Gidley Cruises to GTA Race 1 Pole at Road Atlanta

SRO3 points leader Memo Gidley took pole position for this afternoon’s seventh round of the GT America powered by AWS at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

The SKI Autosports Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II driver, who also topped qualifying at the Sonoma season opener, followed on from leading the times in second practice by posting three laps good enough for pole position.

Gidley’s final effort, a 1:20.942, put him 0.245 seconds clear of nearest championship rival Tony Davis in the HP TECH Motorsport Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo.

Sebring Race 1 winner Davis, who was unable to complete a lap in opening practice, had been just 0.007 seconds ahead of Marc Muzzo until a late improvement yielding 1:21.187 created a buffer between them.

Muzzo’s older non-Evo Ferrari 296 entered by R. Ferri Motorsport will line up third, ahead of Scott Blind’s Ruckus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo that briefly headed the way before Gidley got up to speed.

The non-Evo RS1-entered 911 of Joel Cortes will line up fifth, ahead of Kyle Washington’s GMG Racing Porsche and the best non-SRO3 entry of Lawrence Tomlinson, whose Team LNT Ginetta G56 GT2 will occupy seventh on the grid.

RacingSupport Ginetta GTP8 driver David Lecko took Cup class pole by virtue of being the only entrant, while Jason Bell was the only GT4 runner to set a time aboard his Racers Edge Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage GT4.

This afternoon’s 40-minute race is set to begin at 3:30 p.m. EST, with live coverage on SRO’s GT World YouTube channel.

RESULTS: Qualifying