INDIANAPOLIS — Ten teams across all three classes advanced to the Pole Shootout to set the front of the grid for the Indianapolis 8 Hour.
With only 15 minutes on the clock, it was a final opportunity to rise above the rest and clock in fast laps. Five IGTC Pro teams secured a spot in the top 10, joined by three FGTWCA Pro entries, and two in the Pro-Am category.
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As each of the drivers set off one by one around the track, it was impossible to predict who would come out on top.
The No. 10 Herberth Motorsport Pro-Am Porsche 992 GT3 R was quick to impress as Patric Niederhauser jumped into the overall lead within the opening half of the session, putting the team in a prime spot as the rest of the field tried to catch up.
Laurin Heinrich was running in second for a while in the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 992 GT3 R, but IndyCar star Alex Palou moved up ahead of him in the No. 4 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 with just three minutes to go.
In the end, Herberth Motorsport were untouchable in the Pole Shootout, claiming their second consecutive ROWE Motor Oil Pole Award after earning the same honor in last year’s rendition of the event.
“Putting a lap together is really challenging, but the team has put in so much effort to give us a great platform,” said Antares Au, who was cheering on Patric from pit lane. “The atmosphere in the team is fantastic; it feels like driving among friends. It’s tough, but it’s great that we’ve reached this point.”
“All we first need to do is have a serious talk with Patric because we said he needed to go for the lap record, and he missed it by a tenth,” said teammate Loek Hartog jokingly.
Dries Vanthoor will join Wright Motorsports on the second row of the starting grid after qualifying in fourth in the No. 31 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3, followed by Arjun Maini in the No. 888 Triple Eight JMR Mercedes-AMG GT3 to complete the top five.
Behind them, Maro Engel finished off the session in sixth in the No. 130 GruppeM Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. A series of BMW teams will be in hot pursuit as the green flag waves to commence Saturday’s endurance race, with the No. 28 ST Racing BM4 GT3 starting seventh, the No. 33 Team WRT car in eighth, and the No. 99 Random Vandals Racing entry in ninth. Finally, RS1 completed the top 10 with the No. 85 Porsche 992 GT3 R.