Christensen Claims Portland Pole

Michael Christensen turned in an early flying lap and then held off all challengers to claim pole position for GT Race 1 in Pirelli World Challenge’s return to Portland International Raceway.

The driver of the No. 24 Alegra Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R turned in the fastest lap seen all weekend long, a 1:10.177, and secured the pole by 0.262 seconds over the No. 51 R. Ferri Motorsport Ferrari 488 GT3 of Toni Vilander who jumped to the outside of the front row in the final seconds.

Daniel Morad was a further 0.002 seconds back in third driving the No. 2 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, followed by the pair of K-PAX Racing Bentley Continental GT3 machines, with Rodrigo Baptista edging teammate Alvaro Parente for the fourth spot.

Parker Chase took top honors in the Pro-Am class for TruSpeed AutoSport in the Audi R8 LMS GT3 he shares with Ryan Dalziel, while Caeser Bacarella took the Am class pole for the Squadra Corse Garage Italia operation.

Race 1 is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. PT with live coverage available at World-Challenge.com.

RESULTS: GT Qualifying