Renger van der Zande set a blistering new GTP track record in qualifying to secure IMSA Watkins Glen 6 Hours pole position for the No. 93 MSR Acura ARX-06.
The session, staged under sweltering conditions with track temperatures soaring to 119 degrees saw Meyer Shank Racing’s van der Zande clock a stunning lap of 1:31.558, eclipsing the previous benchmark by nearly two-thirds of a second.
The GTP qualifying session unfolded with intense anticipation as teams and drivers vied for optimal track position on the 3.4-mile, 11-turn road course.
Early in the session, the two BMW M Hybrid V8s from Team RLL piloted by Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde set the initial pace with van der Linde narrowly edging out his teammate.
However, the times would not stand for long as Louis Deletraz briefly held the top spot in the No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R, before Colin Braun in the No. 60 MSR Acura ARX-06 slashed nearly half a second off that time, raising the stakes for the remainder of the field.
Ultimately, Van der Zande who had been methodically preparing his tires and car setup, unleashed his record-setting lap on his second push attempt to secure GTP pole at Watkins Glen.
Jack Aitken placed second in the No. 31 Action Express Racing Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R while Colin Braun rounded out the top three in the sister No. 60 Acura, ensuring both Meyer Shank Racing entries would start from the sharp end of the field.
The blue No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R driven by Ricky Taylor secured fourth while Louis Deletraz despite his earlier pace ended up fifth in the silver No. 40 car.
The two Team RLL BMWs, after their early-session charge, slipped to sixth and seventh with Sheldon van der Linde and Dries Vanthoor unable to match the ultimate pace of the Acuras and Cadillacs as the track conditions changed.
Mathieu Jaminet in the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 was eighth, 1.7 seconds off the pole ahead of the No. 23 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie, with Ross Gunn delivering an impressive ninth-place.
The still-developing V12 Valkyrie managed to outqualify three of the Porsche 963s, including the championship-leading No. 7 Penske Porsche of Felipe Nasr who could only muster tenth.
Romain Grosjean, piloting the returning No. 63 Lamborghini Squadra Corse SC63 slotted into eleventh, within two seconds of van der Zande’s record-setting lap, a respectable showing for the Italian marque’s ambitious prototype program.
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In the LMP2 category, PJ Hyett claimed his first pole of the 2025 season for AO Racing, edging Steven Thomas in the TDS Racing Oreca.
United Autosports took third and fourth spots in class with Daniel Goldburg and Nick Boulle respectively, while Tobias Lutke qualified fifth in the Era Motorsports entry.
In GTD Pro, Andrea Caldarelli in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3 claimed Watkins Glen 6 Hours pole after holding off Dan Harper in the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
Nicky Catsburg was third fastest in his No. 4 Corvette. Z06 GT3.R ahead of Albert Costa’s DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3 and Aaron Telitz’s No. 14 Vasser-Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3.
In GTD, Zach Robichon claimed Watkins Glen 6 Hours pole in his No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, ahead of Alec Udell’s DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3R which qualified just 0.211 seconds off the leading time.
Daniel Morad’s No. 32 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo was third quickest in-class ahead of Russell Ward’s No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG and Parker Thompson’s No. 12 Vasser-Sullivan Lexus.
