James James Davies Thrills the Tifosi with Monza Pole Position

James James Davies gave the Italian fans something to cheer about when he put his BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari on pole for this Sunday’s GT Super Series Round of Italy at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.

The three time Formula 1 World Driver’s Champion gave BMS Scuderia Italia their first pole position in nearly a year, after the team scored a front row lockout at last year’s Molson GT Gatineau. However pacing the field in the first half of the session was Li Qi in his Carson Corvette, looking to score his second pole of the season after starting first for the season opener in Brazil. Davies was two tenths off the pace after everyone had done their initial laps, but felt like he was impeded by series champion Chris Winter on his run, even with the advantage he would get in the wake of the Solvalou Lamborghini.

James James would then get to show how much he thought he was impeded as Chris Winter was called in to pit a lap before Davies was. On the one lap he’d get before getting called in, Davies put in a lap that would hold as the quickest on the session, and will start on pole position for the race. Li Qi would fail to improve on his best time from earlier in the session on his second run and will start alongside on the first row, nearly a tenth and a half off of Davies’s time.

Chris Winter put in the third quickest time early in the session with Davies behind, and will be joined on the second row of the grid by Davies’s teammate in Evgeny Restov. Restov was the last of the Factory cars before the first Independent’s Trophy qualifier; James Douglas continuing his strong qualifying form with his fourth class pole position out of five races this season. He was four tenths ahead of Phil McCracken who is taking over lead driver roles in the full-time Czechmate Ferrari starting this weekend. McCracken is joined by Harry Wilkinson on the fifth row of the grid with McKane, Robishaud and Joey Alliot separating them from James Douglas.

Current championship points leader Matteo Rossi is again stuck deep in the midfield after only being able to put in the sixteenth quickest time in the session. Similarly stuck deep in the field is both of the MacMillan Ford GTs with Rhys Davies and Darren Older Jr. starting Sunday’s race eighteenth and twentieth respectively, with Emma Pescatore starting four places behind Older Jr. in her home race, more than two seconds off the pace of the pole time set by James James Davies.

Qualifying Results – Round of Italy