Optimum McLaren on 24H Barcelona Pole

Optimum Motorsport will start the Hankook 24H Barcelona from pole position after defeating Sainteloc Junior Team and Poulsen Motorsport in qualifying for the Hankook 24H Series season finale.

The No. 4 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, driven by Todd Coleman, Aaron Telitz, Robert Megennis and Frederik Schandorff, set a combined average of 1:42.506 in Friday’s qualifying session.

In the process, the British squad outpaced the No. 18 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II of Michael Doppelmayr, Pierre Kaffer, Elia Erhart, Stephane Tribaudini and Christer Joens by 0.297 seconds.

The third-placed No. 14 Poulsen Motorsport BMW M4 GT3, piloted by Kristian Poulsen, Roland Poulssen, Alfred Nilsson and Jens Klingmann was the only other car in the field to get within a second of the pole-sitters, joined on the second row by the No. 11 Hofor Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, 1.134 seconds behind.

The overall top five was completed by the No. 91 Herberth Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R, leading the No. 9 Red Camel by JUTA Racing Audi, No. 90 E2P Racing Porsche and No. 69 RDSigns–Siauliai Racing Team Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo.

Land Motorsport and ARC Bratislava brought up the rear in class, while the No. 71 JUTA Racing Audi failed to set a time.

GT4 class pole was taken by the No. 405 GSR Motorsport Ginetta G56 GT4 piloted by Mindaugas Liatukas, Rokas Kvedaras, Aras Kvedaras, Dovydas Ketvirtis and Egidijus Gelunas.

The Lithuanian squad’s combined effort of 1:51.992 was 0.510 seconds faster than that of the No. 438 ST Racing BMW M4 GT4, with Lionspeed GP’s No. 424 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport completing the top three.

The Hankook 24H Barcelona kicks off Saturday at 12 p.m. CEST (6 a.m. EDT).