Acura swept the front row of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starting lineup for the second consecutive race as Tom Blomqvist set the fastest lap in series history at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP).
With the pole position in the No. 60 ARX-05, Blomqvist and Meyer Shank Racing teammate Oliver Jarvis cut into the championship lead of No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura teammates Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor, who qualified second.
By earning his second consecutive pole, Blomqvist turned a track-record lap of 1 minute, 4.394 seconds at an average speed of 137.427 mph -- breaking the mark (136.792 mph) previously set by Javis in a Mazda for the 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
CTMP STARTING GRID: Click here for the Chevrolet Grand Prix starting lineup l Lineup by car number
IMSA AT CANADIAN TIRE MOTORSPORT PARK: How to watch Sunday
“Wow, I gave it absolutely everything I had out there,” Blomqvist said. “I wasn’t sure I was going to survive the session, and there were definitely a few hairy moments out there. I had to just close my eyes and be very, very brave.
“Our Acura has been really fast, especially in the last sector. The entire team has given us a really fast package and it’s showing with our results. We’ve made such great improvements from the start of the season, so we’re really getting into a nice groove. We’ll have to make a few adjustments for the race tomorrow, but I know we have a fast race car.”
Blomqvist and Jarvis have notched four consecutive runner-up finishes and reduced their points deficit by three points to 14 behind Taylor and Albuquerque.
It’s the Fastest Qualifying Lap Ever in the WeatherTech Championship; Robinson, No. 74 Riley Ligier Take LMP3 Pole
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The WTR duo has won three of the past four races, including last Sunday at Watkins Glen International.
It’s the third time this season that Acuras took the top two starting positions (including at Watkins Glen). Taylor qualified second with the second-fastest lap (137.327) in IMSA history.
“We had a very good car in qualifying,” Taylor said. “Unfortunately, we were just short of pole, but it’s good to have our teammates up there on the front row with us. I think we’ve shown this year we favor the races and often times they favor the outright lap time. We’re going to have a big fight I’m sure. A clean fight between the teammates.
“Hopefully we can get the Acuras to the top of the podium. Traffic is going to be the big factor (Sunday). The closing speeds are very, very high here so it’s going to be difficult. I forgot how fast this place was. It takes a little bit to recalibrate your brain. It’s such a fast, fun track to drive on. It’s all commitment and you have to have a lot of confidence in the car. I love those styles of tracks.”
With IMSA holding its first race weekend at CTMP in three years, all six DPi entries broke the track record on the road course in Bowmanville, Ontario.
JDC-MIller Motorsports’ No. 5 Cadillac will start a season-best third ahead of the No. 02 Cadillac of Chip Ganass Racing.
Qualifying in other divisions:
LMP3: Gar Robinson, co-drivin with Scott Andrews, was awarded the pole position in the No. 74 Riley Motorsports Ligier JS P320 with a lap of 1:13.174 after Jarrett Andretti’s No. 36 was disqualified for a non-compliant suspension component, per the IMSA Wire Service. The Andretti Autosport entry will start at the rear of the six-car LMP3 field.
GTD Pro: Mathieu Jaminet, who is co-driving with Matt Campbell, took the pole with a 1:15.468 lap in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R.
GTD: Frankie Montecalvo, who co-drives with Aaron Telitz, qualified first with a 1:15.633 lap in the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3.
Sunday’s broadcast of the Chevrolet Grand Prix will begin at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.
QUALIFYING
Fastest lap by driver after qualifying
Fastest lap by driver and class after qualifying
Fastest lap sequence in qualifying
Best sector times in qualifying
PRACTICE RESULTS: Session I l Session II