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Michelin Pilot Challenge

Davis, TRG on CTSC Pole at Monterey

Brandon Davis takes pole for Saturday’s four-hour CTSC race…

Photo: Brian Cleary/BCPix.com

Brandon Davis will start tomorrow’s Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 240 from the overall pole, after crushing the track qualifying record for the penultimate Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race of the season.

Davis reeled off a best lap of 1:32.549 in his No. 71 TRG Aston Martin Vantage GT4 in the 15-minute GS qualifying session.

The Californian, who will share driving duties with Gregory Milzcik, edged out the No. 69 Motorsport In Action McLaren 570S GT4 of Jesse Lazare by 0.154 seconds for his second career pole.

There was, however, controversy post-qualifying, as the Aston Martin’s times were initially disallowed due to a crew member touching the car.

However, it was later found that an IMSA official granted the team permission to touch the car, which therefore reinstated the pole to the No. 71 Aston Martin.

“With the lower temperatures it took a little for the tire temps to come up so our fast lap wasn’t right away,” Davis said. 

“We just kept going faster and faster and that last lap I was either going to send the car off the race track or put it on the pole. I’m happy it worked out.”

Hugh Plumb will start the four-hour endurance race from third on the grid in the No. 4 Team TGM Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR, with Jack Roush Jr. fourth in the No. 59 KohR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4.

GS class championship leader Dylan Murcott completed the top-five in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche.

Pierre Kleinubing, meanwhile, scored his long-awaited first career class pole in ST.

The Brazilian took his No. 75 C360R Audi S3 to a quick la of 1:38.757, edging out the class championship-leading No. 56 Murillo Racing Porsche Cayman of Justin Piscitell by 0.481 seconds.

It marked Audi’s first class pole and the first for the German manufacturer in the series since 2004.

The Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 240 is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. PDT, with live coverage on IMSA.tv.

RESULTS: Qualifying

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John

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