Qualifying for next weekend’s Rolex 24 Hours got underway with a 15 minute session for the combined GTD Pro and GTD field,with 33 cars on track.
Owen Trinkler, quick all weekend in the #64 TGM by TF Sport Aston Martin was the first driver under 1:50 – a 1:49.642.
A spin for Don Yount out of T1 in the #42 NTE/ SSR Lamborghini brought out only a brief local yellow flag as the quick times came in a rush.
Kyle Marcella first into the 1:47s (#93 Acura), Mario Farnbacher then immediately into the 1:46s in the Gradient Racing Acura.
Marcelli then grabbed back the advantage (1:46.867) as Mark Engel went to the top in GTD Pro in the #79 Weathertech AMG with Ben Barnicoat second in the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus.
Fabian Schiller made it an AMG on top in both classes with 54 minutes to go – a 1:46.659 in the #75 SunEnergy1 car, second in GTD in the hands of Michael Grenier.
Three minutes left and Philip Ellis put the #57 Winward AMG on top of the combined classes and the GTD class with a 1:46.267 for what was then an ALMG 1,2,3!
Owen Trinkler meanwhile was back to third fastest in GTD Pro as Engel improved to 1:46.952.
Checkered Flag out and Ross Gunn improved to a provisional GTD Pro pole in the #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin – 1:46.825 – only fourth fastest though in the overall order as Ellis improved to secure GTD pole in 1:46.093.
Engel too was improving and he would grab back the GTD Prop advantaged from Gunn with a 1:46.784 – a double pole for Mercedes AMG.
