De Angelis on Pole in Montreal

Setting the tone at the Canadian Grand Prix for the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama was Roman De Angelis in the No. 78 Mark Motors Racing Porsche.

Across Friday’s two practice sessions, De Angelis torched the Platinum Cup class charts with a best lap of one minute, 38.178 seconds (99.370 mph).

The time was 1.034 seconds quicker than the second fastest lap time of the day, posted by fellow Mark Motors driver Zach Robichon in the No. 98 Porsche.

“That’s a good thing to be that much quicker,” De Angelis said after Practice 1. “But they’re going to close the gap, they’ve seen the data…

“To be honest, the lap didn’t feel that quick because this track is all over the place with curbs and stuff like that. I guess I put a good one together clearly and I’m just hoping we can pull that through for the whole weekend. We’ll see what happens.”

As hoped, De Angelis was able to keep his speed throughout qualifying on Friday evening, nabbing the pole position with a lap of 1:37.962 (99.589 mph) for Saturday’s Race 1 at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Robichon will start alongside De Angelis in second, with Etienne Borgeat third in the No. 2 Lauzon Autosport Porsche.

De Angelis, just 17 years old, is no stranger to success in Montreal, having won both Gold Cup class races in 2017.

However, De Angelis explains that moving up to the Platinum Class this year doesn’t have as much of an impact at Montreal as other tracks on the schedule.

“Really here, you don’t feel it that much,” De Angelis said. “A track like Mosport you do because it’s more high speed, so you can feel the car more.

“But here, it’s all curbs and braking so there’s not much of a difference when it comes to those two aspects. But yeah, hopefully we can have the same results.”

The first Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama race is set for Saturday at 4:30 p.m. EDT.

Ahead of Race 1, fans on site are able to attend the driver autograph session, beginning at 1 p.m., at the Yokohama Tire Service Center in the Porsche GT3 Cup Canada paddock.

For Race 2 – scheduled for Sunday at 10:15 a.m. – the starting lineup will be determined by using the best time between the driver’s quickest lap time in Race 1 or his second quickest lap time in Friday evening’s qualifying session.

RESULTS: Qualifying