Tyler Maxson clicked off another top time during the Porsche Carrera Cup North America weekend at Sebring International Raceway, capturing the first Race Brew Pole Award of the season on Thursday morning.
In the TOPP Racing Porsche 911 Cup (Type 992.2) racecar, Maxson was fastest in the Mobil Pro class with a time of two minutes, 0.313 seconds. A day prior, the Porsche Junior Program North America driver ran fastest between the series’ two practice sessions at the 3.74-mile circuit.
“These TOPP Racing guys worked so hard this offseason to deliver us a really amazing car,” said Maxson.
“We’ve done that here in Sebring, and I think we have a car that’s capable of competing for wins all year, but these guys have put together such an amazing package for this race. I’m really happy to be able to go out and execute.
“The strategy for this race is to try, and pull away. This is a super competitive field at the end of the day. So I’m just trying to be mistake-free, get away as far as we can, and hopefully have a nice clean race.”
Behind Maxson was Aaron Jeansonne (Kellymoss) in second place by .392 seconds and Jared Thomas (JTR Race Engineering) in third place by .433 seconds.
In the Solairus Aviation Pro-Am class, Patrick Mulcahy also continued his Sebring momentum with a pole at 2:02.256. The ACI Motorsport driver’s time was more than a second quicker than the rest of his field, similar to his performance in Thursday’s two practices.
“It feels amazing,” said Mulcahy, who qualified 11th overall.
“It’s an awesome track here, and I’m happy to put it on pole in Pro-Am. I’m just going to focus on the Pro-Am championship.
“My goal is to keep it clean, focus on my race and not worry about the Pros too much. If I end up getting a good run on one of them, I’ll make a pass. But I’m focused on my race.”
Starting second in Pro-Am will be James Sofronas at 2:03.311 and starting third will be Josh Conley with a qualifying time of 2:05.102.
Meanwhile, powering to the Solairus Aviation Masters pole position was Mulcahy’s ACI Motorsports teammate, Marco Cirone. The Canadian was .216 seconds quicker than Richard Edge in second place and .333 seconds quicker than Chris Bellomo in third.
“It has has been a really good morning,” said Cirone. “I just have to thank the team, they did such a wonderful job. The car was fantastic and my coach, Dan Clarke, did a lot for me and really looked after the fine points.
“I’m happy to be able to come through for the team and put it in P1.”
Shortly before qualifying, it was announced that Race Brew 0.0% non-alcoholic beer will return for a second season as the pole award sponsor.
“We’re really excited about our continued partnership with Porsche and the sponsoring of the Porsche Carrera Cup NA Pole Award,” said Myers. “Race Brew – and Momentum Brewery as a whole – has really grown as a brand since last season, with our distribution growing from three states to 13, with more on the way. We’re on the shelves at Trader Joe’s and soon at Whole Foods, along with your favorite beer and wine stores, supermarkets, and online directly to your front door. We really value the alignment with a fellow German brand the caliber of Porsche. Race Brew, also a proud product of Germany, is the first true 0.0% to be imported by Momentum, and it won’t be the last. Stay tuned for a great season and our new Race Brew Pole Award Beer Stein trophies!”
Thursday’s activities continue with Race 1 at 3pm ET, followed by the final race of the weekend on Friday at 5:45pm ET.
All Porsche Carrera Cup North America races stream live – and are available to watch anytime – on the Porsche Motorsport North America & IMSA YouTube channels. 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
- Aaron Jeansonne #24
- Jared Thomas #96
Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class:
- Patrick Mulcahy #54
- James Sofronas #14
- Josh Conley #29
Solairus Aviation Masters Class:
- Marco Cirone #88
- Richard Edge #18
- Chris Bellomo #80
