Photo Credit: ISMA
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 28 2016) – Inclement weather doesn’t stop sports cars from racing – or qualifying. Proper tires, some extra resolve, and you’re off and running.
In a rare occurrence that could be partially attributed to the weather, the fastest qualifying time actually was posted by a production-based car – a Porsche 911 RSR driven by Nick Tandy. His 2:01.408/105.561 lap led the GT Le Mans class. IMSA groups cars by class to start the race, meaning the Prototypes will lead the field to the green flag.
The twice-around-the-clock endurance classic – the season-opening event for the WeatherTech Championship – starts at 2:40 p.m. (ET) Saturday, with 54 entries.
“To be on the pole for the Rolex 24 is a great feeling and it’s a great result for all of us [on our team] and our racing family,” Aleshin said.
The other two class pole winners on Thursday:
· Prototype Challenge: Johnny Mowlem, 2:05.708/101.951 in the No. 20 ORECA FLM09.
· GT Daytona: Norbert Siedler, 2:05.798/101.878 in the No. 73 Porsche GT3 R.
In addition to the Rolex 24, the BMW Performance 200 will be held on Friday, opening the season for the production car-based IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge. The overall and Grand Sport pole was won by the sibling team of Hugh and Matt Plumb, co-drivers of the No. 13 Porsche 997. Hugh Plumb was at the wheel during qualifying, posting a fast lap of 2:12.492/96.730. The Street Tuner class pole went to the team of Robin Liddell and Elliott Skeer. The fast lap of 2:17.340/93.316 was posted by Skeer in the No. 8 Porsche Cayman.
Tickets for the 2016 Rolex 24 At Daytona weekend can be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.
Fans can follow sports car racing at www.imsa.com and on Twitter at @IMSA. Fans can also stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube for the latest news all season long. .
