Jack Aitken wary of rivals’ race pace after Sebring 12 pole
The British and South Korean #31 Whelan Cadillac GTP driver isn’t buying the outright speed Porsche and others showed in qualifying
Motorsport photo Jack Aitken is relishing his pole-winning run for this year’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, but is skeptical of what pace the competition has for the race. The 30-year-old delivered a remarkable run in qualifying, seizing the top spot with a flying lap of 1m46. 153s around the bumpy 3.
74-mile, 17-turn airfield circuit. Behind the wheel of the #31 Whelen Cadillac, he fought off the likes of Acura Meyer Shank Racing’s Tom Blomqvist and Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing’s Filipe Albuquerque to claim the third IMSA pole of his career, and first at Sebring International Raceway. The one team that was a surprising afterthought in qualifying was Porsche Penske Motorsport, who led the initial two practice sessions on the weekend but saw Kevin Estre put the #6 Porsche 963 in fourth (0.
242s behind) and Felipe Nasr ’s #7 machine resting in sixth (0. 528s behind). “We know that we’re relatively strong in qualifying,” Aitken said.
“It’s been the trend over previous years. Even with the Eco upgrades and stuff we have working on the car now, it seems to be similar. “Definitely, we’re aware of how strong some of the other cars are, like the ones you mentioned.