IMSA Chevrolet Grand Prix starting lineup: Jeremy Clarke takes pole after late LMP2 fight

Jeremy Clarke captured pole for the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

It was a furious fight for the top spot, with Clarke prevailing with a 1m07.904s flying lap in Inter Europol Competition’s #43 ORECA LMP2 07 on the 10-turn, 2.459-mile natural terrain road course. It marks Clarke’s fourth career pole, but first at the track widely recognized as ‘Mosport.’

“That’s a fantastic run,” Clarke said. “That was so fun. (The) car was amazing. These guys worked so hard to get that car set up, and it was flawless.”

Misha Goikhberg, driving the #52 machine for Bryan Herta Autosport with PR1/Mathiasen, ended up second by 0.173s. AO Racing’s PJ Hyett put the #99 third, 0.282s off the top mark. 

LMP2

Hyett set the early mark with a 1m08.376s lap, but Clarke quickly threw down his own claim to the top spot with a 1m08.224s lap with eighth minutes left. 

The two went back and forth as Hyett responded by hitting a 1m08.186s lap, but Goikhberg joined the fight by slotting second with a 1m08.195s.

Goikhberg then came into the pits for a fresh set of tires and set off with five minutes left, while Hyett stayed out and continued to hit quick opening sector times but was unable to convert it into a lap to reclaim the top spot.  

As the time ticked down, Clarke vaulted back to first with under two minutes to go with a 1m08.019s, with Goikhberg going second at 1m08.077s.

As the clock ticked to zero, the final push saw Clarke go even faster with a 1m07.904s to retain the provisional pole position. 

GTD Pro

Paul Miller Racing’s Neil Verhagen sent a statement to the rest of the field after delivering a stout lap of 1m14.382s to claim pole for the GTD Pro class. 

Verhagen’s quick lap came with just under two minutes to go in the #1 BMW M4 GT3 Evo, which, at the time, was nearly half a second faster than his rivals. It held for Verhagen’s second consecutive pole at the Canadian circuit.

“Two times here, two times pole, so I guess there’s something special with me and this track here,” Verhagen said. “I just love this track; the high speed, the commitment. It’s so much fun. Even on my first run I had a little off in Turn 3, which was a little sketch, so it kind of got me a little bit excited there. But yeah, the Paul Miller Racing guys provided an amazing car. The car was really amazing and just really happy with the steps we made from practice to qualifying.”

Max Esterson jumped to second in RLL Team McLaren’s #59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, ending up 0.185s off Verhagen’s pace-setting mark. 

Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports locked out third and fourth, respectively, led by Alexander Sims over teammate Nicky Catsburg. 

Car Blanche’s Scott Andrews was fifth, with Vasser Sullivan’s Jack Hawksworth taking sixth. 

GTD 

‘Dudu’ Barrichello captured pole for the GTD class with a sporty flying lap of 1m15.130s. 

It was made a bit more dramatic after the Brazilian’s #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo was held on pit lane for the opening five minutes of the 15-minute session. However, he went out and in roughly four minutes set the time that ultimately took the top spot. 

For Barrichello, the championship leader in class, it marks his second pole of the season.

“Oh, the longest five minutes of my life,” Barrichello said, of the hold. “I had good fun. The car was mega and I’m super happy to be sharing the car with Roman (De Angelis), especially at his home race. It’s super special.”

DXTD Racing’s #36 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, with Mason Filippi behind the wheel, took the second spot, 0.243s behind Barrichello. 

“It was good,” Filippi said. “Our Corvette was really hooked up in that first sector. It’s my first time ever qualifying in GT3, and it was a lot of fun… probably the most fun I’ve had in a racecar ever. DXDT Racing gave me a great car, and I really appreciate them giving me such a good Corvette today. We’re looking forward to the race tomorrow.”

Benjamin Pedersen, piloting Vasser Sullivan’s #12 Lexus RC F GT3, ended up third. Winward Racing’s Russell Ward took fourth in the #57 Mercedes-AMG GT3. 

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