Topp Racing’s Ryan Yardley earned his first-ever Porsche Carrera Cup North America pole position with a stunning performance at Watkins Glen International.
The New Zealander recorded a time of 1:48.441 in the final minutes of qualifying to edge out the Pro class points leader Loek Hartog by 0.091 seconds.
Hartog will start second in the No. 24 Kellymoss Porsche, followed by the No. 98 JDX Racing Porsche of Alex Sedgwick.
Baby Bull Racing’s Michael Cooper and the No. 9 JDX entry of Zachary Vanier completed the top five in the Pro class qualifying.
“ It’s awesome to get pole here at Watkins Glen. I love driving this track, and it’s really nice to reward the team with a pole,” Yardley said.
“I had a tough qualifying in Canada a couple of weeks ago. So, I’ve been kind of kicking myself ever since then. It’s nice to start on the pole here and hopefully, we have a good race.
“I have to give a massive thank you to Todd, David, and everyone at Top Racing and TCS Fuels for this awesome car and for giving me the opportunity.”
Marco Cirone took top qualifying honors in Pro-Am in his No. 84 ACI Motorsports Porsche, thanks to a 1:49.751 lap time that put him 12th overall in the field.
Kellymoss Racers Alan Metni and Efrin Castro completed the top three.
”Oh boy, that was a tough one. This one definitely goes out to ACI Mark Motors Racing Team,” Cirone said.
“They worked so feverishly to try to get the perfect car under these difficult weather conditions. The track is constantly changing, and to have the right tire temps is absolutely critical – these guys nailed it.”
Masters class pole honors went to Scott Blind in the No. 45 Rukus Racing Porsche – another first-time pole winner in Porsche Carrera Cup North America.
ACI Motorsports duo Richard Edge and Masters championship leader Matt Halcome completed the top three.
“The guys have done just a fabulous job getting this car set up,” Blind said.
“We were here a couple of weeks ago testing, so we’re familiar with the track. We made all the tweaks, and the guys have just done a great job giving me something easy to drive.
“I was fortunate to get some gaps in qualifying – it’s all been great. We’re now really looking forward to the race.”
The first race of the weekend will start at 4:20 p.m. EDT this afternoon. Live coverage will be available on PorscheCarreraCup.us, Peacock, IMSA.tv, and youtube.com/@imsaofficial.
