***Update: Chris Bellomo has been elevated to the Solairus Aviation Masters pole after a post-qualifying penalty to Scott Blind.
TOPP Racing locked out the front row for Friday morning’s Porsche Carrera Cup North America Race 1 with Mobil Pro Class point leader Tyler Maxson and Cole Kleck sharing the front row following Thursday afternoon’s qualifying at Road America.
Fresh off the Porsche Motorsport North America Driver Development Workshop, the teammates put in their times before a red flag with 10 minutes to go in the session after Solairus Aviation Pro-Am leader Patrick Mulcahy (ACI Motorsports) went off track in Turn 10. The down period lasted four minutes, but action resumed with under five minutes remaining in the session.
Maxson’s lap of 2:07.587, which came just before the red flag, was just one thousandth of a second shy of the Road America record. Maxon’s Race Brew Pole Award is his fifth of the season in his No. 77 Porsche 911 Cup car.
Aaron Jeansonne (Kellymoss) and Callum Hedge (JDX Racing) will comprise the second row at the start of Friday morning’s race.
“I made a couple of little mistakes on that lap, but overall a good result for the team,” Maxson said. “We’re one-two, hopefully for both races. I can’t really complain, it’s always good when you have a front row team lockout but I think we have a little bit more work to get for tomorrow. The track is evolving quickly but we’re where we need to be.”
Mulcahy’s incident was the first crack in his armor this season, as the driver had previously earned every Solairus Aviation Pro-Am pole, fast lap and win through seven races this season. The red flag meant the loss of his two fastest times, opening the door for Josh Conley (Kellymoss) to earn his first pole of the season.
“It’s very exciting,” Conley said. “I’d rather get it without the technicality, so shoutout to Patrick, but hey, I’ll take it. I’m feeling pretty good. I’m getting closer to closing the gap and I’m excited to get out there.”
Scott Blind of Ruckus Racing turned a best lap of 2:09.827 to earn the Solairus Aviation Masters Class pole. In addition to leading the class, his lap will put him 12th overall on the grid for Friday’s race. It’s the third pole position this season for Blind, who trailed Marco Cirone (ACI Motorsports) by 27 points entering the Road America weekend.
“It feels good,” Blind said. “We practice a lot and the car is good. We feel really good. We’ve got to keep our eye on the prize. The crew is doing a really wonderful job, the whole team is just amazing.”
Race 1 for Porsche Carrera Cup North America at the National Park of Speed is scheduled to go green at 10:25am CT on Friday, 31 July, followed by Race 2 later in the afternoon.
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 newsletter.
RESULTS.
Qualifying
Mobil Pro Class:
- Tyler Maxson, #77
- Cole Kleck, #78
- Aaron Jeansonne, #24
Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class:
- Josh Conley, #29
- Patrick Mulcahy, #54
Solairus Aviation Masters Class:
- Chris Bellomo, #68
- Rob Walker, #53
- Marco Cirone, #88
Practice 1
Mobil Pro Class:
- Callum Hedge, #9
- Janne Stiak, #40
- Aaron Jeansonne, #24
Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class:
- Josh Conley, #29
- Patrick Mulcahy, #54
Solairus Aviation Masters Class:
- Scott Blind, #45
- Rob Walker, #53
- Chris Bellomo, #68
Practice 2
Mobil Pro Class:
- Callum Hedge, #9
- Tyler Maxson, #77
- Jared Thomas, #96
Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class:
- Patrick Mulcahy, #54
- Josh Conley, #29
Solairus Aviation Masters Class:
- Rob Walker, #53
- Scott Blind, #45
- Alain Scalzo, #26
