AUSTIN, TX — It was a true Texas showdown in the Fanatec GT World Challenge America Qualifying session on Saturday morning, as the field set sail around Circuit of The Americas for two intense back-to-back sessions to set the grid for Race 1 and Race 2.
Riccardo Agostini secured the overall ROWE Pole Position for AF Corse ahead of Race 1 on Saturday afternoon, an impressive feat on the team’s debut this season in the Pro-Am class. Race 2 will see Neil Verhagen start from first on the grid after the ST Racing driver set the quickest time overall across both Qualifying sessions.
Pro Class
It was a fantastic debut for Alec Udell and DXDT Racing as he clinched pole position in the Pro class for the No. 63 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R entry in their first Qualifying session of the season. His flying lap time of 2:03.861 enabled him to establish a half-a-second gap to Bill Auberlen in the No. 28 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3, with the No. 93 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 EVO22 qualifying third in class with Luca Mars behind the wheel.
Elliott Skeer claimed the top spot in Qualifying 2, with a time of 2:03.600 putting his No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 992 GT3 R on pole position in the Pro class for Race 2 on Sunday. Tommy Milner secured another strong qualifying position for the DXDT Racing team, qualifying second in class, with Zach Veach and Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 EVO22 finishing the Qualifying 2 session in third place.
Pro-Am Class
It was a race to the top of the overall timing sheets in the Pro-Am class, as Riccardo Agostini in the No. 88 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 went head-to-head with Philip Ellis in No. 91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 in Qualifying 1. The margins were tight, but the advantage went to Agostini as he clinched the overall pole position with a time of 2:03.432 in his first-ever GT World Challenge America event. Ellis and Regulator Racing will line up alongside him on the front row of the grid after qualifying second overall. Samantha Tan had a strong performance in the No. 38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3, qualifying in third position in class for Race 1.
In Qualifying 2, Neil Verhagen posted an untouchable flying lap time of 2:03.137, securing the Pro-Am and overall pole for the No. 38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3. He will be leading the pack in Race 2 ahead of the No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 of Robby Foley, who was just 0.224 seconds behind, setting the second-quickest time. The third quickest time overall went to Colin Braun in the No. 04 Crowdstrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3, with the Top 3 qualifiers separated by less than half a second between them.
How To Watch
The Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS field will return to the track for Race 1 on Saturday afternoon, May 18th at 12:30 PM CT. Watch LIVE coverage throughout the weekend. on SPEED SPORT 1. Click HERE for the full schedule and more.