After losing more than half of his championship lead in the three races at Road America, TOPP Racing driver & Porsche Junior Tyler Maxson rebounded in Friday’s qualifying at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to take the Race Brew Pole award overall and in the Mobil Pro Class.
Maxson and No. 77 TOPP Racing Porsche 911 Cup ripped off a lap of 1:24.281 with 5:27 remaining in the 30-minute session to leapfrog Kellymoss driver Aaron Jeansonne for the final time and secure the starting position and, just as importantly, the two points that go with it.
Jeansonne’s No. 24 Kellymoss Porsche 911 Cup led the early stages of the session. Maxson moved into the lead with 13:30 remaining, but just seconds later Jeansonne was back on top. His lap of 1:24.320 looked strong until Maxson bettered it by 0.039-second in the final run.
The duo entered Round 10 at Indianapolis separated by 16 points after Jeansonne cut 21 points out of his deficit at Road America.
“It’s a good start for the weekend,” Maxson said. “We’re looking to rebound after Road America, which was not a great weekend for us. The team is just doing what they do best.
“We honestly were worried about this track more than any other and we’ve come on super strong this weekend, the guys have been doing a really good job. We got the car dialed in for qualifying and we’re super excited for the race tomorrow.”
Janne Stiak will start Saturday’s 40-minute race in third with his No. 40 ACI Motorsports Porsche 911 Cup, alongside Callum Hedge in the No. 9 JDX Racing Porsche.
Marco Cirone and Scott Blind continue to battle for the top spot in the Solairus Aviation Masters class.
Cirone, the leader in the title fight, put his No. 88 ACI Motorsports Porsche 911 Cup on top in the class, 13th overall in the 20-car race. His lap of 1:25.791 was 0.383-second quicker than Blind’s best in the No. 45 Ruckus Racing machine.
The Race Brew Pole stretches Cirone’s lead to 39 points and gives him a jump on Blind in Saturday’s race.
“The team did such an amazing job,” Cirone said. “They worked all day and we got the setup just bang on. I went out there and the car felt great everywhere. We had a significant amount of time in our pocket so it worked out great and I can’t be happier.”
Patrick Mulcahy earned his 10th Race Brew Pole of the sason in the Solairus Aviation Pro-Am class as he takes one step closer to claiming the season-long title. Mulcahy will start the race 16th overall in his No. 54 ACI Motorsports Porsche.
Race 1 for Porsche Carrera Cup North America on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course is scheduled to go green at 12:35pm on Saturday, 19 September, followed by Race 2 on Sunday morning at 11:20am.
All Porsche Carrera Cup North America races stream live – and are available to watch anytime – on the Porsche Motorsport North America YouTube channel. Stay up-to-date on all the latest news by following Porsche Motorsport North America on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and Twitter, and by subscribing to the PMNA newsletter.
RESULTS.
Qualifying
Mobil Pro Class:
- Tyler Maxson, #77
- Aaron Jeansonne, #24
- Janne Stiak, #40
Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class:
- Patrick Mulcahy, #54
Solairus Aviation Masters Class:
- Marco Cirone, #88
- Scott Blind, #45
- Richard Edge, #18
Practice 1
Mobil Pro Class:
- Aaron Jeansonne, #24
- Janne Stiak, #40
- Callum Hedge, #9
Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class:
- Patrick Mulcahy, #54
Solairus Aviation Masters Class:
- Scott Blind, #45
- Rob Walker, #53
- Marco Cirone, #88
Practice 2
Mobil Pro Class:
- Cole Kleck, #78
- Janne Stiak, #40
- Tyler Maxson, #77
Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class:
- Patrick Mulcahy, #54
Solairus Aviation Masters Class:
- Marco Cirone, #88
- Scott Blind, #45
- Rob Walker, #53
