BOWMANVILLE, Ontario – The immediate goal for Vasser Sullivan at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is to maintain the momentum.
The first step in that goal was accomplished Saturday in record-breaking style.
Jack Hawksworth put the team’s No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 on pole position in the GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class for Sunday’s Chevrolet Grand Prix, positioning Vasser Sullivan in the prime spot to win for the third time this season.
Hawksworth broke the GTD PRO track record with a lap of 1 minute, 15.029 seconds (117.986 mph) around the 10-turn, 2.459-mile course, letting Hawksworth and co-driver Ben Barnicoat further extend their class points lead in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
“The car was incredible from the minute we rolled off,” Hawksworth said after collecting his 10th career Motul Pole Award. “This is one of those tracks where the Lexus runs well, so we know when we come here (that) we have to capitalize.”
Capitalizing has been the team’s modus operandi this season. The No. 14 Lexus is coming off a victory June 25 in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International after winning April 15 in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
“The momentum is with us,” Hawksworth said. “The team is working well. Ben’s driving is amazing. The crew is clicking and the engineers are clicking. It’s just spot-on.”
Hawksworth was just 0.074 seconds ahead of Jules Gounon, who posted a lap of 1:15.103 in the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 he drives with Daniel Juncadella. Alex Riberas was third fastest in the No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 at 1:15.341. The top three qualifiers all bettered last year’s GTD PRO track record of 1:15.468 set by Mathieu Jaminet.
Hawksworth and Barnicoat will go for the No. 14’s 10th consecutive podium finish dating to mid-2022 in Sunday’s two-hour, 40-minute race.
“It’s such a group effort,” Hawksworth said. “Every weekend we just go out and make it happen. We’ve done well today, but tomorrow is where it counts. We have a big day ahead and we plan on making it happen.”
De Angelis shows strength while winning GTD pole
With an assist from his home track, Roman De Angelis strengthened what he called his “weak point.”
De Angelis, who hadn’t won a Motul Pole Award since Lime Rock Park in 2021, did just that Saturday in the GT Daytona (GTD) class. The 22-year-old from Windsor, Ontario, was clocked at 1:15.478 (117.284 mph) in the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 to secure the top starting position. It eclipsed the GTD track record of 1:15.546 set five years ago by Hawksworth.
“It’s been a long, long time coming,” De Angelis said. “Qualifying has kind of been my weak point. You tend to overdrive, so I’ve really been working on getting better there.”
De Angelis and co-driver Marco Sorensen will try to win for the second time this season following their victory along with Ian James and Darren Turner in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. The No. 27 Aston Martin will start ahead of the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 co-driven by Frankie Montecalvo and Aaron Telitz after Montecalvo’s qualIfying lap of 1:15.508.
Madison Snow had the third-fastest lap of 1:15.595 in the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 he shares with Bryan Sellers.
In the end, though, CTMP’s fast, undulating and bumpy circuit suited one of its most familiar drivers perfectly.
“You definitely have to have a lot of confidence here in qualifying, especially,” said De Angelis, who raced on CTMP’s karting track as a youngster, trained on the driver development track and has raced in several series on the main CTMP circuit. “You have to really hang it out. I’ve driven more here than I’ve driven anywhere combined, probably. I have a lot of experience here, which definitely helps.”