Frankie Montecalvo charged on the final lap of GTD’s 15-minute qualifying session to secure class pole for the No. 89 Vasser Sullivan Lexus ahead of tomorrow’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

After sitting on pit lane for five minutes due to the team not completing the torque sensor offset test—along with its sister No. 12 entry and the No. 46 Pfaff Lamborghini Temerario GT3—Montecalvo faced a condensed session in his push for pole. He delivered with a final lap of 1:18.654, jumping past Robert Wickens in the No. 36 DXDT Corvette.

A one-off entry for Vasser Sullivan, Montecalvo and Jack Hawksworth will look to deliver another Long Beach victory for the team in GTD, which would mark its second class win in three years.

During the early stages of qualifying, Orey Fidani encountered a unique moment in his No. 13 AWA Corvette, briefly driving the wrong direction after a spin at the hairpin in an attempt to return to pit lane and avoid further incident. Race control did not look kindly on the move, resulting in the team being disqualified from the remainder of the session and slated to start 17th.

Robert Wickens was among the standout performers, qualifying second for tomorrow’s race. Making his season debut with DXDT Racing this weekend, Wickens put together a strong run to secure a front-row starting position.

The Canadian driver shared his thoughts after the session:

“We’ve been having some radio issues here and there. So, I heard that I went P1 at the checkered, and then I didn’t hear anything for the rest of the lap because it was just static and poor connection. P2’s all right. I mean, we’re drivers, right? As soon as I heard that I missed it by a tenth, I know exactly where I could have found it to maybe still stay P1. But honestly, DXDT Racing gives me a great race car. The Corvette Z06 GT3.R is just a dream around here. I’m just living a good life.”

Wickens added on getting comfortable with each lap in the Corvette:

“Especially this weekend (Long Beach). Last time I drove a car, it was VIR last year, so it’s been a steep learning curve. I ironically felt more prepared last year, even though it was my debut in the series. But, this team’s so strong. Mason’s (Filipi) been doing an amazing job helping me get up to speed. It’s a full team effort here. Hopefully, we can play from P2 and try to get a podium.”

Alongside Wickens, Danny Formal placed third in the No. 45 WTR Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2, edging out the newer No. 46 Pfaff Lamborghini Temerario GT3 driven by Zachary Vanier.

 

Image Courtesy to IMSA/Jake Galstad