cadillac leads the way in laguna qualifying
MAZDA RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - MAY 11: #01: Cadillac Racing, Cadillac V-Series.R, GTP: Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais during the Laguna Seca at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on May 11, 2024 in Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, United States of America. (Photo by Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images)

The IMSA WeatherTech championship qualifying in Laguna has concluded. The No.1 Cadillac V-Series.R topped the GTP class setting a record setting lap time 1m12.445s. The lap was just about 1.5 seconds under the track’s all-time sports car record of 1:13.924 set by Ricky Taylor in a Daytona Prototype International (DPi)-class in 2022. The session was a short one which made it all the more important for the sprint race weekend.

Laguna Seca has had about one year for the track surface to develop after it was repaved. Pole sitter Bourdais stated, “You know the track temperature is going to come down and the grip is going to increase as the track is cleaning up and rubbering in,” he observed. “With the old pavement, you kind of only had one lap on the tires – you had your chance and that was it. Now we can string laps together. It’s quite tricky because we never really have the chance to do it in practice because there is so much traffic. You’re just lucky and happy if you get one clean lap. It’s a difficult set of circumstances and it’s a lot of fun to really get the tires into the groove.”

GTDPro and GTD Results

Corvette Racing secured a 1-2 finish in GTDPro qualifying with Danny Formal taking pole in GTD with a lap of 1:20.866 in the Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2. The finish was the first pole position for the team as a full-season GTD program. Racing kicks off tomorrow afternoon.

Full Qualifying Results