After a strong start to qualifying for GM with a Corvette sweep of the GTD Pro front row, the momentum continued in GTP as Cadillac locked out the top two starting positions. Earl Bamber claimed pole position in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac, while Louis Delétraz secured second in the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac, completing a front-row sweep for the manufacturer.

The pole marked Bamber’s first in over 10 years, last earning the best starting spot in 2015 at Petit Le Mans with Porsche North America’s No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR. It also Whelen Cadillac Racing’s first pole at Detroit since 2016, when the series still ran at Belle Isle.

Cadillac showed speed from the outset of the weekend. Bamber topped Free Practice 2 with a lap of 1:06.412 and carried that pace into qualifying, lowering the benchmark to a session-leading 1:05.313. Delétraz made it a Cadillac one-two with a lap of 1:05.635, narrowly missing Bamber’s pole-winning effort.

While Cadillac enjoyed a dominant qualifying session, Porsche endured a difficult afternoon. The troubles began when the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport entry lost its fastest lap. Later in the session, Felipe Nasr overshot Turn 1, forcing teammate Kevin Estre in the No. 6 Porsche 963 to take evasive action. Estre made contact with the wall, prematurely ending his qualifying run.

As a result, Nasr will start eighth in the No. 7 Porsche 963, while Estre will line up 10th in the No. 6. Defending race winner last time out at Laguna Seca, Tijmen van der Helm, could manage only 11th in qualifying, leaving all three Porsche 963 entries toward the rear of the GTP field for Saturday’s race.

“The car’s been amazing since we hit the ground running,” Bamber said. “We had a great car last year as well, but we did some good sim work. This 31 Whelen Cadillac team’s been doing some amazing stuff. I think we’ve been qualifying consistently in the front. We’ve been grabbing podiums all year long. When they give you a great car like that, it makes your drive easy. So, we can’t wait for tomorrow. We’re going to have a whole lot of fun. It’s been a great weekend so far.”

 

Image Courtesy to IMSA