RAFA Racing Team’s Varun Choksey won the pole Thursday (March 19) for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Alan Jay Automotive Network 120. His lap at 104.300 mph is a new track record for Grand Sport at Sebring International Raceway and his first career Pilot Challenge pole.
Choksey ended up .332 seconds ahead of Ibiza Farm Motorsports’ Moisey Uretsky in the sole McLaren. VPX Motorsports’ Danny Dyszelski will start third in his Porsche, followed by the Supra of Panam Motorsport’s Caio Chaves. Turner Motorsport’s Luca Mars will start fifth.
In practice, RAFA Racing Team’s Supra was fastest overall with Kiko Porto. Here, Porto didn’t have the opportunity to qualify, but Choksey picked up the slack.
Choksey put himself on top early in the session. The lap that ultimately won the pole was relatively early in the session. From there, he just sat back and let the other 32 GS teams try their best to beat him. They were unable to do so.
In TCR, Bryan Herta Autosport’s Mason Filippi was fastest early on in his Hyundai Elantra N TCR. However, Victor Gonzalez Racing’s Franco Girolami was able to put himself on top shortly afterwards.
Both Filippi and KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering’s Rocco Pasquarella took the challenge to Girolami. The duo first set equal times to share second.
Later on, Pasquarella set a lap at 102.217 mph, which was good enough to earn him his first career TCR pole. The lap was three-hundredths of a second faster than Girolami. Filippi will start third, followed by Stallion Motorsports’ Raphael Reis. Lance Bergstein in the second BHA Hyundai was fifth.
IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 Qualifying Results
Two teams did not set times during the session. They were CarBahn Motorsports with Peregrine Racing’s Sean McAlister and Montreal Motorsports Group’s Louis-Phillippe Montour.
McAlister spun in turn 16 after incidental contact with VRC Motorsports Group’s Dan Ammann. He was able to drive away, but ended up pulling in without completing a lap.
Montour suffered a flat tire on his first lap at speed during the session. Tire changes are generally not allowed during qualifying sessions, so Montour’s session was done right there.
They will start Friday’s race from the rear of their respective classes.
The Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 is scheduled to go green at 2 p.m. ET Friday afternoon. Coverage will begin at 1:55 p.m. ET on the IMSA Official YouTube channel and Peacock.
