IMSA
Van Der Zande Speeds To Six-Hour Pole
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — As Watkins Glen International heated up on Saturday, Renger van der Zande and Acura Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian got even hotter.Van der Zande sped to the second consecutive Motul Pole Award for MSR’s No. 93 Acura ARX-06, setting a track record in qualifying for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.
Despite hot conditions with a track temperature peaking at 119 degrees, the Dutchman’s pole-winning lap of 1 minute, 31.558 seconds (133.685 miles per hour) shaved nearly two-thirds of a second from the IMSA Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class benchmark of 1:32.209 established last year by Louis Deletraz.
“I didn’t expect a 31 and I’m very impressed,” van der Zande said. “Turn 1 was very difficult today, and I kind of overshot on my first push lap. So, I had a second prep lap, and then I took it a bit easy on my fastest lap. I kind of nailed Turn 1, and from then, the lap went really well. I didn’t know how to get more out of the lap.”
Remarkably, it’s just the fourth pole of van der Zande’s IMSA career, the last coming at the 2018 Rolex 24 At Daytona. Half of those poles have come at Watkins Glen, where van der Zande won from the pole in the Prototype Challenge class in 2016. He owns a total of 22 IMSA race wins.
“I haven’t done much qualifying in the IMSA championship, and honestly I like finishing races,” van der Zande said. “We’ll see what happens tomorrow. I know the Cadillac inside out, and I think that car is a little better on the tires than our Acura. I think tire management is going to be a key tomorrow. Obviously, we have a fast car, and that helps.”
Three weeks ago, van der Zande and co-driver Nick Yelloly converted Yelloly’s pole position at the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic into a race win. They’ll face even tougher conditions Sunday at Watkins Glen, where temperatures could reach the mid-90s with heat indices well over 100 degrees.
The No. 93 is one of three entries in the 13-car GTP field that will utilize a three-driver lineup. Kaku Ohta will handle the second stint, with van der Zande starting and Yelloly taking the anchor shift.
“It’s very nice to have (Ohta) here, especially with the heat,” noted van der Zande. “Getting a stint out of the way is going to be helpful for our endurance.”
Jack Aitken qualified the No. 31 Cadillac Whelan Cadillac V-Series.R second fastest (1:31.845 / 133.268 mph) after pacing both practice sessions.
“Front row is good,” he said. “Solid performance, though it’s a shame we missed out on pole. With the temperature being a bit hotter tomorrow, it will actually play into the No. 31 car. We’re right in the mix, so we’ll race for the victory tomorrow.”
Colin Braun was third fastest in MSR’s No. 60 Acura ahead of the two Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillacs. The championship-leading Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963s struggled in qualifying, with Mathieu Jaminet leading the effort in eighth place in the No. 6 car. Felipe Nasr qualified PPM’s No. 7 in 10th.
Fresh off a Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) Pro-Am class victory last weekend at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Hyett drove the No. 99 AO Racing ORECA LMP2 07 to the Motul Pole Award in LMP2 Saturday for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International.
The accomplishment – Hyett’s first pole of the 2025 season and fifth in his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship career – was anything but straightforward. The AO Racing founder revealed that ‘Spike’ – the dinosaur-liveried No. 99 car – blew an engine at the end of Practice 2 on Saturday morning, necessitating a rapid change.
The women and men of the team came through in fine style during the four-and-a-half-hour break between sessions, giving Hyett a car he could confidently drive to the limit. His 1 minute, 35.878 second (127.662 mph) tour of the 3.4-mile road course gave him a 0.173-second advantage over Steven Thomas, who managed 1:36.051 (127.432 mph) in the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA LMP2 07.
“To me, putting it on pole is a testament to the team putting the car back together,” Hyett said. “I’m super proud to be able to start at the sharp end. Everybody works their tails off. The team is really gelling together, and it’s time for a great result for AO Racing in the LMP2 class.”
Hyett has been racing professionally for barely four years, and the Le Mans victory was a major milestone. His next goal is a race win in the WeatherTech Championship to embellish his five poles.
“We’re certainly feeling good after last weekend,” Hyett related. “It boosts the confidence a little bit for the first professional race win to happen in the biggest race in the world. You’ve got to enjoy the moments when they come, because sometimes, they don’t. Last weekend was one of those moments that was completely surreal, and I couldn’t believe what was happening.
“Getting on poles at these IMSA races is also surreal, but we need to actually execute during the race. We’ll see what we do tomorrow, but it’s been a hell of a ride.”
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — As Watkins Glen International heated up on Saturday, Renger van der Zande and Acura Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian got even hotter.
Van der Zande sped to the second consecutive Motul Pole Award for MSR’s No. 93 Acura ARX-06, setting a track record in qualifying for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.
Despite hot conditions with a track temperature peaking at 119 degrees, the Dutchman’s pole-winning lap of 1 minute, 31.558 seconds (133.685 miles per hour) shaved nearly two-thirds of a second from the IMSA Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class benchmark of 1:32.209 established last year by Louis Deletraz.
“I didn’t expect a 31 and I’m very impressed,” van der Zande said. “Turn 1 was very difficult today, and I kind of overshot on my first push lap. So, I had a second prep lap, and then I took it a bit easy on my fastest lap. I kind of nailed Turn 1, and from then, the lap went really well. I didn’t know how to get more out of the lap.”
Remarkably, it’s just the fourth pole of van der Zande’s IMSA career, the last coming at the 2018 Rolex 24 At Daytona. Half of those poles have come at Watkins Glen, where van der Zande won from the pole in the Prototype Challenge class in 2016. He owns a total of 22 IMSA race wins.
“I haven’t done much qualifying in the IMSA championship, and honestly I like finishing races,” van der Zande said. “We’ll see what happens tomorrow. I know the Cadillac inside out, and I think that car is a little better on the tires than our Acura. I think tire management is going to be a key tomorrow. Obviously, we have a fast car, and that helps.”
Three weeks ago, van der Zande and co-driver Nick Yelloly converted Yelloly’s pole position at the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic into a race win. They’ll face even tougher conditions Sunday at Watkins Glen, where temperatures could reach the mid-90s with heat indices well over 100 degrees.
The No. 93 is one of three entries in the 13-car GTP field that will utilize a three-driver lineup. Kaku Ohta will handle the second stint, with van der Zande starting and Yelloly taking the anchor shift.
“It’s very nice to have (Ohta) here, especially with the heat,” noted van der Zande. “Getting a stint out of the way is going to be helpful for our endurance.”
Jack Aitken qualified the No. 31 Cadillac Whelan Cadillac V-Series.R second fastest (1:31.845 / 133.268 mph) after pacing both practice sessions.
“Front row is good,” he said. “Solid performance, though it’s a shame we missed out on pole. With the temperature being a bit hotter tomorrow, it will actually play into the No. 31 car. We’re right in the mix, so we’ll race for the victory tomorrow.”
Colin Braun was third fastest in MSR’s No. 60 Acura ahead of the two Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillacs. The championship-leading Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963s struggled in qualifying, with Mathieu Jaminet leading the effort in eighth place in the No. 6 car. Felipe Nasr qualified PPM’s No. 7 in 10th.
Fresh off a Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) Pro-Am class victory last weekend at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Hyett drove the No. 99 AO Racing ORECA LMP2 07 to the Motul Pole Award in LMP2 Saturday for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International.
The accomplishment – Hyett’s first pole of the 2025 season and fifth in his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship career – was anything but straightforward. The AO Racing founder revealed that ‘Spike’ – the dinosaur-liveried No. 99 car – blew an engine at the end of Practice 2 on Saturday morning, necessitating a rapid change.
The women and men of the team came through in fine style during the four-and-a-half-hour break between sessions, giving Hyett a car he could confidently drive to the limit. His 1 minute, 35.878 second (127.662 mph) tour of the 3.4-mile road course gave him a 0.173-second advantage over Steven Thomas, who managed 1:36.051 (127.432 mph) in the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA LMP2 07.
“To me, putting it on pole is a testament to the team putting the car back together,” Hyett said. “I’m super proud to be able to start at the sharp end. Everybody works their tails off. The team is really gelling together, and it’s time for a great result for AO Racing in the LMP2 class.”
Hyett has been racing professionally for barely four years, and the Le Mans victory was a major milestone. His next goal is a race win in the WeatherTech Championship to embellish his five poles.
“We’re certainly feeling good after last weekend,” Hyett related. “It boosts the confidence a little bit for the first professional race win to happen in the biggest race in the world. You’ve got to enjoy the moments when they come, because sometimes, they don’t. Last weekend was one of those moments that was completely surreal, and I couldn’t believe what was happening.
“Getting on poles at these IMSA races is also surreal, but we need to actually execute during the race. We’ll see what we do tomorrow, but it’s been a hell of a ride.”
Source: Speed Sport
