The Porsche customer team Wright Motorsports took the pole position in the GTD class in qualifying for the twelve-hour race in Sebring. The team from the US state of Ohio has thus created the best conditions for the fight for the championship that is still open. Before the final of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the gap to the top in the overall standings is only seven points. In the faster GTLM category, the two works team's Porsche 911 RSR with around 515 hp achieved starting positions five and six.

When the sky was overcast and the air temperature was around 25 degrees Celsius, the Brit Nick Tandy at the wheel of the number 911 and the Swiss Neel Jani in the sister car with the number 912 drove onto the track at the beginning of the session. The 36-year-old from Bedford, who is the current record holder with nine pole positions in the IMSA series, improved significantly in his first four laps, but was not able to make any decisive gains afterwards due to deteriorating tires. Jani, who did his first qualifying behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 RSR, got faster and faster on his nine laps, but could not close the gap to the front either. After strong performances in the three free practice sessions on Thursday with regular top positions, the time hunt ended on Friday with a disappointment for Porsche. The works team in the North American sports car racing series will compete for the last time on Saturday with the 911 RSR in the highly competitive GTLM class. Both cars have a special design that is an adaptation of the US national flag. The words "Thank You" are emblazoned on the underside of the rear wing.

In the GTD category, the Porsche 911 GT3 R of the Wright Motorsports customer team starts from first position. Jan Heylen lapped the Sebring International Raceway in qualifying in 2: 00.844 minutes, putting all of the competition in the shade. At the end of the session, the experienced Belgian had a lead of seven tenths of a second over the second-placed car. Heylen shares the over 500 hp GT3 vehicle from Weissach in the race with Porsche works driver Patrick Long from the USA and his compatriot Ryan Hardwick. Wright Motorsports is in second place in the GTD overall standings and still has a chance of winning the championship title in the final in Florida.

Quotes on qualifying
Steffen Höllwarth (Head of Operations IMSA Championship):“Qualifying was a big disappointment for us. After we were able to take the first two places in all training sessions, we had calculated a lot more for the time chase. We now have to put our heads together and analyze exactly why things didn't go as we wanted. It is very clear that we have some homework on our slip of paper before the twelve-hour run on Saturday. We are now tackling these challenges consistently and want to achieve maximum success in our farewell race. ”

Nick Tandy (Porsche 911 RSR # 911):“On the one hand, I am shocked at how far we are behind the pole position. On the other hand, it was also the case in qualifying that our 911 RSR was extremely drivable. In view of the upcoming twelve-hour endurance run, that's really positive. Nobody wins such a long-distance race in qualifying over a single fast lap time. The last hours in the dark on Saturday will be decisive. I am sure that we will have a very strong car in this very important phase. ”

Neel Jani (Porsche 911 RSR # 912):“Before the start of qualifying, I only did around 30 laps in the 911 RSR at Sebring. So the conditions were not ideal. That's why we experimented a bit with the tires in the session and didn't really focus on a single fast lap. I used the entire time in qualifying to gain further experience. With this in mind, the result is not bad at all. On Saturday I will start with two stints. My job is to keep up with the leading group. Then Earl and Laurens should attack and drive to victory if possible. I'm the classic third man on board and try to solve this task as well as possible. ”

Jan Heylen (Porsche 911 GT3 R # 16):“The pole position is not that important in a twelve-hour race. But still it is of course much nicer to lead the field at the start instead of being in tenth place in the middle of the turmoil. We are well prepared for the race and have broad chests after our strong performances in previous races. We want to win the title. We are all focused on this goal. I hope that at the end of the race I will be able to celebrate together with my colleagues Patrick and Ryan as well as the entire team. ”

Result GTLM class
1. Garcia / Taylor / Catsburg (E / USA / NL), Corvette C8.R # 3, 1: 55.456 minutes
2. Spengler / De Phillippi / Herta (CDN / USA / USA), BMW M8 # 25, + 0.660 seconds
3. Krohn / Edwards / Farfus (FIN / USA / BR), BMW M8 # 24, + 0.860 Seconds
4. Gavin / Milner / Fässler (GB / USA / CH), Corvette C8.R # 4, + 0.990 seconds
5. Tandy / Makowiecki / Bamber (GB / F / NZ), Porsche 911 RSR # 911, + 1.384 seconds
6 . Vanthoor / Bamber / Jani (B / NZ / CH), Porsche 911 RSR # 912, + 2.318 seconds

Result GTD class
1. Long / Hardwick / Heylen (USA / USA / B), Porsche 911 GT3 R # 16, 2nd place : 00.844 minutes
2. Ferriol / Davis / Kaffer (USA / USA / D), Audi R8 LMS # 30, + 0.702 seconds
3. Hawksworth / Telitz / Kirkwood (GB / USA / USA), Lexus RC F # 14, + 0.761 Seconds

The race on TV and livestream
The twelve-hour race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in Sebring starts on Saturday, November 14th at 10:10 a.m. local time (4:10 p.m. CET). In North America, NBC broadcasts live on various channels. Outside the US and Canada, the race will be shown the entire distance on www.imsa.com. Live timing can also be found there.