. Ultimately, the top ten qualifiers on the undulating and comparatively long 6.515-kilometre Road America circuit were separated by just seven tenths of a second - another clear evidence of the exceptionally high level of competition among the prototypes from five different manufacturers.
The Porsche Penske Motorsport factory team arrived in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, leading both the team and manufacturer standings. In the drivers' championship, Australian Matt Campbell and Frenchman Mathieu Jaminet hold a narrow lead over their Porsche 963 teammates, Brazil's Felipe Nasr and Britain's Nick Tandy. Summery conditions, with asphalt temperatures around 29 degrees Celsius, saw Campbell immediately join the battle for pole position. However, as the 15-minute qualifying session drew to a close, he was unable to match the improving lap times of his rivals. As a result, he and Jaminet will start from fifth on the grid.
Felipe Nasr faced a tougher challenge in the Number 7 Porsche. Before his final attempt, the Brazilian - who together with Briton Nick Tandy has claimed three victories so far this season - was still sitting in tenth place. In the eleventh hour, the reigning IMSA champion delivered a lap time of 1:49.171 minutes, moving up to eighth on the grid. Both factory duos head into Sunday's 160-minute race with strong chances of bringing home a top result.
"Qualifying was tough, there were hardly any gaps between the cars," explains Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. "Nevertheless, we're actually really confident about our performance in the race. Last year, we managed to secure first and second place at Road America, and that was from even worse starting positions. Now, we're confident that our race pace is even stronger."
"Starting positions five and eight - we were three-tenths of a second off the pace. To be honest, we're closer to the top than we expected," emphasises Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. "Our engineers and drivers have been working tirelessly since Friday to get our two Porsche 963 into the right performance window. I'm feeling positive about the race. We've always enjoyed success at this track in the past and are determined to get back into victory lane."
Gianmaria Bruni and Dutchman Tijmen van der Helm will start the eighth race of the season from eleventh place in their 507 kW (689 PS) Proton Competition Porsche 963. The ex-Formula 1 driver from Italy briefly skidded off the track at the start of qualifying but managed to avoid contact with the track barrier.
GTD classes: Challenging starting position for Porsche 911 GT3 R teams
In qualifying for the GTD Pro category, Klaus Bachler took the wheel of AO Racing' 416 kW (565 PS) 911 GT3 R. On his third of five flying laps, the Austrian set the fastest time in the crowd favourite, nicknamed 'Rexy' and clad in a green dinosaur livery, with a lap time of 2:05.411 minutes. This secured seventh place on the grid for him and German teammate Laurin Heinrich, both former Porsche Juniors. Heading into the seventh GTD Pro race of the season, the duo currently occupies second in the drivers' standings.
Adam Adelson improved with each lap in the GTD class. In his sixth and penultimate attempt, the American drove the Wright Motorsports 911 GT3 R to twelfth position. Adelson shares the number 120 Porsche with his compatriot Elliott Skeer. The pair arrived at Elkhart Lake in fourth place in the GTD drivers' standings.
The lights for the eighth round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season will go green at the Elkhart Lake circuit on Sunday, 3 August, at 13:10 hours local time (20:10 hours CEST). Outside North America, the full 2-hour 40-minute race will be available via a free live stream on IMSA.TV.
Drivers' impressions after qualifying
Matt Campbell (Porsche 911 GT3 R #6): "Qualifying is over, now I'm looking forward to the race. Things are really close in the GTP class. We're starting from fifth place, but we're only a few tenths of a second off the pace. Our focus is on Sunday. I think our Porsche will be stronger in the race than in qualifying - that's the positive point. Let's see how warm it gets and how we navigate the lapped traffic."
Felipe Nasr (Porsche 963 #7): "A difficult qualifying session. We gave it everything we had. I think we can improve even further from eighth on the grid - we're ready to take on the challenge. I love this track. Let's hope we have a good day tomorrow."
Qualifying results:
GTP class:
1. Van der Zande/Yelloly (NLD/GBR), Acura #93, 1:48.628 minutes
2. S. van der Linde/Wittmann (ZAF/DEU), BMW #25, 1:48.681 minutes
3. Eng/D. Vanthoor (AUT/BEL), BMW #24, 1:48.683 minutes
5. Campbell/Jaminet (AUS/FRA), Porsche 963 #6, 1:48.960 minutes
8. Nasr/Tandy (BRA/GBR), Porsche 963 #7, 1:49.171 minutes
11. Bruni/Van der Helm (ITA/NLD), Porsche 963 #85, 1:50.367 minutes
GTD-Pro class:
1. Serra/Altoe (BRA/ITA), Ferrari #35, 2:03.904 minutes
2. Garcia/Sims (ESP/GBR), Corvette #3, 2:03.914 minutes
3. Milner/Catsburg (USA/NL), Corvette #4, 2:03.924 minutes
7. Heinrich/Bachler (DEU/AUT), Porsche 911 GT3 R #77, 2:05.411 minutes
GTD class:
1. Ward/Ellis (USA/GBR), Mercedes #57, 2:03.745 minutes
2. Gamble/Stevenson (GBR/GBR), Aston Martin #27, 2:03.908 minutes
3. Triarsi/Koch (USA/USA), Ferrari #21, 2:04.160 minutes
12. Adelson/Skeer (USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 R #120, 2:06.341 minutes
Results and championship standings available at https://imsa.alkamelsystems.com.
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