Henderson Earned His First Career Motul Pole Award on His Final Flying Lap of the Session in the No. 84 Sabelt/Pagid Honda Civic TCR
SEBRING, Florida (March 18, 2021) – Brian Henderson earned his first career Motul Pole Award in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge competition, landing the No. 84 Sabelt/Pagid Honda Civic TCR on the top spot Thursday at Sebring International Raceway.
Henderson completed his final flying lap around the 17-turn Sebring International Raceway after the checkered flag had flown, improving to a time of 2:14.806 (99.876 mph) to claim the point for Friday’s Alan Jay 120 by just 0.146-second. Atlanta Speedwerks is now two for two on the season. Though the pole is the first for Henderson, co-driver Robert Noaker matched the effort in the opening round at Daytona.
Henderson was actually second, less than two-tenths behind the provisional polesitting car, but on a flying lap when the checkered flag came out. He was the last of 15 TCR-class cars on the track when his lap completed.
“We had high hopes coming into the race and we just checked something off the list so we’re feeling really good about that,” Henderson said. “Everything is really good, the team meshes well, the car is good, Honda has given us great support. Everything is going as good as it could be and we’re in a really good spot for this race. I know we’ll have some speed and be competitive. Now we have to pull this off and maybe have both cars on the podium.”
Noaker and Henderson led the most laps at Daytona’s four-hour season opener before contact ended their day with a disappointing finish.
The No. 94 Dinner With Racers/Lemons of Love Honda Civic TCR will start on the inside of the eighth row after Greg Strelzoff qualified with a best time of 2:19.740 (96.350 mph). Strelzoff and co-driver Ryan Eversley finished second in the season opener at Daytona.
The two-hour Alan Jay 120 is round two of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge calendar, available to watch live through TrackPass on the NBCSN app on Friday, March 19 at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Noteworthy: Atlanta Speedwerks is utilizing Daniel Benjamin’s Pit Crews to help vet and select crew members for the two-car program this week at Sebring. The UK-based program uses their more than 18 years of experience in motorsports to match potential crew members with team needs. More information can be found at pitcrews.co.uk.
About Atlanta Speedwerks
Atlanta Speedwerks is a professional road racing team and prep shop, providing road racing services, car builds, roll cages, arrive and drive programs, and performance parts. Headquartered near Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the company runs winning arrive & drive programs in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, Mazda MX-5 Cup, Porsche Club of America and SCCA Spec Miata, among others. Professional coaching and driver development round out the company’s offerings.
