UPDATE: Riley Dickinson fails post-qualifying technical inspection, relinquishing Race Brew Pole Award to Jimmy Llibre.
Rain or shine, or “everything in between,” Riley Dickinson (Kellymoss) is a powerhouse driver at Miami International Autodrome, and he continued that dominance with his second consecutive Race Brew Pole Award on Saturday.
In a mixed-conditions qualifying session that came following a late-morning rainstorm, Dickinson’s quickest time of the Pro class clocked in at one minute, 56.410 seconds, just shy of his own track record from 2023 by .396 seconds.
“It was pretty crazy out there,” said Dickinson, who is also undefeated this year after two race wins at Sebring International Raceway in March. “Two-for-two now for Carrera Cup having a pretty wild qualifying session. Had a bit of moisture in the air, had a bit of drizzle, had a bit of dry, a bit of wet, a bit of damp, it was kind of everything in between. Somehow, someway we were able to put it through and I was able to get the lap whenever it counted.
“I can’t thank everyone at Kellymoss enough for their hard work. This was a tough one going into it, given the fact that I did not race here last year. A lot of the other drivers who are very good, they drove here last year. I was a bit on the backfoot, but ultimately was able to get it done and I’m looking forward to the race later today.”
Jimmy Llibre – the only driver to find the top of the leaderboard this weekend aside from Dickinson in Practice 1 – will be hot on his rival’s tails starting in second place. The Dominican Republic native and ACI Motorsports driver has a hefty following of family and friends onsite at Miami, which he considers his home track.
Starting third is Ryan Yardley (Topp Racing) with his best performance of the weekend after finishing 10th and fourth in the two practice sessions.
In the Pro-Am class, Marco Cirone (ACI Motorsports) will lead his field to the green flag after qualifying with a lap of one minute, 58.591 seconds. Cirone – who posted his quickest time in the closing moments of the session – looks to capitalize on his two third-place finishes from Sebring to land on the top step in Miami.
“Oh boy, I just went for it,” said Cirone. “The crew gave me a fantastic car and each time I went out, the car felt better and better. It was really tricky at the end there because it started to rain and I couldn’t really tell if it was wet or not. But I just put my head down and said ‘I’m going for it’ and that’s it.”
Charging behind Cirone will be Angel Benitez (FMS Motorsport) – making his season debut in Carrera Cup at his hometown circuit – in second place and James Sofronas (GMG Racing) in third.
While Scott Blind (Ruckus Racing) will start first in the Am class, he is evermore eager to mix with the Pro and Pro-Am class drivers as he’s done in previous rounds. Blind starts 13th overall on the grid for Race 1.
“This is so special down here at Miami, the Grand Prix,” reflected Blind. “This goes out to the team. They are just amazing guys and for me to be out here running around with these badasses, it’s just amazing. I can’t say enough how wonderful it is.”
Saturday’s activities for Porsche Carrera Cup North America continue with Race 1 now scheduled for 6:05 p.m. ET
Race 2 on Sunday is set for 10:15 a.m. prior to the Formula One race at 4 p.m.
The pair of Carrera Cup races at the Miami Grand Prix will be shown live on Peacock; IMSA and Porsche Motorsport North America YouTube Channels, IMSA TV, Peacock, and the Porsche Motorsport North America social channels on Facebook, Linkedin, Threads and X.
Qualifying
Pro
1. #91 Riley Dickinson
2. #2 Jimmy Llibre
3. #78 Ryan Yardley
Pro-Am
1. #84 Marco Cirone
2. #5 Angel Benitez
3. #14 James Sofronas
Masters
1. #45 Scott Blind
2. #13 Todd Parriott
