Rhys Davies Puts Series on Notice with Indianapolis Pole Position

Rhys Davies scored Ford their first pole position in GT Super Series competition in their debut season during the qualifying session for the Round of the United States at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The Formula 1 and AutoReject World Series champion, and teammate Tomo Kazama, have had a weekend to remember thus far with the lead CWG MacMillan Ford GT setting the pace in all sessions thus far, with that trend continuing in the twenty minute qualifying session. It took a later lap in his first run to secure the then provisional pole position, that was then held by runner up from Monza in James James Davies. Rhys was split by both of the factory Ferraris after everyone had completed their first flying laps with Carson Speedworks’s Li Qi in fourth.

The Australian found himself behind Evgeny Restov on circuit, and just close enough to get some slipstream along the oval circuit portion of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The additional speed on the start/finish straight would be enough to move Rhys Davies up the order and to secure pole position for Sunday’s race. It is his first pole position since the 2017 ARWS Moroccan Grand Prix where he was replacing the then recently retired Ron Mignolet at Voeckler-Renault.

Jumping both factory Ferraris late in the session was Li Qi, finding clean air to put in the best sector two time of the session before putting in a time less than half a second off of the best time from Davies. Qi’s time was only a hundredth quicker than that set by James James Davies, but it continues the trend of the Chinese driver starting in the top five for all but one race thus far in 2019. The late time for the Carson Speedworks driver demoted both Restov and Davies to sharing the second row for the race as neither driver was able to improve during their second runs.

The top eleven qualifiers were all Manufacture entries with Rhys Davies’s teammate Darren Older Jr. putting in the tenth quickest time in his Ford GT, and will start alongside series points leader Matteo Rossi on the fifth row of the grid. Behind them was Nathan McKane in eleventh, with his time being only half of a second off of the pace set by Rhys Davies. The top nineteen drivers were within one second of the Australian Team MacMillan driver around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Phil McCracken put in another strong performance in the full time Czechmate Ferrari, this time putting in the quickest time for a Independent Class car and good enough for the twelfth overall time in the session. Class winners from Monza in the Reyna-Sanchez TDR Saleen will start deep in the field for their home race after not being able to put in a clean, unimpeded lap during the twenty minute session.

Qualifying Results – Round of The United States