The #39 CarBahn Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 of Sean McAlister and Jeff Westphal won the pole for Friday’s opening round of the 2024 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, the BMW M Endurance Challenge at Daytona.
And McAlister won the pole – the first of his career – by a whopping margin in the Grand Sport (GS) class, taking the top spot by over eight-tenths of a second over the rest of a field of over two dozen GT4 machines. The Californian won pole position with a time of 1:52.842, after leading both Free Practice sessions yesterday and today.
With a BMW fittingly on pole for tomorrow’s four-hour race, second place went to Owen Trinkler in the #46 Team TGM Aston Martin Vantage GT4, who set a 1:53.645 to get onto the front row.
Jack Hawksworth, the reigning GTD Pro Champion in the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, qualified third in the #50 Hattori Motorsports Toyota GR Supra GT4 Evo; Jesse Lazare was fourth in the #69 Motorsports in Action McLaren Artura GT4.
Reigning GS champions Turner Motorsport locked out the third row with their two BMWs, Francis Selldorff in the #96 leading Dillon Machavern in the #95.
Of the two new GT4 models in the field, young Luca Mars led the two new Ford Mustang GT4s, qualifying ninth in the #59 KOHR Motorsports Mustang. Frank DePew timed in 26th-fastest in the new #71 Rebel Rock Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4 EVO, which has had its difficulties but is finally ready for its global race debut tomorrow.
NASCAR Cup Series star Bubba Wallace initially qualified 20th in the #23 Smooge Racing GR Supra – but had his times invalidated after mechanics were working on the car before the 15-minute GS session ended, meaning Wallace, John Hunter Nemechek, and Corey Heim will start from the rear of the class tomorrow.
TCR class honours went to the defending series champions, the #33 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR driven by Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker.
Gottsacker, in his light blue Hyundai, set a time of 1:56.757 that would not be beat by the field of 17 touring cars (of which 15 made a qualifying attempt) – and a new lap record for the class, beating Matt Pombo’s previous record set last year by one-tenth of a second.
Three makes qualified in the top three: Karl Wittmer in the #93 Montreal Motorsports Group Honda Civic FL5 qualified a close second, ahead of Eduardo Gou in the #55 Gou Racing Audi RS 3 LMS. Julian Santero was fourth-quickest in the #80 Victor Gonzalez Racing Team Hyundai.
The BMW M Endurance Challenge at Daytona begins tomorrow at 1:45 PM EST (local time).
Images © Jake Galstad / IMSA
