Keating, Fraga Lose Maiden GTE-Am Pole

The No. 57 Team Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR that set the quickest time in GTE-Am qualifying for the 6 Hours of Fuji has had its pole rescinded after Saturday’s session.

Ben Keating and Felipe Fraga set a two-driver average of 1:38.733 which set them on top of the class timing sheets and appeared to have given the new FIA World Endurance Championship entry its first pole.

However, an issue concerning the Porsche’s quick door release system, which was not in compliance with the car’s homologation form, resulted in a penalty.

WEC stewards reported that the fixing screw of one of the side doors was missing during post-qualifying scrutineering checks.

This resulted in all of the car’s lap times being deleted, meaning Keating, Fraga and Jeroen Bleekemolen will start from the back of the 30-car grid.

It hands the GTE-Am pole to TF Sport’s No. 90 Aston Martin Vantage which initially qualified second in the hands of Jonny Adam and Salih Yoluc.

TF will share the front row of the class grid with the 4 Hours of Silverstone-winning No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo, while the No. 98 works-run Aston Martin will start third.

It has not yet been decided where the No. 6 Ginetta G60-LT-P1 AER, which caused a red flag during the prototype session and also failed to set two driver times, will start Sunday’s race from.