Action Express Racing’s Earl Bamber set a new GTP track record Friday (May 29) at 90.671 mph to win the pole for Saturday’s Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic. It is the team’s first pole of the year.
“The car has been amazing,” Bamber said afterwards. “This 31 Cadillac Whelen team has done some amazing stuff. When they give you a great Cadillac, it makes your job easier. Can’t wait for [the race].”
Bamber’s lap was .322 seconds faster than Wayne Taylor Racing’s Louis Deletraz. Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian’s Nick Yelloly, who won from pole last year, will start third. BMW M Team WRT’s Marco Wittmann and Sheldon van der Linde will start fourth and fifth, respectively.
Bamber had dominated much of the day, having topped both of the practice sessions in his Cadillac. In qualifying, he juggled the top spot with Deletraz. He ultimately set the pole lap with just under five minutes remaining.
The session was effectively the worst-case scenario for Porsche Penske Motorsport. The No. 7 Porsche already came into the session knowing that they would lose their best lap due to the team bringing out a red flag during practice.
With a little more than four minutes to go, trouble broke out. Felipe Nasr went a little too hot into turn 1 and had to stop before sliding into the tire barrier. He did that successfully.
However, teammate Kevin Estre was right behind him and had to avoid the No. 7. He ended up swinging the rear end of his Porsche 963 around and hitting the wall right rear first, followed by the right front.
The hit broke the rear suspension on the No. 6 Porsche and brought out the red flag. This ultimately ended the session, but it is still official since more than 10 minutes elapsed.
In IMSA, if you bring out a red flag in qualifying, you lose your two best laps. In this case, it dropped Estre from seventh to 10th. Regardless, the Penske squad will have a lot of work ahead of them starting from the fifth row.
In GTD Pro, Ford Racing’s Mustang GT3 Evos were fastest. Ben Barker was quickest in the No. 64 Ford with Frederic Vervisch right behind.
Tommy Milner, whose teammate Nicky Catsburg was fastest in the opening session, went to the top with seven minutes to go. That was quickly usurped by the BMW of Paul Miller Racing’s Neil Verhagen. Milner then came back and retook provisional pole.
For the remainder of the session, the two Corvette teammates squabbled over the pole. Alexander Sims was able to take the class lead back with six minutes to go. Shortly afterwards, Milner answered.
On his second to last lap at speed, Sims set a lap at 85.388 mph. That lap held up for the class pole.
Sims’ lap was .043 seconds faster than Milner, who improved on his final lap. Vasser Sullivan’s Ben Barnicoat will start third in his Lexus, followed by Barker and Vervisch.
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic Qualifying Results
The Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic is scheduled to go green at 4:10 p.m. ET Saturday afternoon. Coverage will air live on NBC and Peacock starting at 4 p.m. ET.
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the Frontstretch email newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the Frontstretch Sports Car racing editor.
Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.