IMSA: Penske Porsches sweep front row at Laguna Seca

–by Mark Cipolloni–

In sunshine and temperatures just above 20 degrees Celsius at the 2.238-mile undulating Laguna Seca road course, the two Porsche 963 fielded by Porsche Penske Motorsport left no doubts about their strength during the 20-minute qualifying session.

After setting the fastest times in the top GTP class in the two previous practice sessions on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, Matt Campbell promptly appeared at the top of the timesheet halfway through the qualifying session.

With about four minutes remaining on the clock, his brand colleague Jaminet replaced the Australian at the top, only for Campbell to reclaim it shortly afterwards. His advantage at the end: 0.090 seconds.

Colin Braun took third in the Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 with 1m14.979s

Pipo Derani was fourth, ahead of Ricky Taylor’s Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport Acura.

Porsche on top in GTD as well

With Klaus Bachler (GTD Pro) and Alec Udell (GTD) claiming pole honors in their respective classes, it marked the first time in WeatherTech Championship history that a manufacturer claimed three class pole positions for a race.

Bachler and Udell claimed top qualifying honors in the production-based ranks, both in Porsche 911 GT3 R machinery.

Bachler took his GTD Pro class No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche to a best lap of 1:24.529, edging out Udell’s No. 92 Kellymoss with Riley GTD entry by 0.010 seconds.

“A great result,” says a pleased Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh.

“After the strong performance in the sessions on Friday and Saturday afternoon, we’d expected a decent qualifying result – but first and second place? No way.

“This result shows thatwe’re taking good steps in the right direction. I also see that our new customer team JDC-Miller MotorSports is on a positive learning curve. Things are looking good there too.

“Our data gives us hope for race day. We’re looking forward to it. Congratulations as well to our customer teams in the two GT classes. Three poles for Porsche in one day – that’s a dream.”

“We’d already underlined our strong form in the practice sessions. It’s fantastic that we turned this into a strong qualifying result,” concluded Jonathan Diuguid.

The Managing Director of Porsche Penske Motorsport adds: “Despite our recent victory at Long Beach, the team has worked systematically and intensely on improving.

“We achieved maximum progress on all fronts. Our colleagues from the FIA WEC also contributed significantly to this, for example during tests.

“As a result, we’ve made good progress, especially in the areas of software and systems. I’m delighted for the whole team. Hopefully, we can follow up with another victory tomorrow.”

Matt Campbell (Porsche 963 #7): “Finally, the first pole position for the new Porsche 963! We’ve made noticeable progress since the race weekend in Long Beach. That was immediately evident at Laguna Seca. We were fastest in both practice sessions and now we’ve underlined that in qualifying as well. Overtaking is very difficult on this track. So, it’s all the more important that we’re starting from the front row with both cars. Strategy will be a decisive factor in the race. I hope we can stay at the very front.”

Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche 963 #6): “A perfect day for Porsche and our factory team: the first pole – and then both cars at the front of the grid. Second place is a good result for me. We made a few small adjustments to the setup before qualifying. That paid off. Our car was really nice to drive. I made a minor mistake on my flying lap. That happens sometimes. Nevertheless, it’s been and will continue to be an excellent Saturday for all of us. I’m thrilled for my colleague Matt, who scored the first pole position for the Porsche 963.”

Qualifying Results