Caldarelli takes first global pole for Lamborghini Temerario GT3 at VIR

Here's the thing about building a brand-new race car: it never comes easy. But Andrea Caldarelli and the crew at Pfaff Motorsports just made it look stunningly sweet by putting the Lamborghini Temerario GT3 right at the front for Sunday's Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway.

Caldarelli ripped around the 3.27-mile, 17-turn Full Course in 1 minute, 44.773 seconds, averaging 112.356 mph to grab the Motul Pole Award in Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) and overall. It is his third IMSA pole and his first at the track, giving Lamborghini its first pole position here in nearly a decade since Jeroen Mul managed it in 2017. That lap just eclipsed Nicky Catsburg, who clocked 1 minute, 44.924 seconds in the No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R shared with Tommy Milner. Neil Verhagen posted the second fastest time but will roll off third instead after losing his quickest lap for causing a red flag in practice. Verhagen and teammate Connor De Phillippi lead the GTD PRO championship in their No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO.

"Definitely good momentum," Caldarelli said. "We didn't come testing here and we had a small issue in first practice with a wheel sensor and I only got one lap, so we were flying a bit blind for qualifying."

After leading the Lamborghini, Corvette, and BMW, the first McLaren, Aston Martin, and Ford locked in to make it six different manufacturers represented in the top six grid slots.

Over in Grand Touring Daytona (GTD), DragonSpeed kept a familiar winning feeling despite showing up with a new class, a new car, and a new driver lineup. Casper Stevenson piloted the No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R to his second WeatherTech Championship pole with a best tour of 1 minute, 45.188 seconds at an average speed of 111.913 mph. It marks the team's seventh overall pole in the championship. Stevenson will share the machine on Sunday with Giacomo Altoè.

"It's hard to say why, since they did change cars," Stevenson laughed. "But DragonSpeed puts out good race cars. At a track like this, which is very tight, twisty and about handling, that has something to do with it."