Round and Round They Go: GT4 America Qualifying

Round and Round They Go: GT4 America Qualifying

The Pirelli GT4 America Championship field was met with slippery track conditions and high winds blowing through the land as they set off for their Saturday morning qualifying session. It was a far cry from the intense heat they experienced in the days leading up to it, but the drivers were prepared to rise to the occasion as they sped off into the distance, ready to battle it out for the opportunity to clinch the top spot. 

Silver Class

Tyler Maxson topped the leaderboard as he clinched pole position in the Driver One qualifying session, pulling off a flying lap time of 2:14.859 in the final minutes on board his No. 74 COPELAND MOTORSPORTS Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO. Zac Anderson and Jesse Webb originally looked like the frontrunners, as the two exchanged purple sectors and fastest laps back and forth. Ultimately, Anderson will line up second on the grid in his No. 51 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4, with Webb following in third in the No. 34 Conquest Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4. 

The No. 92 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 of Kevin Boehm will start from fourth position for Race One, with Jon Miller lining up in fifth in the No. 88 STR38 Motorsports BMW M4 GT4. 

Race Two will see Parker Thompson starting from pole position in the No. 999 Hanley Motorsports Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO. Kenton Koch has promoted the No. 92 Random Vandals Racing machine into a second-place start for Sunday’s race, with Michai Stephens being consistent as ever in the No. 34 Mercedes-AMG GT4, landing third on the grid again. 

JCD Dubets will start fourth for Auto Technic Racing in the No. 51 BMW M4 GT4, with the No. 19 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport starting fifth. 

PRO-AM Class

It was the No. 68 Smooge Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO of Kevin Conway who emerged victorious in the opening qualifying session for Race One, and also set the third fastest time overall with a lap time of 2:14.970. Johan Schwartz will be starting alongside in second on board the No. 44 Rooster Hall Racing BMW M4 GT4, with the ever-persistent Matt Travis in the mix in third place with the No. 47 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. 

The No. 82 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4 of James Walker Jr. will be starting fourth for the race later today, followed by the No. 8 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 of Elias Sabo in fifth. 

It is Jeroen Bleekemolen who will be leading the pack for Race Two, equipped with his No. 54 Black Swan Racing McLaren Artura GT4. He not only secured pole position in class, but also set the fastest qualifying time overall in the Driver Two session. Michael Cooper will be lining up beside him in second in the No. 2 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, with Jason Hart scooping up another third place start for NOLASPORT in the No. 47 machine. 

Kay van Berlo and Tyler McQuarrie complete the Top 5 in the No. 7 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport and the No. 82 BimmerWorld beast. 

AM Class

Charlie Postins was on a mission to claim the throne as he laid down the fastest time in the AM class in his No. 36 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4 ahead of Race One. Hannah Grisham was in hot pursuit behind the wheel of the No. 26 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 and will be ready to challenge into the first corner as she will be starting from second on the grid. 

Robert Mau secured a strong third-place result in Driver One qualifying with the No. 438 STR38 Motorsports BMW M4 GT4, with Satakal Khalsa and Brady Behrman lining up in fourth and fifth in the No. 253 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 and No. 428 van der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4. 

After finishing first in the two practice sessions, the No. 20 Carrus Callas Raceteam Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO is back in the top spot for Race Two, followed by Chris Allen in the No. 438 STR38 Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 and James Clay in the No. 36 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4 in second and third. 

The No. 428 van der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 secured another Top 5 starting position thanks to the likes of Coby Shield putting the team in fourth place, and the No. 67 Smooge Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO rounding it off in fifth. 

Let’s Get Racing

Race 1 in the GT4 America Championship will start Saturday afternoon at 5:00pm CT. 

If you can’t make it to COTA, be sure to tune-in to SRO’s free live streams all weekend long on YouTube (GTWorld) and Twitch (SROMotorsports). Of course, follow all the action through our social media channels and the event hashtag #GTCOTA.