ELKHART LAKE, Wisconsin (August 3, 2024) – Filipe Albuquerque led the Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) team to pole position for Sunday’s IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America. Saturday’s qualifying also marked a historic moment for the WTRAndretti team to earn their first ever front row lockout since expanding to two full-time entries. Albuquerque piloted the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 around the 4.048-mile road course and charted a best lap time of 01:48.601, just ahead of teammate Jordan Taylor in the No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06 in second.
Jordan Taylor and the No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06 team opted for a similar qualifying strategy to their No. 10 teammates and the clear track allowed for Taylor to post a best time of 01:48.863, securing the front row starting position.
Albuquerque and the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 will lead the field to the green for Sunday’s two-hour, 40-minute sprint race at Road America. Broadcast of the IMSA SportsCar Weekend will be streamed on Peacock.
TOP FIVE GTP STARTING GRID
- No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 (Acura ARX-06) R. Taylor, F. Albuquerque (134.186 mph)
- No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06 (Acura ARX-06) J. Taylor, L. Delétraz (133.863 mph)
- No. 01 Cadillac Racing (Cadillac V-Series.R) R. van der Zande, S. Bourdais (133.793 mph)
- No. 5 Proton Competition Mustang Sampling (Porsche 963) B. Viscaal, G. Bruni (133.215 mph)
- No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing (Cadillac V-Series.R) P. Derani, J. Aitken (133.196 mph)
Filipe Albuquerque, No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06: “It’s a great day for Acura and WTRAndretti with a front row lockout. The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 felt great. We made some decisions on what to do, and it panned out. It felt a lot like it did in 2022; the balance was the same even though it was a DPi. Within the first few laps I could tell it the balance was good, so I knew I couldn’t make a mistake. But to put a lap together with 14 corners is not easy, and when I did the lap, I felt really good because I could not have gone faster. Again, it’s great for Acura, and it’s good for the ego, especially after a hard season for us. So tomorrow we’ll try to go for the win and see how it goes.”
Jordan Taylor, No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06: “It was an okay session for us, but it’s great to have a one-two for the team. We did a test here a couple weeks ago, so I think we came in with a pretty strong car, but I think we all know the race will be a different story. This year it seems like it’s been so hard to pass, so strategy has been pretty crucial. I think we can be pretty happy with qualifying up front in the No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06, and now we just need to make sure we have a strong race car over the long run as well. But we’re definitely off to a good start.”
ABOUT WTRANDRETTI
Andretti Global and Wayne Taylor Racing announced a new, long-term partnership in 2023 that combines the resources of the two championship-caliber teams to compete in IMSA’s top classes. In 2024, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) has expanded to a two-car GTP program as well as competes in the GTD class. Coming off its 2023 championship winning effort, WTRAndretti continues its Driver Development Program competing in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series with a full stable.
WTRAndretti’s global motorsports enterprise boasts two IMSA driver championships (2013 and 2017), and back-to-back IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championships (2020, 2021) which contributed to nine IMSA manufacturer championships for Acura, Pontiac, Corvette and Cadillac. In its brief 17-year history, WTRAndretti has accumulated multiple victories in sportscar racing’s most iconic events: Rolex 24 At Daytona, Twelve Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans, Mid-Ohio, Road America and the Six Hours of The Glen. With its back-to-back PRO Class Championship wins (2022, 2023), WTR also has ten North America Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship titles and a Lamborghini World Finals title.
Andretti Global, a Championship-winning motorsports organization, competes in additional racing categories worldwide, including the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Extreme E, Australian Supercars and the Mexico SuperCopa Championship. Additionally, the racing enterprise commits to driver development through competition in INDY NXT by Firestone and through support of Sebastian and Oliver Wheldon’s racing careers.
WTRAndretti’s long term partnerships include Acura, Honda Racing Corporation US (HRC), Konica Minolta Business Solutions USA, DEX Imaging, Harrison Contracting Company and Gainbridge.
