SEBRING, Fla. — The No. 83 BGB Motorsports Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport will start from the pole position in Thursday’s Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 after Grand Sport qualifying for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race ended Wednesday without any car in the class able to complete a timed lap.
A pair of incidents early in the 15-minute session halted qualifying, the last when the No. 71 Rebel Rock Racing Chevrolet Camaro GT.4 R driven by Frank DePew made contact with the turn three tire barrier. With repairs necessary to the barrier, the minimum guaranteed green-flag time could not be achieved, the session was abandoned and the GS race grid set by team points. The No. 83 Porsche, shared by Thomas Collingwood and Spencer Pumpelly, sits second in the standings leading into Thursday’s two-hour race.
The Touring Car (TCR) class ran its qualifying session to completion, with Mat Pombo earning his second Motul Pole Award in as many races in the No. 37 LA Honda World Racing Honda Civic FK7 TCR with a lap of 2 minutes, 11.796 seconds (102.158 mph). Pombo shattered the TCR track record by nearly two seconds but his lap was only 0.110 seconds better than that from Chris Miller in the No. 17 Unitronic JDC Miller MotorSports Audi RS3 LMS TCR.
“It’s a testament to the crew,” Pombo said. “I didn’t have a lot of time in the car this week, so just giving us a good balanced car and letting me go drive. Sometimes you’ve got to adjust the cobwebs and just go by instinct, and sometimes it works out. I actually made a little mistake on my fast lap in (turn) 17, so I had a little bit on the table but luckily we didn’t need it. Happy to be pole position so we’ll see how the race goes tomorrow.”
Dickinson Speeds to Pole Position for Porsche Carrera Cup Season Opener
Riley Dickinson picked up where he left off in 2022, taking the pole position Wednesday in qualifying for the 2023 Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America season opener at Sebring. Dickinson, who finished third in the single-make series last season with two race wins, turned a lap of 2:01.667 (110.663 mph) in the No. 53 Kellymoss Porsche 992 car to earn the top starting spot in the first of two 40-minute races on Thursday.
Efrin Castro, the 2021 Pro-Am class champion and 2022 runner-up by a single point, captured the Pro-Am pole with a lap of 2:03.135 (109.344 mph) in the No. 65 Kellymoss Porsche. Scott Noble topped the Am class at 2:03.963 (108.614 mph) in the No. 10 MDK Motorsports Porsche.
Keyword: No. 83 Porsche Nets Pilot Challenge GS Pole After Qualifying Aborted