Saturday morning’s Pirelli GT4 America qualifying sessions featured thrilling battles across all three classes, as the drivers tackled the National Park of Speed with top tier determination and concentration.
The two back-to-back fifteen-minute sessions around the notoriously challenging yet thrilling track put drivers to the ultimate test as the field fought for the most optimal starting positions. While Qualifying One went off without a hitch, a red flag came out early into Qualifying Two, which ramped up the pressure as drivers had very limited time to set a competitive lap.
Silver Class
For the first qualifying session, Zac Anderson quickly climbed to the top of the leaderboard in his No. 51 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4, but Jesse Webb was not going to let him out of his sights as he continued his chase in the No. 34 Conquest Racing / JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4. Kevin Boehm was also eager to enter into the mix in the No. 92 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4.
However, once Webb set a flying lap time of 2:14.645, there was simply no matching it. The young Canadian driver claimed pole position, with Kevin Boehm lining up in second for Race One, followed by Harry Gottsacker closely behind in third in the No. 88 STR38 Motorsports BMW M4 GT4. The final spots in the Top 5 were claimed by Anderson in fourth, and Rory van der Steur in fifth in the No. 119 van der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4.
Qualifying Two provided additional challenges, with a red flag turning the session into a single-lap showdown. Conquest Racing rose to the occasion, with Michai Stephens going on to secure back-to-back pole positions for the team. Race Two will also see Kenton Koch and Random Vandals Racing starting from second again as well. Zac Anderson and Auto Technic Racing will move up to third on the grid for Sunday’s race, followed by Parker Thompson in the No. 999 Hanley Motorsports Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO in fourth, and Jamie Day and van der Steur Racing in fifth again.
PRO-AM Class
It was a very tight battle for pole position in the PRO-AM Class, with five different drivers swinging up and down on the timesheets as they competed to earn the fastest qualifying time. After a lot of back and forth, it was the No. 44 Rooster Hall Racing BMW M4 GT4 of Johan Schwartz who went on to claim pole position, with Matt Travis and James Walker Jr. following very closely behind in second and third in the No. 47 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport and the No. 82 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4.
The Top 5 was completed by Curt Swearingin in the No. 7 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport in fourth, with Gray Newell finishing fifth in the No. 24 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4.
Tyler McQuarrie and BimmerWorld will be starting at the front of the grid for Race Two, securing pole position in addition to setting the second-quickest qualifying time overall in the Driver Two session. Kay van Berlo and ACI Motorsports will be lining up in second, with NOLASPORT in third with the likes of Jason Hart. Roman DeAngelis will be starting Race Two from fourth on the grid with Heart of Racing Team, and Aaron Povoledo completed the Top 5 in the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4.
AM Class
Hannah Grisham was positively flying around Road America in the first qualifying session on board her No. 26 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4. She not only secured pole position in the AM Class, she also set the fourth fastest time overall.
Charlie Postins remained as competitive as ever, securing a front row start in his No. 36 BimmerWorld BMW G82 M4 GT4 ahead of Race One, lining up second on the grid. Nick Longhi followed in third with an impressive effort on board his No. 80 Crucial Motorsports McLaren Artura GT4. Paul Sparta followed in fourth in the No. 98 Random Vandals Racing BMW G82 M4 GT4, accompanied by the No. 438 STR38 Motorsports BMW G82 M4 GT4 of Robert Mau securing fifth place.
It was an extremely close race to the line to claim pole position for Race Two, with Juan Pablo Martinez earning the top spot for NOLASPORT on board the No. 83 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. Jaden Lander secured a second place start for the No. 72 KRUGSPEED Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO, followed by Al Carter in third with the No. 98 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4, Chris Allen in fourth the No. 438 STR38 Motorsports BMW G82 M4 GT4 and Matt Halcome completing the Top 5 in the No. 58 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.
LET’S GO
The series will be back on track for Race One at 5:00 p.m CT, followed by Race Two on Sunday at 10:55 a.m CT. Fans can follow progression with Griiip Live, live timing. The studio makes it easy to follow class battles, lap times, and pit strategy for the five SRO America series. Stream the races live on the YouTube page, GT World or join the conversation on Twitch.