Blomqvist soars to Petit Le Mans pole for Acura

Blomqvist Secures Historic Pole at Petit Le Mans with Record Lap

Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta – Tom Blomqvist clinched the pole position for the 28th annual Motul Petit Le Mans, driving the blue No. 60 Acura ARX-06 for Meyer Shank Racing. Blomqvist set a new GTP qualifying lap record of 1m09.628s, surpassing the previous record by 0.011 seconds, established last year by Jack Aitken of Cadillac Whelen Racing.

Blomqvist will share the front row with his co-drivers Colin Braun and Scott Dixon. Aitken qualified second in the No. 31 Cadillac V-Series.R with a time of 1m09.827s, followed closely by Nick Yelloly in the No. 93 Acura ARX-06, who clocked in at 1m09.908s. Defending GTP champion Felipe Nasr qualified fourth in the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963, recording a time of 1m10.241s.

Ross Gunn’s impressive run in the No. 23 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie secured him fifth, while Romain Grosjean in the No. 63 Lamborghini SC63 ended up seventh. Filipe Albuquerque in the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac and Dries Vanthoor in the No. 24 BMW M Team RLL Hybrid V8 rounded out positions eight and nine, respectively.

In LMP2, Steven Thomas of TDS Racing took pole with a time of 1m13.157s despite a disrupted session that included a red flag due to George Kurtz’s crash. Jeremy Clarke qualified second in the No. 43 Inter Europol Competition car at 1m13.397s, while PJ Hyett in the No. 99 AO Racing ORECA secured third.

Dan Harper achieved his second consecutive GTD PRO pole for Paul Miller Racing, finishing with a 1m18.523s lap. He edged Aaron Telitz, who initially held the top spot in the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 (1m18.690s). Title contender Albert Costa qualified fourth in the No. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari after a penalty affected his lap time.

In GTD, Lorenzo Patrese claimed pole in the No. 47 Cetilar Racing Ferrari 296 GT3, setting a time of 1m18.316s, ahead of Riccardo Agostini in the No. 021 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari (1m18.605s).

The Motul Petit Le Mans will begin tomorrow at 12:10 PM ET, with coverage available on NBC and the Peacock streaming platform for US viewers. International audiences can follow the race on the official IMSA YouTube channel and IMSA.TV.

Qualifying Results Summary:

• GTP:

  1. Tom Blomqvist (Acura) – 1m09.628s
  2. Jack Aitken (Cadillac) – 1m09.827s
  3. Nick Yelloly (Acura) – 1m09.908s

• LMP2:

  1. Steven Thomas (TDS) – 1m13.157s
  2. Jeremy Clarke (Inter Europol) – 1m13.397s
  3. PJ Hyett (AO Racing) – 1m13.724s

• GTD PRO:

  1. Dan Harper (BMW) – 1m18.523s
  2. Aaron Telitz (Lexus) – 1m18.690s
  3. Nicky Catsburg (Corvette) – 1m18.753s

• GTD:

  1. Lorenzo Patrese (Ferrari) – 1m18.316s
  2. Riccardo Agostini (Ferrari) – 1m18.605s
  3. Valentin Hasse-Clot (Aston Martin) – 1m18.888s