Aston Martin Sweeps GTE Qualifying at COTA

Photo: Vision Sport Agency

Aston Martin Racing has swept GTE qualifying for Saturday’s FIA WEC Six Hours of Circuit of The Americas, with Nicki Thiim and Marco Sorensen putting the No. 95 Aston Martin Vantage on GTE-Pro pole.

The pairing combined for a best two-lap average of 2:04.610, which was only 0.042 seconds clear of AF Corse’s Sam Bird and Davide Rigon in the No. 71 Ferrari 488 GTE.

It marks the No. 95 car’s third consecutive pole in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Ford Chip Ganassi Racing will start from third with the No. 66 Ford of Olivier Pla and Stefan Muecke, while the second AF Corse car will line up fourth.

The No. 97 Aston Martin qualified fifth with Darren Turner and Fernando Rees, while the No. 67 Ford is sixth, ahead of the Dempsey Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR.

Meanwhile, Paul Dalla Lana and Pedro Lamy ensured it was an Aston Martin Racing clean sweep by securing the GTE-Am pole with the No. 98 Aston Martin.

They set an average time of 2:07.683, which put them almost a second ahead of Abu Dhabi Proton Racing’s Porsche.

Lamy and Dalla Lana will share driving duties with Mathias Lauda on Saturday.

The KCMG Porsche will start from third, with the similar Gulf Racing car fourth. AF Corse’s No. 83 GTE-Am entry will line up fifth in class, while the Larbre Competition Corvette C7.R will be sixth.

The Six Hours of Circuit of The Americas is set to get underway at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday.

RESULTS: Qualifying

Jake Kilshaw

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.