K-PAX on Pole For Race 1, US Racetronics on Pole For Race 2

The #1 K-PAX Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 of Michele Beretta and Andrea Caldarelli will start Race 1 of the GT World Challenge America at NOLA Motorsports Park later today, while the #6 US Racetronics Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Steven Aghakhani and Loris Spinelli took pole for tomorrow’s Race 2, after Spinelli recorded the fastest time of the weekend.

Qualifying session 1 began at 8:35 local time under mostly cloudy skies. The sun would peek through the clouds occasionally, as the ambient temperature sat around 28°C and the track temperature was 30~31°C. What small amount of precipitation there was, wasn’t enough to be a factor.

The first session was in the hands of the Bronze and Silver drivers, and right out of the box, new K-PAX recruit Beretta put down the fastest time of the session, at 1’34.097. It was enough for Race 1 pole position, ahead of fellow Pro Cup driver Aghakhani who set a 1’34.697 in the #6 USRT AMG GT3.

Misha Goikhberg was third-fastest in the #3 K-PAX Lamborghini, followed by Michael Dinan in the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3.

Fifth overall and fastest in the Pro-Am Cup was Ashton Harrison in the #93 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3, setting a 1’35.402. She beat the #94 BimmerWorld M4 GT3 of Chandler Hull to Pro-Am pole position by just 0.006 seconds!

Behind hull, the #08 DXDT Racing AMG GT3 (Scott Smithson) was seventh, followed by Am Cup polesitter Charlie Scardina (#23 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 488 GT3) in eighth. George Kurtz (#04 CrowdStrike Racing with Riley Motorsports AMG GT3) was ninth, and Charlie Luck (#45 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3-R) completed the top ten for this afternoon’s race, which starts at 1:15 PM local time.

GTWCA QUALIFYING 1 – PROVISIONAL RESULTS >>

Session 2 began soon after, handled by the pro drivers for all the Pro and Pro-Am teams. Jordan Pepper in the #3 K-PAX Lamborghini set the initial benchmark, but that was soon smashed by Spinelli in the #6 USRT AMG GT3.

The pole sitter for Race 2 at Sonoma put in a 1’32.501 on his second flying lap. It was by far the quickest time of the weekend, enough to put him and Aghakhani on the pole for tomorrow afternoon’s race.

In his first weekend since re-joining TR3 Motorsports, Giacomo Altoe took second overall and Pro-Am Cup pole position in the #9 TR3 Lamborghini (with Ziad Ghandour). Altoe’s time of 1’33.393 was nearly eight-tenths behind Spinelli’s pole time, but more than enough to secure a front row start.

Bryan Sellers qualified third in the #08 DXDT AMG GT3, followed by the #04 CrowdStrike AMG GT3 of Colin Braun in fourth, and the #93 Racers Edge NSX GT3 of Mario Farnbacher in fifth.

The K-PAX duo of Caldarelli and Pepper, who were invincible together at Sonoma, could fare no better than sixth and seventh, respectively, now in opposite sides of the garage.

Robby Foley in the #96 Turner M4 GT3 was eighth, Ryan Dalziel improved to ninth late in the session aboard the #13 Triarsi Ferrari (with Justin Wetherill), and Bill Auberlen was tenth in the #94 BimmerWorld M4 GT3.

Onofrio Triarsi was 14th in Qualifying session 2, enough to secure the #23 Triarsi Ferrari a brace of Am Cup pole positions.

GTWCA QUALIFYING 2 – PROVISIONAL RESULTS >>

Race 2 is scheduled for a 1:15 PM start tomorrow, conditions permitting.

Images © SRO Motorsports Group America