- 0.023 Second Gap Between P1 and P2
- Ricca Autosport Places Four Cars in Top Five
- Provisional Qualifying Results
Temperatures soared as the TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School field took to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for their fifteen-minute Qualifying session to set the grid ahead of Race 1. The grid brought some heat of their own, showcasing strong pace and very thin margins in an intense showdown.
In the end, it was Braydon Arthur who secured pole position for Race 1, narrowly beating championship leader Andre Castro in one of the closest qualifying battles of the season.
The pace came quickly as Andre Castro in the No. 77 Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC EVO jumped to the top of the timing sheets with a lap of 1:33.398 early in the session. His time stood only briefly before Braydon Arthur in the No. 4 JMF Motorsports Toyota GR Corolla TC responded with a 1:33.375, taking over provisional pole by a mere 0.023 seconds.
Early on, the top three was completed by Justin Gravett in the No. 8 Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC EVO, who posted a time of 1:33.763 and remained within striking distance of the front row.
As the session progressed, the top three drivers were unable to improve on their early benchmark laps, leaving Arthur’s narrow advantage intact. While the fight for pole remained unchanged, the midfield continued to shuffle throughout the session as competitors searched for improvements around the demanding 2.54-mile circuit.
Behind the front-row duo, Gravett maintained third position, while team owner Jeff Ricca in the No. 78 Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC EVO secured fourth with a lap of 1:33.828, with teammate Kunz rounding out the top five in the No. 33 machine.
Arthur’s pole position gives JMF Motorsports the advantage heading into Race 1, but the Ricca Autosport contingent sitting just behind will ensure that Hyundai remains firmly in the fight as the championship battle reaches its midpoint.
Let’s Get Racing
The TC America powered by Skip Barber field will return to the track for Race 1 on Friday morning, June 12th at 10:35 AM ET.
If you can’t make it to Road Atlanta, be sure to tune-in to SRO’s free live streams all weekend long on YouTube (GTWorld) and Twitch (SROMotorsports) and follow all the action through our social media channels and the event hashtag #GTRoadAtlanta.