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Australia
Qualifying report

Daytona 24 Hours: Ford, Ferrari lock out GTLM and GTD front rows

The grid has been set for IMSA's GT classes at Daytona International Speedway.

#66 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT: Dirk Müller, Joey Hand

#66 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT: Dirk Müller, Joey Hand

Brian Cleary

#51 Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GT3: Peter Mann, Maurizio Mediani
#63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3: Christina Nielsen, Alessandro Balzan
#11 GRT Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracan GT3: Christian Engelhart, Rolf Ineichen, Ezequiel Perez Companc, Mirko Bortolotti
#66 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT: Dirk Müller, Joey Hand, Sébastien Bourdais
#68 Ford Performance Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT: Billy Johnson, Stefan Mücke, Olivier Pla
#67 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT: Ryan Briscoe, Richard Westbrook, Scott Dixon

The GTD category, which makes up nearly half of the 55-car Rolex 24 at Daytona field, were the first cars on track for qualifying. 

The 15-minute session went smoothly with no major incidents. Ferrari asserted themselves at the top of the charts with the Alessandro Pier Guidi in the No. 51 Spirit of Race Ferrari. He was trailed by fellow Ferrari driver Alessandro Balzan.

In the final moments, the Scuderia Corsa took a swing at Pier Guidi, cutting out a tenth, but still 0.018 off the top spot.

Pier Guidi, who was part of the GTD-class winning team at Daytona in 2014, put up a time of 1:47.099. Marco Sorensen was fourth in the No. 98 AMR Aston Martin and  Mirko Bortolotti rounded out the top five in the No. #11 GRT Lamborghini Huracan. 

GTLM

The Porsches had control of the speed charts early, but will quickly shuffled down the order by the Ford fleet. Joey Hand went to the top mid-season, trailed by the sister cars of Richard Westbrook and Olivier Pla.

Pla went off at the International Horseshoe, spinning the No. 68 Ford GT with just under five minutes to go. He was able to emerge unscathed, having kept the car out of the tire barrier.

Nobody was able to mount a challenge against the Blue Oval, allowing Hand to come away with the pole at a 1:43.473. Westbrook and Pla made it a sweep of the top three for Ford Chip Ganassi Racing.

Toni Vilander in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari and Patrick Pilet in the No. 911 Porsche 911 rounded out the top five. The No. 69 Ford GT clocked in sixth, giving CGR four of the top six starting positions.

The popular Corvette Racing entries were never a threat for pole, timing in seventh with Jan Magnussen and ninth with Olivier Gavin.

ClaNumDriverClassChassisLapsTimeGap
1 66 france Sébastien Bourdais 
united_states Joey Hand 
GTLM Ford GT 6 1'43.473  --
2 67 australia Ryan Briscoe 
new_zealand Scott Dixon 
united_kingdom Richard Westbrook 
GTLM Ford GT 6 1'43.704 0.231
3 68 germany Stefan Mücke 
france Olivier Pla 
united_states Billy Johnson 
GTLM Ford GT 4 1'43.987 0.514
4 62 italy Giancarlo Fisichella 
united_kingdom James Calado 
finland Toni Vilander 
GTLM Ferrari 488 GTE 7 1'44.121 0.648
5 911 france Patrick Pilet 
france Frédéric Makowiecki 
germany Dirk Werner 
GTLM Porsche 911 RSR 7 1'44.251 0.778
6 69 united_kingdom Harry Tincknell 
brazil Tony Kanaan 
guernsey Andy Priaulx 
GTLM Ford GT 4 1'44.256 0.783
7 3 denmark Jan Magnussen 
spain Antonio Garcia 
germany Mike Rockenfeller 
GTLM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R 7 1'44.359 0.886
8 912 austria Richard Lietz 
france Kevin Estre 
belgium Laurens Vanthoor 
GTLM Porsche 911 RSR 7 1'44.591 1.118
9 4 switzerland Marcel Fassler 
united_kingdom Oliver Gavin 
united_states Tommy Milner 
GTLM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R 6 1'44.685 1.212
10 19 united_states Bill Auberlen 
canada Bruno Spengler 
brazil Augusto Farfus 
united_kingdom Alexander Sims 
GTLM BMW M6 GTLM 6 1'44.759 1.286
11 24 united_states John Edwards 
canada Kuno Wittmer 
netherlands Nicky Catsburg 
germany Martin Tomczyk 
GTLM BMW M6 GTLM 6 1'44.974 1.501
12 51 italy Davide Rigon 
italy Maurizio Mediani 
switzerland Peter Mann 
italy Alessandro Pier Guidi 
GTD Ferrari 488 GT3 8 1'47.099 3.626
13 63 united_kingdom Sam Bird 
italy Matteo Cressoni 
denmark Christina Nielsen 
italy Alessandro Balzan 
GTD Ferrari 488 GT3 8 1'47.117 3.644
14 98 portugal Pedro Lamy 
canada Paul Dalla Lana 
austria Mathias Lauda 
denmark Marco Sorensen 
GTD Aston Martin Vantage 9 1'47.734 4.261
15 59 united_states Cooper MacNeil 
Steve Smith 
austria Harald Proczyk 
germany Reinhold Renger 
GTD Porsche 911 GT3 R 8 1'47.736 4.263
16 11 switzerland Rolf Ineichen 
italy Mirko Bortolotti 
argentina Ezequiel Perez Companc 
germany Christian Engelhart 
GTD Lamborghini Huracan GT3 9 1'47.785 4.312
17 29 united_states Connor de Phillippi 
switzerland Jeffrey Schmidt 
france Jules Gounon 
germany Christopher Mies 
GTD Audi R8 LMS GT3 10 1'48.213 4.740
18 93 united_states Andy Lally 
united_states Graham Rahal 
united_kingdom Katherine Legge 
canada Mark Wilkins 
GTD Acura NSX GT3 8 1'48.268 4.795
19 28 denmark Michael Christensen 
united_states Carlos de Quesada 
canada Daniel Morad 
united_states Michael de Quesada 
canada Jesse Lazare 
GTD Porsche 911 GT3 R 8 1'48.341 4.868
20 86 united_states Jeff Segal 
united_states Ryan Hunter-Reay 
brazil Oswaldo Negri Jr. 
united_states Tom Dyer 
GTD Acura NSX GT3 7 1'48.350 4.877

CLICK HERE for complete qualifying results

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