Tom Blomqvist delivered a dominant performance to claim pole position for the IMSA Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Meyer Shank Racing driver set a blistering lap of 1:14.674, averaging 117.582 mph, a full three-tenths of a second clear of his nearest rival.
Qualifying was briefly delayed by lightning in the area, but the prototype classes ran as planned as the sun broke through the clouds. Blomqvist admitted the track felt a bit slick on his first flying lap, but he quickly adapted once the tires and brakes reached optimal temperature.
Action Express Cadillac's Jack Aitken briefly surged to the top with two minutes remaining, but ultimately had no answer to the pace of the Acura. He will start second, with Dries Vanthoor of BMW Team WRT just a tenth further back in third.
In a remarkable coincidence, Louis Deletraz and Nick Yelloly posted identical times of 1:15.216. However, Deletraz's #40 Cadillac will line up fourth as he set the time first, relegating Yelloly to fifth. The two Porsche Penske entries showed early promise but faded, pulling into the pits early and settling for sixth and eighth on the grid.
In LMP2, Jeremy Clarke of Inter Europol set the pace with a 1:17.555 lap, followed by United Autosports USA and the fan-favorite AO Racing entry, which will start third with its distinctive Spike the Dragon livery.
The session ran without major incident, though John Farano of Tower Motorsports spun into the tire barrier and lost his rear wing. He was able to return to the pits without causing a red flag.
The 160-minute race is set for Sunday at the legendary Brickyard. With Blomqvist and Meyer Shank Racing in imperious form, they will be the crew to beat, but the GTP class promises a fierce battle all the way to the checkered flag.
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