Acura Meyer Shank Racing dominated the qualifying session for the Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix at Road America, with Nick Yelloly securing the top spot in the GTP class. Yelloly’s best lap of 1m49.233s in the #93 Acura ARX-06 gave the team a 1-2 finish, as teammate Tom Blomqvist claimed second with a time of 1m49.487s, just 0.157 seconds behind.
His effort was closely followed by Blomqvist, who also managed to climb the standings with a strong final run. Sheldon Van Der Linde, driving for BMW M Team WRT, took third in the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8, while Louis Deletraz of Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing followed in fourth with the #40 Cadillac V-Series.R.
GTP Class Battle
The GTP class saw an exciting battle as Louis Deletraz initially set the benchmark with a lap of 1m50.703s, about eight minutes into the session. However, Yelloly quickly responded, moving to the top with a faster time before refining it further. Meanwhile, Porsche Penske Motorsport’s Laurens Vanthoor faced challenges in Turn 5, running off the track but managing to return and finish in fifth place. Vanthoor ultimately ended the session ahead of Jack Aitken, who drove the #31 Cadillac V-Series.R.
In the LMP2 class, United Autosport USA's Daniel Goldburg earned his first class pole of the season with a best lap of 1m54.212s. Goldburg edged out Misha Goikhberg of Bryan Herta Autosport with PR1/Mathiasen by 0.262 seconds, securing a strong start for his team. Jeremy Clarke of Inter Europol Competition and AO Racing's PJ Hyett completed the top three, with Clarke behind Goldburg and Hyett in third.
LMP2 Class Qualifying
The GTD Pro category featured a tight and intense finish, with Harry King of AO Racing grabbing the class pole with a time of 2m04.042s in the #77 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992). King narrowly outpaced points leader Neil Verhagen of Paul Miller Racing by just 0.140 seconds. Alexander Sims of Corvette Racing and Max Esterson of RLL Team McLaren followed in third and fourth, respectively, after a chaotic and competitive session.
AO Racing's Harry King secured a strong position in the final minutes of the GTD Pro session. The drivers pushed hard to complete their final laps before the clock ran out, with King narrowly edging out Verhagen. Alexander Sims, known for his consistency, managed to finish third, while Max Esterson came in fourth. Klaus Bachler of Manthey had a rollercoaster session, initially leading but then having his best lap invalidated due to a track limit infringement, ending up in fifth.
GTD Pro and GTD Class Highlights
In the GTD class, AF Corse USA's Lilou Wadoux Ducellier made history by claiming her first IMSA class pole. Driving the #21 Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO, she set a best lap of 2m04.688s, overtaking Winward Racing's Russell Ward in the process. Wadoux's time held up through the end of the session, with Heart of Racing's Zacharie Robichon coming closest but falling just 0.167 seconds short. Valentin Hasse Clot of Car Blanche and Casper Stevenson of DragonSpeed followed in third and fourth, respectively.
Vasser Sullivan Racing faced a significant challenge after Jack Hawksworth's crash during the wet second practice. The team had to switch to a backup car for the #14 Lexus RC F GT3. Despite a quick turnaround, the team only managed to complete two laps in qualifying before receiving a mechanical black flag. As a result, the #14 car will start last in the GTD class.
In a dramatic moment during the session, Porsche Penske Motorsport's Laurens Vanthoor ran off the track in Turn 5 but managed to return and continue the session. Vanthoor rebounded to finish fifth overall, ahead of Jack Aitken, who drove the #31 Cadillac V-Series.R. Aitken, currently leading in the points standings, had to settle for sixth following Vanthoor's recovery.
The qualifying session for the Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix showcased the competitive nature of the IMSA series. Acura Meyer Shank Racing's dominance in GTP was matched by United Autosport USA in LMP2 and AO Racing in GTD Pro. The GTD class provided an exciting finish as Lilou Wadoux Ducellier celebrated a career-first class pole, while Vasser Sullivan Racing had to cope with a setback following Jack Hawksworth's crash.