Vanthoor Scores Rolex 24 Pole for BMW

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA

Dries Vanthoor has scored pole for the 63rd Rolex 24 at Daytona, putting BMW M Team RLL on top for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season opener.

Vanthoor laid down a best lap of 1:33.895 lap time in a shortened qualifying session due to a stoppage for the sister No. 25 BMW M Hybrid V8 of Sheldon van der Linde that limited green flag running.

The Belgian’s lap time, set on his final flying lap, was 0.291 seconds clear of Acura Meyer Shank Racing’s Nick Yelloly, who qualified second.

Felipe Nasr was third quickest in the No. 7 Penske Porsche 963, followed by Jack Aitken’s No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R in fourth and the No. 85 JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche of Gianmaria Bruni, which was fifth.

Tom Blomqvist was potentially denied a pole-winning lap with seconds left on the clock when he nearly made contact with the No. 63 Lamborghini SC63 of Mirko Bortolotti on the banking.

Blomqvist was credited with the sixth quickest time, ahead of Wayne Taylor Racing teammates Filipe Albuquerque and Louis Deletraz in seventh and eighth, respectively.

Bortolotti qualified ninth, ahead of Porsche’s Matt Campbell, who completed the top-ten.

In addition to the No. 25 BMW, the No. 5 Proton Competition Porsche also did not set a time after it suffered right-front suspension failure in opening practice.

Daniel Goldburg, meanwhile, claimed LMP2 pole in a hard-fought session.

Goldburg, in the No. 22 United Autosports Oreca 07 Gibson, reeled off a best lap of 1:38.676, edging out Ben Keating’s No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports entry of Ben Keating by just over three-tenths.

Keating was on a flyer late in the 15-minute session before he locked up his tires, leading to an aborted lap.

Reigning class champion Nick Boulle qualified third in the sister United Oreca, ahead of Chris Cumming, who inherited fourth after PJ Hyett spun and became high-sighted on a curb to bring out a red flag in the closing seconds and lost his two fastest laps as a result.

Hyett dropped to sixth in class in the No. 99 AO Racing machine.

All-Ford Front Row in GTD Pro

Mike Rockenfeller led a Ford Multimatic Motorsports sweep of the front row in GTD Pro, with the Ford Mustang GT3 claiming its first class pole in the process.

Rockenfeller took the No. 64 Mustang GT3 to a best lap of 1:45.523, three tenths ahead of teammate Frederic Vervisch in the No. 65 entry.

The Mustangs were nearly a half-second faster than the nearest competition.

Dan Harper qualified third in class in the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3, with Alexander Sims and Andrea Caldarelli completing the top-five in the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R and No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, respectively.

GTD class pole honors, which took part in its own session for the first time, went to the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R of Elliott Skeer, thanks to a 1:46.634 lap time.

Skeer was 0.024 seconds quicker than the No. 45 WTR Lamborghini of Trent Hindman, who qualified third in class, ahead of Maxi Goetz in the No. 32 Korthoff Competition Motors Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo in fourth.

Parker Thompson’s No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 was fifth in class, meanwhile.

As part of a new-for-2025 rule, GTD cars will slot behind GTD entries on the grid.

The Rolex 24 gets underway Saturday at 1:40 p.m. ET, although two practice sessions remain, including tonight’s 90-minute session that starts at 6:30 p.m.

RESULTS: Qualifying