IMSA News: Aitken loses Rolex 24 Pole, #93 Acura assumes pole (Update)
Renger van der Zande will lead the field to the green flag for the 64th Rolex 24 at Daytona, piloting the No. 93 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura ARX-06.
The Dutch driver initially qualified second in the 15-minute Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) session for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship opener, posting a lap of 1:34.041 (136.281 mph)—just 0.102 seconds behind Jack Aitken in the No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R. However, post-qualifying technical inspection revealed that the Cadillac’s rear skid block friction area exceeded the permitted tolerance, resulting in its disqualification and relegation to the rear of the GTP class.
This development promotes van der Zande and Acura to the top spot. He will share the car with full-season teammate Nick Yelloly, four-time and reigning IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou, and rising star Kaku Ohta. Van der Zande’s lap edged out the next qualifier by a slim 0.028 seconds, underscoring the razor-thin margins in the session.
The No. 93 Acura was a consistent pole contender in 2025, securing three consecutive top starts from Detroit in May through Road America in August—Yelloly claimed two, with van der Zande’s latest at Watkins Glen in June.
The revised grid now features three of the five GTP manufacturers in the top three positions. The No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R advances to second, qualified by Louis Deletraz and co-driven by past Rolex 24 winners Jordan Taylor and Colton Herta.
Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 7 Porsche 963, with Felipe Nasr at the wheel, moves to third as the team chases a third consecutive Rolex 24 victory. Nasr teams up with new partners Julien Andlauer and Laurin Heinrich.
The sister No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura, boasting a lineup of Rolex 24 veterans Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun, Scott Dixon, and AJ Allmendinger, will start fourth. Ahead of them in fifth is the No. 6 Porsche Penske 963, featuring a refreshed full-season duo of Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor, joined by last year’s GTP champion Matt Campbell.
Further back, the two BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 entries outpaced the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH, with the WRT squad resolving a hybrid issue from practice on their No. 25 car.
The race kicks off on Saturday at 1:40 p.m. ET, promising intense competition across the endurance classic.
Revised GTP Starting Lineup
1 Renger van der Zande (Acura ARX-06 #93) 1m34.041s
2 Louis Deletraz (Cadillac V-Series.R #40) +0.130s
3 Felipe Nasr (Porsche 963 #7) +0.142s
4 Tom Blomqvist (Acura ARX-06 #60) +0.194s
5 Kévin Estre (Porsche 963 #6) +0.354s
6 Filipe Albuquerque (Cadillac V-Series.R #10) +0.472s
7 Nicolas Pino (Porsche 963 #85) +0.576s
8 Dries Vanthoor (BMW M Hybrid V8 #24) +0.851s
9 Marco Wittmann (BMW M Hybrid V8 #25) +1.306s
10 Ross Gunn (Aston Martin Valkyrie #23) +1.341s
11 Jack Aitken (Cadillac V-Series.R #31) –
January 22, 2026
In a sun-drenched qualifying session at Daytona International Speedway, Jack Aitken (pictured) unleashed a blistering lap to secure pole position for the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona, piloting the No. 31 Whelen-backed Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R to a time of 1:33.939.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
This marked the only sub-1:34 lap in the 15-minute GTP session, edging out Renger van der Zande in the No. 93 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 by a mere 0.102 seconds (1:34.041). Aitken, teamed with Earl Bamber, Frederik Vesti, and rising star Connor Zilisch, echoed Cadillac’s strong form, securing the marque’s second pole in the last three years—reminiscent of Pipo Derani’s 2024 record. The entire GTP field was incredibly tight, with all entries separated by just 1.443 seconds.
Louis Deletraz locked out a Cadillac front-row sweep with third in the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing entry (1:34.069), followed by Felipe Nasr in the No. 7 Porsche Penske 963 (1:34.183) and Tom Blomqvist in the sister MSR Acura. Kevin Estre (No. 6 Penske Porsche), Filipe Albuquerque (No. 10 WTR Cadillac), and Nico Pino (No. 85 JDC-Miller Porsche) rounded out the top eight, while the Team WRT BMWs started ninth and tenth. An early spin by Marco Wittmann in the No. 25 BMW didn’t derail the session’s flow, but the Heart of Racing Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH brought up the rear.
LMP2
Shifting to LMP2, Jeremy Clarke stole the show on his Rolex 24 debut, claiming pole for the No. 43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca 07-Gibson with a 1:39.952—pipping PJ Hyett in the No. 99 AO Racing Oreca by just 0.008 seconds (1:39.960). Clarke shares the car with Tom Dillmann, Antonio Felix da Costa, and Bijoy Garg, marking Inter Europol’s first pole at the event. Daniel Goldburg took third in the No. 22 United Autosports entry (1:40.096), ahead of Ben Keating in the No. 52 Bryan Herta Autosport/PR1 Mathiasen car, who recovered from an early spin. The all-Bronze driver session highlighted close competition, with Tobias Lutke (No. 11 TDS Racing) and George Kolovos (No. 343 Inter Europol) completing the top six.
GTD Pro
In GTD PRO, Alexander Sims powered the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R to pole with a 1:45.106, 0.170 seconds clear of Neil Verhagen in the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 (1:45.276). This is Corvette’s first GTD PRO pole at Daytona since 2022, with Sims joined by Antonio Garcia and Marvin Kirchhofer. Dean MacDonald surprised in third with the No. 59 Rahal Letterman Lanigan McLaren 720S GT3 Evo (1:45.425), followed by Maro Engel (No. 75 Express Mercedes-AMG) and Alessio Rovera (No. 033 Triarsi Ferrari). Defending class winners Frederic Vervisch (No. 65 Ford Mustang) started sixth, while the two Porsche 911 GT3 Rs languished at the back of the class.
GTD
GTD saw Zacharie Robichon clinch pole in the No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo at 1:45.113, just 0.074 seconds ahead of Philip Ellis in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG (1:45.187). This ends a nine-year drought for Aston Martin’s GTD pole at Daytona, with Robichon—a 2022 class winner—sharing duties with Eduardo Barrichello, Tom Gamble, and Mattia Drudi. Robby Foley (No. 96 Turner BMW) was third (1:45.265), with Charlie Eastwood (No. 36 DXDT Corvette), Valentin Hasse-Clot (No. 19 van der Steur Aston Martin), and Antonio Fuoco (No. 21 AF Corse Ferrari) close behind. Defending GTD winner Orey Fidani will start 16th in class.
With final practice set for Friday morning and the race green-flagging Saturday at 1:40 p.m. ET, the stage is set for an epic endurance battle. Cadillac eyes a strong start in GTP, while Porsche chases a historic three-peat overall.