Pumpelly Claims CTSC Pole

Spencer Pumpelly scored pole position to open the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge season at Daytona, setting benchmark time on his final flying lap.

Pumpelly’s pace-setting lap of 1:55.136 in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR was 0.325 seconds clear of second-place Tyler McQuarrie in the No. 39 Audi R8 for Carbahn Motorsports in the team’s series debut.

After the session, Pumpelly credited his teammate Daniel Morad with helping him to the fast lap.

“Big thanks to Daniel Morad,” he said. “I got a little tow from him coming across the start-finish, followed him all the way through the first half.

“He had a little issue coming out of the infield and I thought maybe it would slow me up, but sure enough he slid right out of my way and so it was a big advantage.

“The rest of it was just trying to maintain what I gained and we were able to do that. It was a good lap, a good team, a good car and I’m excited for tomorrow.”

Kyle Marcelli was third fastest in the No. 60 Ford Mustang GT4 for Roush Performance/KohR Motorsports with Rick Parfitt Jr. completing the first two rows in fourth for GMG Racing.

Kuno Wittmer took the first ever TCR class pole in the No. 74 Compass Racing Audi RS3 LMS TCR, a narrow 0.070 seconds faster than Britt Casey Jr. in the team’s sister No. 77 Audi TCR.

Pierre Kleinubing made it a clean sweep of the top-three in class for Compass Racing, checking in in third in the No. 75 Audi TCR.

Devin Jones will start the season on the ST class pole in the No. 81 BMW 328i from Bimmerworld Racing with Nate Norenberg close behind in the No. 37 MINI JCW Team entry.

The season-opening BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET with live coverage availabe via IMSA Radio and IMSA.TV.

RESULTS: Qualifying