Nick Tandy made the perfect start to his first race as a works-Porsche driver by leading them to pole position in the GT class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The Bedford driver headed a 1-2-3-4 for the 911 GT3 Cup machines, setting a 1:47.631s lap to secure top spot by two tenths of a second. Despite the marathon that lies ahead this weekend, Tandy was keen to stress the importance of pole position with staying out of trouble among the many requirements for winning the event.
“Pole position in Daytona shouldn’t be underestimated, even if the race runs over 24 hours. Starting from the front allows you to avoid getting caught up in any skirmishes and that’s certainly an advantage. Our car ran perfectly and that gives us a good feeling for the race.”
Along with teammates Michael Christensen, Christian Engelhart and Lance Willsey, Tandy will have his hands full, particularly from last year’s winning #44 car. Andy Lally clocked the second quickest time for Magnus Racing and his teammate Richard Lietz is confident, commenting that second “is an excellent starting position to repeat this success”.
Sean Edwards was another Briton to excel, qualifying the no.30 car in third position, a performance that drew praise from his teammate Patrick Pilet who is targeting a place on the rostrum. “Sean did an excellent job. After this great qualifying result we are all looking forward to the race. Our goal is to finish on the podium.”
