Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA will start tomorrow’s 6 Hours of Sao Paulo from pole position after a stellar performance from Alex Lynn.
The British team’s #12 V-Series.R proved untouchable in the Hyperpole shootout this afternoon, with the Briton running fastest again, as he did in Le Mans last month, with a 1:22.570. Notably, that lap bettered last year’s pole time by six tenths.
“It feels great to be on pole again, it’s a special feeling to drive the Cadillac on one lap, it’s a huge honour,” Lynn said. “We’ve just got to put it all together tomorrow. We’re desperate to do it.”
“We knew we needed to start up front, track position is key here,” Will Stevens, who shares the #12 with Lynn and Norman Nato, added.
Sebastien Bourdais proved rapid too for the GM brand, putting the sister #38 second with a lap time exactly a tenth off. However, after the session, the car was handed a one-place grid penalty after the stewards determined that the car impeded the #93 Peugeot during the first session. It will therefore start third.
The #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 came closest to breaking the deadlock. Julien Andlauer set a 1:22.834, which initially put the car third, but turned out to be good enough to secure the second space on the front row.
Both Peugeots showed speed, with the #94 of Malthe Jakobsen slotting in fourth with a best lap just 0.378 off pole. The #93 will start sixth behind the #20 WRT BMW thanks to Paul Di Resta’s efforts.
Elsewhere, the #6 Porsche was seventh fastest and the Le Mans-winning #83 Ferrari was the only 499P to claw its way into Hyperpole. A late flyer from Kubica allowed him to sneak in before he completed a 1:23.386 to go ninth in the second stage of Qualifying.
The works cars, meanwhile, will start 14th (#50) and 17th (#51) after struggling for outright pace in the first stage.
“It was to be expected. Antonio (Fuoco) was on a good lap but caught a Porsche, and it messed up the Quali. If you look at the Toyotas as well, they are struggling. To win the race, we will need a miracle; it’s going to be difficult to pass cars when starting at the back,” #50 Ferrari driver Nicklas Nielsen said.
Toyota’s #7 GR010 HYBRID also struggled to produce a quick time. Kamui Kobayashi ended up the slowest with a 1:24.153. Ryo Hirakawa put the sister #8 car 10th.
Local favourite Eduardo Barrichello delivered the goods in LMGT3. The Brazilian scored Racing Spirit of Leman its first ever WEC pole with a 1:33.849 in the category’s Hyperpole session aboard the team’s #10 Vantage AMR LMGT3.
“Such a special moment for me here, my family are here, my friends are here, and I’m so happy to be here,” Barrichello said, after WEC rookie Anthony McIntosh put the car into the top 10 in Qualifying.
The pair of AKKODIS ASP Lexus RC F LMGT3s were fast in the shootout session, but neither Clemens Schmid nor Finn Gehrsitz could find a way to better Barrichello’s best time.
The pole margin was tiny, though, as Schmid was just 0.024 with its best lap in the #87 Lexus. Gehrsitz, meanwhile, was only a tenth off in the #78 on the new Goodyear Eagle Hard tyres.
Elsewhere, it was a successful afternoon for the Iron Lynx and United Autosports. Lin Hodenius put the #61 Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 on the second row in fourth. The two United McLarens looked strong and will start fifth and sixth.
Further down the order, the Iron Dames Porsche made it into Hyperpole for the first time this season. Rachel Frey followed up Celia Martin’s Qualifying run to put the #85 Porsche seventh.
Both Corvettes made it in, too. The #33 Z06 LMGT3.R will line up ninth, behind the #88 Proton Mustang and ahead of TF Sport’s #81 Vette.
The top two cars in the championship standings will start outside the top 10. The #21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari could only manage 15th in Qualifying, and the points-leading #92 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche will start 13th after Ryan Hardwick missed the cut by two tenths.
“We’re championship leaders and won the last race at Le Mans, we’re carrying a lot of success ballast. We’re really heavy and losing a lot of time, especially at the end of the lap, but it’s ok. The other contenders are at the back too,” Hardwick said.
It was also a tough qualifying for WRT’s BMW M4 GT3 Evos, which will line up 14th and 18th. The Heart of Racing Aston Martin also failed to make Hyperpole with Ian James putting the #27 Vantage 12th.
Tomorrow’s race will start at 11:30 local time.
This report was updated to reflect the post-Qualifying penalty for JOTA’s #38 Cadillac.
Images courtesy of DPPI
