Californian Joey Hand will start the No. 66 Ford GT on pole at Saturday’s BUBBA burger® Sports Car Grand Prix – the first top qualifier for the team at the Long Beach street circuit since 2014.
Hand clocked a 1:16.869 lap, a new track record, to top the GTLM standings. Richard Westbrook qualified the No. 67 Ford GT p6.
“I love track records and I love pole positions, so it’s a good day,” Hand said. “It’s a long day at Long Beach, when you’re trying to get your car tuned up. We’re the first cars on the track, so it’s dirty during the morning session, then the track gets better. Then the IndyCars go out and it’s a totally different race track. You’re always trying to chase this track around and find your way and be the first one fast.
“We struggled a little in the last session before qualifying, so we decided to throw something at it and my guys did a quick bar change. We still had our fenders off when the green flag went. I have a lot of trust in those guys. They thought it would be good and they said they could get it done in time and they did, and the car was definitely better.”
Hand and longtime co-driver Dirk Müller have plenty of support at the track, with Hand’s friends and family in attendance. Today’s pole is the first of the year for the No. 66 team and sixth overall, dating back to the Ford GTs debut in 2016.
“You can’t bring it to the people any better than this track,” Hand said. “It’s one of my favorite venues in all of racing. How cool is it to be going that fast with boats 30 feet away?”
