Laguna Seca Saturday Notebook

Photo: Brandon Badraoui/IMSA

***GTD Pro class pole-sitter Jack Hawksworth claimed his 16th career WeatherTech Championship pole, tying him with Ben Keating for all-time poles in the post-merger era. Conquest Racing, courtesy of Lorenzo Patrese, took its first top-level IMSA pole since the 2012 American Le Mans Series round at Virginia International Raceway in a Morgan LMP2 Nissan.

***Hawksworth said it was “extra special” to put the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 on top in qualifying for his team co-owner Jimmy Vasser, who was close friends and teammates to Alex Zanardi, who passed away on Friday at the age of 59.

***Hawksworth said: “Alex was an absolute legend at this track, particularly. I grew up and remember seeing the videos of him passing Bryan [Herta] in the Corkscrew. Jimmy was obviously teammates with him and very good friends. Certainly. it’s extra special for the team for Jimmy and the team to be starting on the pole this weekend. I know Jimmy is emotional about it. Alex was his friend. It’s special to be starting up front for him.”

***BMW will be paying tribute to Zanardi with stickers set to be on both of the Team WRT GTP entries as well as other BMWs in tomorrow’s race. Additionally, BMW drivers will be wearing black armbands. Zanardi, who lost both his legs in a CART accident at the Lausitzring in 2001, became a BMW factory driver and brand ambassador, having achieved considerable success in both touring car and GT racing competition from 2003 until his retirement from racing.

***IMSA President John Doonan added to the number of tributes worldwide: “Alex was an inspiration and exemplified the epitome of perseverance to anyone who had the good fortune to encounter him or learn his story. Having him join us for the 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona as a competitor remains a cherished memory for our IMSA community and everybody who attended or viewed that event. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, his teammates, and his many friends all over the world.”

***The Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8s continued to have a mixed effort in qualifying, with the pair of GTP entries qualifying fourth and tenth. The German manufacturer’s Evo joker update for this year is understood to have impacted single-lap pace, but has helped eliminate aero wash while battling cars on track, but has lost “slight performance” in the meantime according to Sheldon van der Linde.

***The South African told Sportscar365: “It’s trying to optimize the slight weaknesses that came with [the Evo joker] now and make sure that we can get a fast car in qualifying, as well as in the race. I think the race car has always been good in the last four races but we struggled a bit more in qualifying. It’s about trying to iron out those issues and find out where the performance went in quali.”

***Chris Mies said his third in GTD Pro qualifying run in the No. 65 Ford Mustang GT3 EVO was “better than expected” in what had traditionally been the car’s worst track with its first-generation GT3 car. “Especially compared to last year, so I think the EVO package is doing its job,” siad Mies. “I’m happy with third and my lap, so thanks to the boys for a very, very good Mustang GT3. New tires and low fuel at Laguna Seca is a lot of fun when the car is good. It’s a fairly long race tomorrow so we need to maximize everything, go for points and hopefully a podium.”

***There will be more throwback initiatives tomorrow, with the Michelin team set to wear retro shirts on Sunday. Additionally, cars in both the WeatherTech Championship and Michelin Pilot Challenge have a retro Michelin Man and company logo that was used from the late-60s’ through the 1990s this weekend.

***While the Lamborghini Temerario GT3 has generally struggled in Europe since its debut, Pfaff Motorsports, which gave the car its global debut at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, has been “very happy” with the progress made according to general manager Steve Bortolotti. Sandy Mitchell qualified the car sixth in GTD Pro on Saturday.

***Bortolotti told Sportscar365: “We’re learning it and are working really well with Lamborghini. We’re making small, incremental gains every time we go to the track. I’m excited about that. The car is incredible. Like any new car, there’s things that need to be improved. I think that’s normal. But there’s been a lot worse debuts for a new car. Lamborghini should be really proud of that.”

***Mitchell and Andrea Caldarelli will drive the GTD Pro entry as a duo for next month’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, largely due to the clash with the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, which has resulted in a reduced availability of factory Lamborghini drivers. Bortolotti reaffirmed that Franck Perera will return to the team for the season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans.

***Bortolotti said it hasn’t yet been determined if the car will remain in its current light blue and silver livery, the corporate colors of Lithia as part of the company’s 80th anniversary celebrations, for the next round in Detroit, or revert to the team’s traditional red plaid, which he stressed will be back on the car in time for its home round at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in July.

***Special liveries are also planed for Watkins Glen for sponsor XPEL, as well as at the six-hour race Road America, for the event’s new title sponsor Motul, which is a longtime team partner.

***Fermin Soneira will become Lamborghini’s new technical director, effective July 1. Soneira, who previously worked at both Audi and Seat, will replace Rouven Mohr, who has been undertaking a dual technical role at both the Italian manufacturer and sister brand Audi since March 1. Mohr had notably played a significant role in the development of the Lamborghini SC63 and Temerario GT3 projects and served as Lamborghini’s interim motorsport boss on two occasions.

***Conquest driver Manny Franco is “taking a break” from racing according to team principal Eric Bachelart, who confirmed to Sportscar365 that Franco is also not scheduled to run the next GTD round at Watkins Glen, with the team set to try out several FIA Silver-rated drivers in an upcoming test, with an eye for one of them to join Patrese and Albert Costa for the Michelin Endurance Cup round.

***Bachelart said Franco, who is on-site this weekend and has continued to support the team, is expected to be back in the team’s Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo later in the season, no later than the season-ending ten-hour contest at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

***Inception Racing’s Frederik Schandorff is set to miss the next GTD race at Watkins Glen due to the clashing 24 Hours of Spa. Sportscar365 understands that Jaxon Evans is likely to fill in for the Dane alongside Ollie Millroy and Brendan Iribe for the race.

***Wayne Taylor Racing’s prep for the 24 Hours of Le Mans is “70 percent” completed according to the team’s vice president and general manager Travis Houge. “Obviously some of our stuff has already been shipped over,” he told Sportscar365. “We’ll get back from here, finish that car up next week and then we’ll do a shakedown. Then it will get air-freighted over and be ready to go.”

***Houge said several crew will fly to France prior to the next round at Detroit, with the remainder of the Le Mans team to make the trip the day after the street race. “Knowing the timelines, knowing actually how it works when you get there will be a big help,” said Houge of the team’s return to France after its race debut in 2025. “I have to give full credit to the team from last year. It went flawlessly on all the operation side because of the work they put into it. So this year it’s a little bit easier because you know what to expect.”

***Laurin Heinrich, who was recently confirmed in CrowdStrike by APR’s LMP2 Pro-Am lineup for Le Mans, revealed that he did a test with the Stewart and Samantha Cox-led team at Watkins Glen International shortly after Long Beach to get his first laps in an Oreca 07 Gibson.

***While it will mark Heinrich’s debut in the French endurance classic, the Porsche factory driver contested the Carrera Cup event at Circuit de la Sarthe in 2020. “I’m looking forward to it,” he told Sportscar365. “It was always my goal to race at Le Mans and to make this experience. I know Porsche is not present this year in Hypercar category. But I want to be ready in case Porsche comes back.”

***Coverage of the Monterey SportsCar Championship gets underway Sunday at 1 p.m. PST (4 p.m. EST) with live coverage on Peacock and NBCSN led by the team of Brian Till and Calvin Fish. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kevin Lee will be on pit lane for the NBC Sports broadcast.

***IMSA Radio will have the usual team of John Hindhaugh, Ryan Myrehn and Arjuna Kankipati, who celebrates one year as the team’s pit lane reporter this weekend. The IMSA Radio feed is available on RS2 in audio as well being the commentary feed on IMSA’s YouTube channel for international viewers.

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