Yelloly Puts Acura MSR on Pole at Long Beach

Photo: Brandon Badroui/IMSA

Acura Meyer Shank Racing’s Nick Yelloly claimed pole for Saturday’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

The Englishman reeled off a chart-topping 1:11.626 lap time in Friday evening’s qualifying session on the streets of Long Beach, outpacing a last-lap challenge from Marco Wittmann in the No. 25 Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8, who was just 0.030 seconds slower.

It marked Yelloly’s third IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship pole and the first for the Ohio-based team at the event.

Louis Deletraz also improved at the end of the 15-minute run, in the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R, to third, ahead of Cadillac teammate Jack Aitken in the No. 31 Action Express Racing entry, who qualified fourth.

The GTP points-leading No. 7 Penske Porsche 963 of Julien Andlauer, carrying 45 kg of additional weight compared to the last round at Sebring International Raceway, completed the top-five.

Dries Vanthoor was sixth in the No. 24 BMW, followed by Ross Gunn in the sole Heart of Racing Aston Martin Valkyrie and Kevin Estre’s No. 6 Penske Porsche, and the No. 10 WTR Cadillac of Filipe Albuquerque.

Tijmen van der Helm completed the top-ten in the No. 5 JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche that pace opening practice in the hands of Laurin Heinrich.

The No. 60 MSR Acura will start last in GTP after missing qualifying as it underwent a chassis change following Colin Braun’s accident in Practice 2.

Montecalvo Takes GTD Pole on Final Lap

GTD pole honors went to Frankie Montecalvo, who overcame a five-minute stop-and-hold penalty in the session.

Montecalvo, in the No. 89 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3, reeled off a 1:18.411 in the guesting GTD entry to outpace the No. 36 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Robert Wickens by 0.151 seconds.

It marked the third consecutive Long Beach GTD pole for Vasser Sullivan and came following an infraction for both Lexus entries, as well as the No. 46 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Temerario GT3, for failure to perform the mandated torque offset sensor test.

Danny Formal will start third in class in the No. 45 Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, followed by Spencer Pumpelly and Russell Ward, for Heart of Racing and Winward Racing, respectively.

The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach gets underway Saturday at 1:05 p.m. PST (4:05 p.m. EST) with live coverage on network NBC, Peacock, and for international viewers, IMSA’s YouTube channel.

RESULTS: Qualifying

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