Werner, Lindsey Score GT Class Poles at Monterey

Dirk Werner (GT Le Mans) and Patrick Lindsey (GT Daytona) are first-time TUDOR United SportsCar Championship polesitters in the GT classes for Sunday’s Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix Powered by Mazda at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Werner, who co-drove with Bill Auberlen to win the most recent GTLM round at Long Beach two weeks ago, took the No. 25 BMW Team RLL BMW Z4 GTE to a new lap record of 1:22.362 around the 2.238-mile road course. He waited a bit in the 15-minute session to run, but executed it to perfection.

It eclipses the previous mark of 1:22.373, set last year by Antonio Garcia.

The result makes the German the 15th different polesitter in as many GTLM qualifying sessions, and makes it back-to-back for the No. 25 car after Auberlen scored the pole at Long Beach.

Lucas Luhr made it a BMW 1-2, taking the sister No. 24 BMW Z4 GTE into second at 1:22.610. Luhr had a spin exiting Turn 6 at one point in the session but recovered and resumed.

Pierre Kaffer matched Luhr to the thousandth in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia, at 1:22.610. Because Luhr set the time first, he will start second, per Rule 43.4.1 of the 2015 IMSA Rulebook.

Just 0.453 of a second covered first through seventh in the eight-car class.

Lindsey took his first GTD pole in the No. 73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche 911 GT America with an absolute flier nearly a second clear of the rest of the field.

His best time of 1:27.040 was 0.981 of a second clear of Marc Miller, in the No. 93 Riley Motorsports Dodge Viper GT3-R, in the best session of the weekend for the second Viper.

While Lindsey gapped the field in the car he’ll share with Spencer Pumpelly, second through ninth in the 11-car field were covered by just 0.945 from Miller down to Cooper MacNeil in ninth in the No. 22 Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT America.

Dion von Moltke, Ben Keating and John Potter completed the top five in qualifying.

Sebring winners Team Seattle/Alex Job Racing will line up seventh, with Ian James setting the best time for the No. 23 Porsche 911 GT America at 1:28.885 in the car he’ll share with Mario Farnbacher.

RESULTS: Qualifying