- O’Connell Claims Pole Position with SKI Autosports in SRO3 Class
- Knox Fastest in GT2 with Lone Star Racing
- Newell and Heart Of Racing on the Charge in GT4
- Provisional Results
Following two practice sessions earlier in the day, the GT America Powered by AWS field had a 15 minute window on Friday afternoon to put everything on the line in Qualifying. The session ran interrupted, with all competitors using every lap to maximize their pace on track and find every opportunity to secure an extra advantage.
In the end, it was Johnny O’Connell who took pole position in the SRO3 Class, with Dan Knox doing the same in GT2, and Gray Newell clinched the top spot in GT4 on the final lap of the session.
SRO3 Class
It was an incredibly tight battle for pole position in the SRO3 Class, with numerous drivers stealing the top spot from one another over each lap. As the Qualifying session progressed, Johnny O’Connell’s No. 3 SKI Autosports Audi R8 LMS GT3 began to truly come alive. He showed his impressive pace and set an untouchable flying lap time of 1:19.670, further establishing his dominance in the streets of Long Beach.
James Sofronas and Jason Daskalos remained within reach of O’Connell throughout the session, qualifying in second and third place on board the No. 14 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 and No. 27 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. The margins were slim, with Sofronas just 0.269 seconds off the top time, and Daskalos a mere 0.009 seconds further behind.
“This place is very special,” said Johnny O’Connell. “In sportscar racing there are certain events that you really want to win, and Long Beach is certainly one of them. I had a strong, balanced car today, and I have some tough competitors starting behind me tomorrow so we’ll be hoping for a good race tomorrow.”
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GT2 Class
Dan Knox set the pace early on in the session as he moved to the top of the GT2 Class leaderboard in his No. 10 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT2 and never looked back. With a time of 1:21.901, he established over a half second gap between himself and Aaron Farhadi in the No. 127 TPC Racing Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2. The Top 3 was completed by Brent Holden in the No. 44 GMG Racing Mercedes-AMG GT2.
“We’ve got the car balanced really well around here,” explained Dan Knox. “I’m driving well and we’ll be doing everything we can to ensure we have a good day tomorrow.”
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GT4 Class
After going fastest in the prior two practice sessions early in the day, Isaac Sherman was the one to beat in the No. 098 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. He led over the rest of the field for the majority of the session, however, it was Gray Newell who raised a challenge on his final flying lap, setting a time of 1:25.718 to move himself up into pole position in the No. 25 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4.
Rotek Racing continued to show their strengths, as Isaac Sherman qualified in second position, with Robb Holland following closely behind in the No. 099 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, with just 0.009 seconds separating the two teammates.
“We’re coming off a weekend in Sonoma that went really well for us,” expressed Gray Newell. “We know our Aston Martin has strong pace around street circuits, so it feels really good to put it on pole here today.”
Let’s Get Racing
The GT America Powered by AWS field will return to the track for Race 1 on Saturday, April 20th at 4:25 PM PDT.
If you can’t make it to Long Beach, be sure to tune-in to SRO’s free livestreams all weekend long on YouTube (GTWorld) and Twitch (SROMotorsports) and follow all the action through our social media channels and the event hashtag #GTLongBeach.