Junqueira, Pumpelly on Monterey PC, GTD Poles

Bruno Junqueira (Prototype Challenge) and Spencer Pumpelly (GT Daytona) captured the pole positions for Sunday’s Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix PC/GTD race, Round 3 of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season.

Times in the PC qualifying sessions got into the 1:20s, in a four-horse race between the Starworks, RSR, 8Star and CORE teams.

Ultimately it was Junqueira, who also won the Sebring pole last race, who just broke into the 1:19 range and ended at a 1:19.929 on his ninth lap. He bettered it on his tenth lap, at 1:19.723.

It’s his second straight pole position in the No. 09 RSR Racing Oreca FLM09, and he’ll share the car with Duncan Ende.

Junqueira had a spin during the session but was able to recover rather nicely, all things considered.

Renger van der Zande ended second in the No. 8 Starworks entry, adorned in a new Martini livery this weekend that he’ll share with Mirco Schultis, after a best time of 1:20.117.

Sean Rayhall took the No. 25 Takis 8Star Motorsports entry to third at 1:20.421; he’ll share with the returning Luis Diaz on Sunday.

CORE autosport seeks its third straight win to open the season from fourth, with Jon Bennett and Colin Braun in the team’s No. 54 entry, and Alex Tagliani was fifth in RSR’s second car – the No. 08 he’ll share with Chris Cumming.

GTD qualifying was interrupted when Jack Gerber’s No. 51 Spirit of Race Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 went off course at Turn 4 and caused a red flag lasting more than five minutes.

But the session was able to restart and fliers could resume at that point. Leh Keen appeared safe at a 1:26.962 before Pumpelly threw down on his eighth and final timed lap of the session to lay down the pole time of 1:26.695.

Pumpelly will co-drive the No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Audi R8 LMS with Nelson Canache.

Keen starts second in the No. 22 Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT America that he’ll co-drive with Cooper MacNeil, who is still en route to Monterey after a final he took at the University of Colorado-Boulder this week.

Christopher Haase, the Rolex 24 at Daytona polesitter, brought the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS to third at 1:27.101. He shares with Bryce Miller in the No. 48 car.

Kyle Marcelli was best of the Ferraris in the No. 64 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 at 1:27.121, with Dion von Moltke posting an identical time in the No. 35 Flying Lizard Motorsports Audi R8 LMS. Marcelli will co-drive with Stefan Johansson, von Moltke with Seth Neiman on Sunday.

Sebring winners Magnus Racing will roll off ninth, with Andy Lally clocking in at 1:27.448 in the No. 44 Porsche 911 GT America.

Sunday’s two-hour PC/GTD race will roll off at 10:15 a.m. PDT.

RESULTS: PC/GTD Qualifying