K-PAX and Conquest Racing Earn Poles For Sebring Races

The #1 K-PAX Lamborghini Huracán GT3 of Michele Beretta and Andrea Caldarelli won the pole for today’s GT World Challenge America Race 1 at Sebring International Raceway. While, in their first weekend of GT3 competition, the #34 Conquest Racing/Corsa Horizon Ferrari 488 GT3 of Manny Franco and Alessandro Balzan will start on the pole tomorrow in Race 2.

Under beautiful, sunny skies, qualifying began this morning at 9:00 AM sharp. Each teams’ Bronze and Silver drivers stepped up for a shot at the pole for Race 1 in the first phase of qualifying.

Michael Dinan got out to an early advantage in the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3, only for Beretta to surpass him with a 2’00.492 to take provisional pole. The all-black #1 K-PAX Lamborghini was especially strong through the first and second sectors of the track, and Beretta would improve gradually to a 2’00.389, and then a 2’00.298 on his final flying lap.

It’s the fourth Race 1 pole of the season for Beretta, in five opportunities since joining the K-PAX team after Sonoma.

Dinan improved to a 2’00.872 for a front row start in tomorrow’s race. But team mate Robby Foley did not set a time in the second session.

This was planned in advance: After today’s race, Turner Motorsport will withdraw from the rest of the weekend due to prior commitments for their drivers.

The other BMW in the field, the #94 BimmerWorld M4 GT3 (Chandler Hull/Bill Auberlen), suffered through electrical issues all session and didn’t post a competitive time in either session. They’ll start 15th today and 14th tomorrow.

Misha Goikhberg was third-fastest in the green #3 K-PAX Lamborghini, and in his first GT3 qualifying session, Wisconsin rookie Manny Franco was fourth in the #34 Conquest Racing Ferrari, which won the pole in the Pro-Am class.

Charlie Scardina turned in a brilliant effort to put the sole Am Cup #23 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari fifth on the grid for Race 1, ahead of Pro-Am Drivers’ Championship co-leader Charlie Luck, in sixth aboard the #45 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3-R.

Luck will start Race 1 ahead of his two main rivals, George Kurtz in the #04 CrowdStrike with Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 in seventh, and Ashton Harrison in the #93 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 in eighth.

Scott Smithson bounced back from a spin to put his #08 Qelo Capital/DXDT Racing AMG GT3 ninth, ahead of the #13 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari of Justin Wetherill in tenth.

FGTWCA QUALIFYING 1 RESULTS >>

When it was time for the top drivers to make their runs in the second phase of qualifying, there were fireworks.

Balzan had shown real speed all weekend in the brand-new Conquest Ferrari, but Ryan Dalziel in the #13 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari was up for the challenge – to try and give Triarsi Competizione an outright pole in their home race.

Dalziel beat Balzan’s first flying lap of 1’59.061, breaking into the 1 minute 58 range with a fast lap of 1’58.950.

But Balzan struck back, setting a time of 1’58.929 to take the pole by just 0.021 seconds. That gives Conquest Racing their first GT World Challenge America pole position.

Fastest of the Pro Cup cars were the two K-PAX Lamborghinis. Andrea Caldarelli in the black #1 qualified third, two-tenths up on Jordan Pepper in the green #3. The two former co-drivers are still battling it out for the Drivers’ Championship in the Pro class, with Caldarelli currently 47 points ahead of Pepper.

Bryan Sellers went fifth-quickest in the #08 DXDT Racing AMG GT3, ahead of Mario Farnbacher in the #93 Racers Edge NSX in sixth, and Jan Heylen in the #45 Wright Porsche in seventh.

Corey Lewis put himself and Jeff Burton eighth on the grid for Race 2 in their #91 TR3 Racing Lamborghini, ahead of Colin Braun in the #04 CrowdStrike/Riley AMG GT3. Dirk Müller rounded out the top ten in this session aboard the #63 Usalco/DXDT Racing AMG GT3 (with David Askew).

FGTWCA QUALIFYING 2 RESULTS >>

Coverage of GT World Challenge America Race 1 in Sebring begins later today, at 2:00 PM EDT.

UPDATE – The #34 Conquest Racing Ferrari is being moved up to the Pro category after Manny Franco was reclassified as a Silver driver.

Images © Regis Lefebure, Fabian Lagunas / SRO Motorsports Group America