Pole-sitter Dries Vanthoor explained how the red flag added pressure in his pursuit of the top spot for the 12 Hours of Sebring race start.
Vanthoor claimed a back-to-back pole position after the 24 Hours of Daytona season-opener, having taken the top spot for the second round on the 2025 IMSA SportsCar Championship schedule.
Jack Aitken’s #31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R was the cause of an early red flag during the session after the GTP entrant broke down.
“Yeah, a bit because it’s the only shot,” replied Vanthoor in the post-qualifying press conference when asked about the impact of the red flag.
“Normally on a normal qualifying session you maybe get two chances.
“Now you only had one. It makes a bit more pressure to get that lap together. It makes it a bit more difficult.
“But yeah, it makes me a bit, how I would say, fired up or nervous, fired up at the same time.
“Sebring is the first time for me here, so I’m really enjoying the track.
“It’s something different to what I’ve been used to, especially with all the bumps.”
Vanthoor set a fastest lap time of 1:47.091 in his #24 RLL BMW M Hybrid V8 and only Tom Blomqvist was closest to his benchmark albeit just 0.025 seconds off.
He claimed pole position having undertaken only two representative fast laps as opposed to the planned three or four without the red flag.
Another opportunity has opened for a BMW’s second IMSA GTP victory after the Belgian took his maiden pole at Daytona.
For the 73rd 12 Hours of Sebring, Blomqvist’s #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 will join Vanthoor on the front row as both Porsche Penske 963s start on the second row.
READ MORE: BMW’s Dries Vanthoor on pole for 12 Hours of Sebring
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