Joey Hand posted a stunner of a final lap to put Ford GT on pole for the second-consecutive year at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen.
Both Hand and Richard Westbrook, driver of the No. 67 Ford GT and last year’s polesitter, were in the hunt for p1 in one of the most riveting GTLM qualifying sessions in recent memory – but it was Hand who shot to the top of the list as the field ran out of time. Westbrook qualified p4.
“I say it all the time, but it’s a testament to the team for rolling out of the truck strong,” Hand said. “When the competition is this strong, you have to roll out of the truck good to really have a chance. We’ve had that good car, so we’ve just been making little changes.”
It was Hand’s second p1 qualifier of the year. Hand qualified at the top of the class at the IMSA WeatherTech Championship season-opener, the Rolex 24 At Daytona, before winning the race.
“I always like qualifying, especially here,” Hand said. “It was always a good track, but it’s a stellar race track since the repaving. It’s super quick, even for the GT cars. You have to throw down. I definitely know it doesn’t totally matter to start on pole with the six hours here, but it’s always a fight here and you want to keep your car clean those first few hours, so you can be ready for a dogfight at the finish.”
Last year, Ford CGR went p1-2 at The Glen with drivers Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe winning the event and Hand and co-driver Dirk Müller finishing second.
Müller and Hand enter this race just seven points out of the lead in the WeatherTech GTLM championship standings in North America, while the No. 67 FIA WEC trio of Andy Priaulx, Harry Tincknell and Pipo Derani, who will start p1 overall in a prototype at the Six Hours, lead their championship fight in GTE Pro. Olivier Pla, driver of the No. 66 Ford GT in the FIA WEC series, will start p2 at Watkins Glen.
