Endurance: Ligier-Honda takes pole for Rolex 24 at Daytona
Ozwaldo Negri put the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Honda-powered Ligier on pole position for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, opening round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.
Negri led the Prototype field with a lap of 1m39.194 (129.201 mph). He will be joined by returning co-drivers John Pew and AJ Allmendinger, along with team newcomer Matt McMurry. Scott Dixon claimed the outside front row position, running a lap of 1m39.302 (129.061 mph) in the No. 02 Target Ford EcoBoost/Riley. He will co-drive with fellow Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regulars Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson in the car fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.
Looking to make history as the first six-time overall winner of the Rolex 24, Scott Pruett qualified third by turning a lap of 1:39.309 (129.052 mph) in Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 01 Ford EcoBoost/Riley he shares with Joey Hand, Charlie Kimball and Sage Karam. Defending Rolex 24 winner Joao Barbosa will start fourth in Action Express Racing‘s No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP, running 1:39.568 (128.716 mph) in the car co-driven by Christian Fittipaldi and Sebastien Bourdais. Fifth was the revolutionary No. 0 Claro/TracFone DeltaWing DWC13, qualified by Andy Meyrick with a lap of 1:39.625 (128.642 mph). GT Le Mans Oliver Gavin gave Corvette Racing its first pole at Daytona since 2000 with a lap in 1m43.488 seconds (123.840 mph) in the No. 4 Corvette C7.R.
Gavin beat the No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia of Gianmaria Bruni by 0.342 seconds, and the No. 98 Aston Martin Racing Gulf Aston Martin Vantage, driven by Pedro Lamy John Edwards qualified fourth in the No. 24 BMW Team RLL IHG Rewards Club BMW Z4 GTE, 1:43.966 (123.271 mph), making it four different automotive manufacturers in the first two rows. |
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