MMR’s Cicero Edges Out Koch for Laguna Pole

Photo: Wes Duenkel/Ford

Nate Cicero edged out Ford Koch to take pole position for tomorrow’s WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 120 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race.

The McCumbee McAleer Racing driver took his Ford Mustang GT4 to a best lap of 1:28.848 to edge out Koch, in the No. 23 Koch-Copeland Motorsports Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 by 0.058 seconds.

It marked Cicero’s second pole of the season after he took top qualifying honors for January’s four-hour season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

Varun Choksey qualified third in the No. 12 RAFA Racing Team Toyota, ahead of another Toyota, in the hands of BSI Racing’s Lucas Weisenberg, in fourth.

CarBahn with Peregrine Racing’s Sean McAlister completed the top-five overall and in the GS class, with Caio Chaves and Allen Patten sixth and seventh for PanAm Motorsport and Van der Steur Racing, respectively.

Filippi Finds Redemption With TCR Pole

While unable to take part in Sunday’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race after DXDT Racing’s transporter fire, Mason Filippi didn’t let the disappointment affect his run in Pilot Challenge, with the Bryan Herta Autosport driver scoring TCR class pole.

Filippi’s 1:29.373 lap time in the No. 33 Hyundai Elantra N TCR edged out the No. 93 MMG Honda Civic FL5 TCR of LP Montour by 0.126 seconds.

Filippi qualified an impressive eighth overall, although the TCR starting grid will be reset behind the entire GS field per Pilot Challenge regulations.

The No. 5 KMW Motorsports With TMR Engineering Honda of Rocco Pasquarella will start third in class.

The WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 120 gets underway Saturday at 12:45 p.m. PST (3:45 p.m. EST) with live coverage on Peacock as well as IMSA’s YouTube channel, commercial-free courtesy of Michelin.

RESULTS: Qualifying

John Dagys

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