IMSA Detroit Qualifying Report: Acura Claims Pole, BMW’s Streak Ends
Detroit, MI – Acura’s Meyer Shank Racing broke BMW’s dominance in pole positions for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, securing the top spot at the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic, set for tomorrow.
Nick Yelloly piloted the #93 Acura ARX-06 to pole, clocking in a blistering 1:05.762 after a dramatic final lap, securing Acura’s front row with his teammate Tom Blomqvist in the #60 car setting the second-fastest time of 1:05.908. This marks a significant moment as it ends BMW’s run of four consecutive poles, a streak led by the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8, driven by Dries Vanthoor.
“We were on the back foot a bit, but we knew we had the speed,” said Yelloly post-qualifying. “It was all about getting it right on that final lap.”
Sheldon van der Linde placed third with a time of 1:06.078 in the #25 BMW, while Vanthoor settled for fourth with a best lap of 1:06.111. The two Porsche Penske Motorsport 963s completed the top six, with Matt Campbell in fifth and Nick Tandy, the championship co-leader, in sixth despite losing his previous best lap due to a red flag during practice.
The Cadillac contingent was led by Jack Aitken in the #31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R, qualifying seventh, followed by Filipe Albuquerque in the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac in eighth.
In the GTD PRO class, Ford Multimatic Motorsports achieved a front-row sweep, with Sebastian Priaulx taking provisional pole in the #64 Ford Mustang GT3 at 1:10.922, followed by Christopher Mies in the #65 Mustang GT3 at 1:11.251. The session concluded early after an incident involving DragonSpeed’s Rasmus Lindh, who spun into the wall, prompting a red flag.
Jack Hawksworth rounded out the top three in the #14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3, followed by the two Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3s and Tommy Milner in the #4 Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, who expressed disappointment after leading in practice.
Key Qualifying Results:
-
GTP Class:
- Nick Yelloly (Acura ARX-06) – 1:05.762
- Tom Blomqvist (Acura ARX-06) – 1:05.908
- Sheldon van der Linde (BMW M Hybrid V8) – 1:06.078
- Dries Vanthoor (BMW M Hybrid V8) – 1:06.111
- GTD PRO Class:
- Sebastian Priaulx (Ford Mustang GT3) – 1:10.922
- Christopher Mies (Ford Mustang GT3) – 1:11.251
- Jack Hawksworth (Lexus RC F GT3) – 1:11.325
- Neil Verhagen (BMW M4 GT3) – 1:11.558
The race will commence Saturday at 3:40 PM ET, ahead of a 20-minute final practice session. Coverage will be available via the IMSA YouTube channel, IMSA.TV, and Peacock in the U.S.
