First pole for new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R
Chevrolet’s new Corvette Z06 GT3.R secured its first pole position as Tom Van Rompuy set the fastest time in the LMGT3 Hyperpole session for TF Sport ahead of the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Qatar Airways Qatar 1812 Km. Van Rompuy’s time in the Corvette, which he will share with Charlie Eastwood and Rui Andrade, was 0.807 seconds clear of the second-fastest time in class.
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Lusail (Qatar). Tom Van Rompuy in Corvette Z06 GT3R.
TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s a good thing this is on the screens because I otherwise I wouldn’t believe it! It’s my first qualifying session in WEC. We’ve worked really hard this week to improve the car and improve ourselves. The team did a mega job, as did the guys at Corvette and Pratt Miller. In the end, we made it all work so this is a team effort. I could put a really good lap together, and I’m really amazed with this result.” Source: Corvette Racing
Porsche second in first row
Porsche’s Manthey customer team also made its mark in qualifying for the new LMGT3 class. In the first heat, Alex Malykhin turned the second fastest time in the #92 Porsche 911 GT3 R.
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Lusail (Qatar). Alex Malykhin with #92 Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Alex Malykhin (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): “We achieved great things in a tricky session. Our teamwork was sensational. My engineer told me exactly how and when I could get the most out of the Porsche 911 GT3 R. It seems I did a good job implementing the instructions. Our car is really fast. We aren’t very familiar with the tyres but we’ve already learned a lot. We have room to improve in this area.” Source: Porsche
Ferrari 296 GT3 third
Vista AF Corse's Ferrari 296 LMGT3s secured third and tenth positions on the grid. The number 54 crew led by Thomas Flohr, with Francesco Castellacci and Maranello’s official driver Davide Rigon, took third place with a time of 1:55.182, set by the Swiss driver on the third lap.
📷 © Luc Warnotte at Lusail (Qatar). Thomas Flohr in #54 Vista AF Corse's Ferrari 296 LMGT3
Thomas Flohr: « I really got a good feeling with this Ferrari 296 LMGT3. The team did a great job and we managed to transfer everything we did during the Prologue and free practice into these two official sessions. We missed out on second place by just three milliseconds, but we are pleased with what we brought home today. » Source: Ferrari
LMGT3 Hyperpole results
Source: FIA WEC
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