The #2 eEuroparts ROWE Racing Audi R8 will start the Pilot Challenge race at Mid-Ohio from pole position in GS.
Kenton Koch topped the session and set the #2’s best time, a 1:44.181, to go more than a second clear of the rest of the field.
“It has been a couple of races where we think we could have done better, but I’m really excited to be starting this one from pole position,” said Koch. “We are going to give them one heck of a battle.”
Jesse Lazare in the #69 Motorsports In Action McLaren 570S GT4 set the session’s second-best time, a 1:45.260 after seven laps. Contrary to much of the field, Lazare’s fastest time came early in the session. The Canadian set his top time on just his third flying lap.
Rounding out the top three was Russell Ward in the #33 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG. His best time of 1:45.613 came on his final lap.
Challenging conditions presented a constantly changing track state for the TCR entries who qualified before the GS class.
Most cars opted for slick tyres, only for a light misting of rain to come down that put everyone on the back foot. This meant that one of the first laps to be set ended up being the top time of the session.
Chad Gilsinger, a native of Ohio running in what is also his team’s home race this weekend, set the fastest time of the session. He set a time of 1:41.986 in the #89 HART Honda Civic TCR. This is Gilsinger’s fourth pole in IMSA competition, with his last coming at Sebring in 2014.
Ending the session in second was Mark Kvamme in the #3 KMW Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR. His best lap time was a 1:43.583. A further second behind him was the #84 Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic TCR of Brian Henderson. Henderson did six laps and managed a 1:44.472.
GS cars who were unable to beat the times set by the TCR entries will still start in front of the TCR field, with the rest of the GS cars.
The race is set for later today at 18:45 BST and can be watched on IMSA.tv, including for those in the United States.
Photo courtesy of IMSA
