Maxwell, Piscitell Score CTSC Poles at COTA

Scott Maxwell (GS) and Justin Piscitell (ST) scored the pole positions for Friday’s second-to-last Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race of the 2015 season, at Circuit of the Americas.

It’s Maxwell’s third and Piscitell’s fifth pole positions of the season.

For Maxwell, he repaid the work done by his crew to repair the No. 15 Multimatic Motorsports Ford Shelby GT350R-C, damaged after an accident at Virginia International Raceway, which took the team’s primary car out of action.

With a lap time of 2:23.232 around the 3.427-mile Circuit of the Americas circuit, Maxwell put the new Mustang on pole for the third time in five attempts since the car’s debut at Watkins Glen International in June.

“Once again it’s a broken record and it’s coming from me again, but these guys did phenomenal to repair the car,” Maxwell said. “They gave us a great car again.

“I thought we had a chance at top three. I thought Rum Bum was hiding some speed. Pole is a bonus.”

Rum Bum Racing qualified second with Hugh Plumb in the team’s No. 13 Porsche 911, and Nic Hammann third in the No. 41 Doran Racing Nissan 370Z.

The second Nissan and the championship-leading No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R completed the top five on the GS grid.

Piscitell, meanwhile, took his first pole since Watkins Glen in the No. 34 Alara Racing Mazda MX-5 in the heat of the day with a best time of 2:30.272, a day after the crew changed the motor.

“It was my second flying lap. With as much grip as the Continental Tires have, they fall off quick at this track,” Piscitell said. “I have to dedicate this one to the Alara crew and also to Richard Witson (girlfriend’s father), who passed away unexpectedly this past Sunday.”

Piscitell beat two other MX-5s – the pair of CJ Wilson Racing entries qualified by Tyler McQuarrie and Chad McCumbee, respectively – to the top spot.

The No. 18 Rennsport One and No. 56 Murillo Racing Porsche Caymans completed the top five.

Liam Dwyer, returning to action in the No. 26 Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5 he shares with points leader Andrew Carbonell, qualified 12th.

Friday’s Round 9 goes green at 12:40 p.m. CT and local time, live on IMSA.com.

RESULTS: Qualifying