Tom Blomqvist Claims GTP Pole Position at Petit Le Mans
Tom Blomqvist set a new GTP qualifying lap record at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, securing the pole position for the Motul Petit Le Mans for Acura Meyer Shank Racing.
Blomqvist, along with co-drivers Colin Braun and Scott Dixon, will lead the race in the blue No. 60 Acura ARX-06. He achieved a time of 1m09.628s during his second flying lap in the 15-minute GTP qualifying session, breaking the previous course record held by Jack Aitken from Cadillac Whelen by a mere 0.011 seconds.
Previously, Blomqvist had taken pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway but was stripped of it due to a technical violation, which allowed Aitken to claim the pole and eventual victory.
Qualifying in the second position was Aitken in the No. 31 Cadillac V-Series.R with a time of 1m09.827s, followed closely by Nick Yelloly in the No. 93 Acura ARX-06 at 1m09.908s.
Former GTP champion Felipe Nasr secured the fourth spot in the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 with a time of 1m10.241s, while his teammate and current championship leader, Matt Campbell in the No. 6 Penske Porsche will start from sixth position.
In fifth place was Ross Gunn in the No. 23 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie, while Romain Grosjean in the No. 63 Lamborghini Squadra Corse SC63 qualified seventh, marking its final race before a one-year hiatus for the program.
The LMP2 pole was taken by Steven Thomas from TDS Racing, who clocked a fastest time of 1m13.157s in a session disrupted by a red flag after George Kurtz crashed into the tire barrier. Kurtz’s fastest laps were invalidated, dropping him to the back of the field.
The 28th annual Motul Petit Le Mans is set to begin tomorrow at 12:10 PM ET. Viewers in the U.S. can watch the first three hours on NBC affiliates or stream the entire race on Peacock. International viewers can tune in via the IMSA YouTube channel and IMSA.TV.
