Patrick Long claimed pole position for the International Le Mans Challenge 6 Hours of Imola, Italy Saturday, with a fast lap of 1:45.650, nearly three tenths clear of the next-fastest qualifier. Driving the #63 Proton Competition Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in the GTE-AM class, Long will race for the first time in his career at the old-school Imola circuit Sunday, the track where Formula One legend Ayrton Senna died in 1994.
Long said, “It’s great to race at Imola, it’s one of the most preserved and ‘throwback’ tracks I’ve been to. I went out to jog around the circuit on Thursday and the place just has so much history, it’s incredible. I’m driving a year-old car with Proton Competition this weekend, but the team has done a phenomenal job – the car has just been on rails this whole weekend. Getting pole position here feels pretty special, and hopefully we can deliver a good result here tomorrow.”
The ILMC 6 Hours of Imola will not be televised in the U.S., but live timing and scoring can be accessed here., and for live updates, follow @John Dagys of SPEEDTV on Twitter.
Photos © John Dagys / SPEEDTV.com 2011