- ACI Motorsports on Pro-Am Pole for Race 1
- Van Der Steur Secures Silver Poles
- Thunder Bunny Racing Fastest for Race 1
- Provisional Qualifying 1 Results
- Provisional Qualifying 2 Results
The 29 Pirelli GT4 America entries put together a pair of flat-out qualifying sessions as the heat rose Saturday morning in qualifying ahead of Race 1 at Sebring International Raceway. The series returns to its traditional sprint format after the single three-hour Lone Star Enduro at Circuit of The Americas last month.
Porsche, Aston Martin and Toyota took the top spots in Silver Pro-Am and Am qualifying respectively. Kay van Berlo and Matheus Leist flew the flag for Porsche in Pro-Am, with teammates Max Hewitt and Luca Mars doing so for Aston Martin in Silver and Laura Hayes and Kenny Schmeid topping the charts for Toyota in Am for Race 1.
Silver Class
The Silver class showed both pace and competitiveness with four manufacturers, Aston Martin, Toyota, BMW and Porsche, in positions two through seven overall in Qualifying 1, and separated by only 0.708 of a second, with first and second split by just 0.124 of a second. Max Hewitt led the way in his No. 39 van der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO at a best time of 2:10.938, good for second overall. Gresham Wagner came closest to overtaking Hewitt in his No. 68 RAFA Racing Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4 EVO2. The pair of JMF Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVOs were next, the No. 4 car commanded by Braydon Arthur ahead of the sister No. 3 car.
In Qualifying 2, the No. 39 van der Steur Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 continued its pace, now in the hands of Luca Mars. He improved upon Hewitt’s time from Qualifying 1 by nearly 1.2 seconds, posting a 2:09.753 lap to score the overall pole. Similarly, the No. 68 RAFA Toyota qualified second for the second time of the day, with Wagner’s teammate Tyler Gonzalez steering the car. The No. 77 VPX Porsche clocked in third with Alex Ellis, ahead of the No. 3 JMF Motorsport Aston Martin.
Pro-Am Class
Kay van Berlo continued Porsche’s pace in the Pro-Am category as he controlled the pace in Qualifying 1. Driving the No. 9 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, van Berlo clocked in a best lap of 2:10.556, a time nearly 1.3 seconds clear of the second Pro-Am car, driven by Tony Gaples in the No. 33 Blackdog Racing McLaren Artura GT4. Anthony McIntosh’s weekend of pace across multiple series at Sebring, both Pirelli GT4 America and GT America powered by AWS, continued with third place in the No. 69 JTR Motorsports Engineering Toyota Gazoo GR Supra GT4 EVO2.
In Qualifying 2, the Porsche roll continued with the No. 23 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport on top. Matheus Leist set a 2:09.882, good for the Pro-Am pole and second overall behind the Silver class polesitter. Porsche Selected Driver Riley Dickinson was second in his No. 7 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. The No. 33 Blackdog McLaren, this time commanded by Michael Cooper, slotted in third.
Am Class
Toyota, BMW and Aston Martin claimed the top three spots in the Am class during Qualifying 1. Laura Hayes led the way in the No. 606 Thunder Bunny Racing Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4 EVO2, and posted a best time of 2:12.281. James Clay’s No. 36 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4 (G82) EVO was second ahead of the No. 007 ProSport Competition Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 with Alex Garcia at the helm.
In Qualifying 2, it was RAFA Racing Team atop the charts with Kenny Schmied in the No. 72 Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4 EVO2. Schmied’s best time of 2:11.969 led Charlie Postins in the No. 36 Bimmerworld and Michael Kanisczak in the No. 98 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 (G82) EVOs.
Let’s Get Racing
The Pirelli GT4 America field will return to the track for Race 1 on Saturday afternoon, May 17th at 4:50 PM ET.
If you can’t make it to Sebring International Raceway, be sure to tune-in to SRO’s free live streams all weekend long on YouTube (GTWorld) and Twitch (SROMotorsports) and follow all the action through our social media channels and the event hashtag #GTSebring.