+ Qualifying results
Robby Foley set fastest lap across three 15-minute qualifying sessions to help Turner Motorsport's BMW top the timesheets ahead of Superpole at the DESDER Indianapolis 8 Hour.
The M4 GT3 Evo also featuring Connor De Fillippi and Justin Rothberg led Archangel Motorsports' Pro-Am pace-setting McLaren in the overall top 10, while MAD Joker Racing edged a tightly contested Am class.
With five teams advancing from both the Pro and Pro-Am classes, the battle for a place in Superpole came down to the final laps, as competitors fought to secure their position ahead of Saturday’s eight-hour season finale.
Pro Class
In the first of three qualifying sessions to decide which teams would advance to the Superpole shootout, IGTC competitor Lin Hodenius was quick to make his presence known in the No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, going quickest in class and overall with a time of 1:23.752. Matias Perez Companc, who started from pole position at Barber Motorsports Park in the previous round, set the second best time in the No. 12 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO, while championship rival Michai Stephens went third in class and fourth overall in the No. 34 Mercedes-AMG Team JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO.
De Phillippi, driving the No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3, was the fastest driver overall in Qualifying 2, notching a strong result for the championship contenders. Nicklas Nielsen further strengthened AF Corse USA’s bid for a Superpole slot, going second quickest in class, settling ahead of Mikael Grenier in the JMF Motorsports Mercedes.
In Qualifying 3, it was Foley who set the quickest time in class and overall, with strong showings from all three drivers putting them at the very top of the charts and locking in their position in the Superpole session. McCann Racing’s Alessio Picariello went second in class in the No. 8 Porsche, but seventh overall, followed by Alex Palou in the Lone Star Racing Mercedes.
When it was all said and done, five Pro class teams advanced to this evening’s Superpole session, with Turner Motorsport setting the benchmark. Lone Star Racing secured third overall, followed by AF Corse USA in fifth, JMF Motorsports right behind in sixth, and McCann Racing rounding off the top 10 qualifiers.
Pro-Am Class
Marvin Klein was a standout performer in the Pro-Am category in Qualifying 1, going fastest in class and third overall on board the No. 999 GetSpeed Team PCX Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO. Meanwhile, RS1’s Danny Dyszelski was not far behind, putting his No. 28 Porsche 911 GT3-R (992) EVO second in class and fifth overall, just ahead of Scott Dollahite in the No. 6 Dollahite Racing Ford Mustang GT3 EVO.
In Qualifying 2, it was Aaron Telitz in the No. 69 Archangel Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 EVO who prevailed and went first in Pro-Am and second overall. Riccardo Pera was in hot pursuit in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3-R (992) EVO, but ultimately could not match Telitz’s time. Alex Sedgwick put Dollahite Racing into the conversation, going third best in class on board the No. 6 Dollahite Racing Ford Mustang GT3 EVO.
In the final of the three sessions, GMG Racing’s Ayhancan Guven soared to the top of the class in the No. 32 Porsche, and finished second overall. Archangel Motorsports showed their pace once again, with Thomas Fleming concluding the session second in class and P3 overall, directly followed by Dollahite Racing’s Christopher Mies, who set a competitive time before experiencing a mechanical issue late in the session.
In total, five Pro-Am teams advanced to the Superpole shootout, with Archangel Motorsports leading the charge in the category by qualifying second overall and first in class, with Dollahite Racing sixth overall, and then positions 7-8-9 belonged to GMG Racing, RS1, and the sister No. 27 JMF Motorsports entry of Jason Daskalos, Wyatt Brichacek, and Phillip Ellis.
Am Class
Mitchell Green did some impressive work in the Am category, setting the 12th best time overall in the field in the No. 67 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO. Marc Austin went second best in class in the No. 11 MAD Joker Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, with Jay Schreibman third for AF Corse USA in the No. 163 Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO entry.
Qualifying 2 saw the advantage swing in AF Corse USA’s favor with Oswaldo Negri, ahead of Ben Keating and Jamie Morrow. Meanwhile, in Qualifying 3, Peter Dempsey was first in class for MAD Joker, then AF Corse and Scuderia Corsa.
Overall, it was incredibly tight between the three teams, but MAD Joker Racing squeezed ahead, qualifying 22nd overall, immediately followed by Scuderia Corsa and AF Corse USA.
Up Next
The top 10 teams from Qualifying will move on to the Superpole shootout on Friday evening, October 9th, at 18:10 EDT (GMT -4) to determine the starting grid ahead of the DESDER Indianapolis 8 Hour.