ALTON, Va. — Giacomo Altoè is doing his half to help Albert Costa’s run for the title within the Grand Touring Daytona Professional (GTD PRO) class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Altoè earned the Motul Pole Award on Saturday in GTD PRO for Sunday’s Michelin GT Problem at Virginia Worldwide Raceway within the No. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3.
It was his third pole of the marketing campaign and the fourth for the No. 81 automobile.
Costa entered the weekend 30 factors behind class leaders Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims (No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R). With Garcia qualifying fourth, the No. 81 Ferrari will achieve seven championship factors on the No. 3 Corvette heading into Sunday’s race.
Altoè has been probably the most frequent co-driver alongside Costa this 12 months, and their efforts have put Costa in place to problem for the GTD PRO crown. Davide Rigon and three different drivers have additionally shared the No. 81 at varied levels.
Neil Verhagen (No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO) swapped the highest spot with Altoè no fewer than 5 occasions within the 15-minute qualifying session. Altoè’s pole lap was timed at 1 minute, 44.433 seconds for a median velocity of 112.722 mph, whereas Verhagen was a fraction slower at 1:44.478 (112.674 mph).
Maybe surprisingly, Altoè was unaware of his place as he turned a sequence of ever-faster laps culminating within the pole effort with slightly below 4 minutes remaining.
“I used to be completely alone within the automobile, simply specializing in myself and on my delta in each nook,” Altoè stated. “We constructed up the qualifying like that. I knew I may enhance, so I stayed out and stored pushing. The lap got here collectively, and it was a very nice lap on the restrict.”
As a result of Altoè has competed in solely 4 of the seven prior GTD PRO races in 2025, he’s not in rivalry like Costa for the driving force’s championship. However he’s pleased with his contribution to DragonSpeed and Ferrari’s robust efficiency within the staff and producer’s championships.
“The championship struggle for me is the staff championship; that is our objective, and I’m specializing in that,” he added. “Now we have been working so onerous, and each small element makes the distinction as a result of the gaps are at all times so tight. This was the primary objective of the weekend, and we achieved it. Staring on pole will make the race slightly bit simpler. We’d like factors for the championship.”
Paul Miller Racing BMWs took second and third, with Verhagen second within the No. 1 automobile and Dan Harper within the second row within the No. 48 entry. Verhagen’s co-driver, Madison Snow, has received at VIR the final two years – as soon as apiece in GTD in 2023 and GTD PRO and general in 2024. The 2 Pratt Miller Corvettes rounded out the highest 5, with Garcia within the No. 3 topping Nicky Catsburg within the No. 4.
Jack Hawksworth believes Vasser Sullivan’s Lexus RC F GT3s aren’t the quickest automobiles at VIRginia Worldwide Raceway. However he nonetheless drove the No. 12 entry to the Motul Pole Award for the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class of the Michelin GT Problem at VIR.
Hawksworth and Parker Thompson arrived at VIR dealing with a 112-point deficit within the championship factors standings to Russell Ward and Philip Ellis within the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. Hawksworth’s qualifying effort lowered that hole, however by simply three factors as a result of Ward certified second quickest in school.
Ward held the highest spot for about 10 seconds through the 15-minute session, however Hawksworth virtually instantly restored the No. 12 Lexus to the highest of the order. Hawksworth’s greatest lap was timed at 1:44.860 (112.263 mph), whereas Ward clocked 1:44.998 (112.116 mph).
“I’m proud of the pole,” Hawksworth stated. “This has been a very good place for us, qualifying-wise. It’s loads of enjoyable to drive round this monitor, particularly whenever you’re qualifying and also you’ve acquired new sticker tires and low gasoline and the automobile is dealing with effectively.
“We all know we’re slightly bit up towards it pace-wise this weekend, however right here we’re on the entrance row,” he added. “We’re simply going to maintain digging, maintain giving it to ‘em and see what occurs. We’re in one of the best place to start out from, this staff offers us an amazing automobile, and we’re going to maintain preventing.”
There’s a slight probability of rain through the latter levels of Sunday’s two-hour, 40-minute race. Hawksworth believes that might work to Lexus’ benefit.
“We’d like some rain tomorrow, as a result of we all know we don’t have fairly the tempo within the dry,” he stated.
The No. 021 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 certified by Onofrio Triarsi was third forward of the No. 27 Coronary heart of Racing Workforce Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo certified by Casper Stevenson. So all three GTD title contenders, with Triarsi’s teammate and defending VIR GTD winner Kenton Koch lurking in fourth ought to any of them run aground of points, begin within the prime 4 on Sunday.
