Priaulx, Chaves Lead VP Racing Stay Frosty 240 Practice
Returning to the site of his first IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge victory in the 2019 season finale, second-generation racer Seb Priaulx posted the quickest time from Friday’s pair of practice sessions in preparation for Sunday’s VP Racing Stay Frosty 240 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Priaulx posted a best time of 1 minute, 27.170 seconds (104.898 mph) in the second practice session of the day to place the No. 22 Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4 atop the time charts. Priaulx won last year’s race co-driving with Austin Cindric and is paired with Canadian Scott Maxwell this weekend.
He was just 0.010 seconds quicker than Kyle Marcelli in the No. 60 KohR Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage GT4, who was second quickest. The top 17 cars in the Grand Sport (GS) class were covered by less than one second.
In the TCR class, Gabby Chaves led the way in the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Hyundai Veloster N TCR. Chaves achieved his class-leading time of 1:28.810 (102.961 mph) in the day’s first practice session. He and co-driver Ryan Norman are seeking their second victory of the season after winning last month at Road America.
Sunday’s VP Racing Stay Frosty 240 starts just after noon ET and can be streamed live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.
Front-runners Split Pole Positions in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Qualifying
The intense competition at the front of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America grid continued in Round 3 qualifying on Friday, with the leading two cars in points each securing a pole position for the weekend’s races at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Jacob Eidson, who with teammate Steven Aghakhani sits atop the Pro class standings after the first two rounds of the 2020 season, clinched pole for Race 2 at Road Atlanta with a best lap of 1 minute, 20.691 seconds (113.319 mph) in the No. 6 US RaceTronics, Lamborghini Beverly Hills Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO.
Eidson’s effort came minutes after Madison Snow took qualifying honors for Race 1 with a lap of 1:20.659 (113.365 mph) in the No. 16 Change Racing, Lamborghini Charlotte Huracán. With each pole position worth one championship point, it kept Eidson and Aghakhani’s lead steady at five points over Snow heading into the races.
The ProAm class also saw different pole winners in qualifying. Andrea Amici put the No. 25 Prestige Performance with WTR, Lamborghini Paramus Huracán that he shares with Ashton Harrison on pole for the first race with a lap of 1:21.159 (112.667 mph). Leo Lamelas secured the pole for Race 2 with a lap of 1:21.964 (111.560 mph) in the No. 24 US RaceTronics, Lamborghini Westlake Huracán.
It was a top-notch qualifying day for John Hennessy in LB Cup, as he put the No. 33 US RaceTronics, Lamborghini San Diego entry on pole in class for both races. Victor Gomez IV continued his progress as the lone competitor in the Am class, qualifying 11th and ninth overall for the two races in the No. 29 Change Racing, Lamborghini Charlotte Huracán.
This weekend marks the first time in five years that Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America is competing at Road Atlanta. The 50-minute races are scheduled for 8:15 a.m. ET Saturday and 9:10 a.m. Sunday. Each race streams live on IMSA.com.
Lamborghini Squadra Corse recently recognized the depth of talent in its North American series, naming six drivers to its Young Driver and GT3 Junior development programs that provide a path to up-and-coming GT racers.
Stuart Middleton, co-driver of the No. 1 Prestige Performance with WTR, Lamborghini Paramus Huracán, was named along with Eidson and Aghakhani to the Young Driver Program open to those ages 26 and younger. Snow (age 24), Amici (25) and No. 63 Change Racing, Lamborghini Charlotte driver Corey Lewis (28) were all made part of the GT3 Junior Program.
Dickinson Rebounds with Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama Pole Position
After two challenging rounds at VIRginia International Raceway, Riley Dickinson appears headed back in the right direction after claiming the pole position for both Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama races at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
The No. 53 Moorespeed Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car will start first on the Race 1 grid for the second time this season after posting a time of 1 minute, 23.522 seconds (109.440 mph) in Friday’s qualifying session. The Race 2 grid was set by the drivers’ second-best qualifying lap, with Dickinson again setting the pace at 1:23.835.
Dickinson – the 2020 Hurley Haywood GT3 Cup Scholarship winner – takes on Rounds 5 and 6 after salvaging fourth- and third-place finishes at VIR two weeks ago. He entered that weekend tied with points leader Jeff Kingsley in the No. 16 Kelly-Moss Road and Race Porsche, but now sits nine points in arrears, 134-125.
“I can’t say enough about the team,” said Dickinson, who also won the penultimate round of the 2019 season at Michelin Raceway. “After VIR, we studied hard at all the data and wanted to learn from it. It’s a good way to come out this weekend, I feel like. It’s a good starting point from where we left off last year, as well as VIR two weeks ago. I can’t thank everyone enough at Moorespeed, everyone coming together as a team. That was a really good team performance.”
Kingsley will start alongside Dickinson in second in Race 1, with Sean McAlister starting third in the No. 11 JDX Racing Porsche. Alan Metni (No. 99 Kelly-Moss/AM Motorsports Porsche) was the highest-finishing Platinum Masters qualifier in fourth and Efrin Castro will lead the Gold Class field of Porsches built between 2014 and 2016 to green in the No. 65 Porsche for TPC Racing.
In Race 2, McAlister will start second, Kingsley third and Metni fourth.
Race 1 for Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama is set for 9:30 a.m. ET Saturday, with Race 2 on Sunday at 8 a.m. Both races can be streamed live on IMSA.com with IMSA Radio commentary.