Danny Formal in the No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 soared to the top of the GTD Class time charts and will start from pole position at the MOTUL Course de Monterey. Formal’s impressive lap time of 1:20.866 handed Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) its’ first GTD pole position in their inaugural full season IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD campaign.
The No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team will see the green flag fly for Sunday’s MOTUL Course de Monterey at 3:10 p.m. ET (12:10 p.m. PT) from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. NBC will serve host the broadcast of the 2-hour, 40-minute sprint race beginning at 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT).
TOP FIVE GTD STARTING GRID
1. No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 (Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2) K. Marcelli, D. Formal (99.631 mph)
2. No. 557 Turner Motorsport (BMW M4 GT3) R. Foley, P. Gallagher (99.472 mph)
3. No. 57 WINWARD Racing (Mercedes-AMG GT3) R. Ward, P. Ellis (99.443 mph)
4. No. 27 Heart of Racing Team (Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO) R. De Angelis, S. Pumpelly (99.403 mph)
5. No. 12 Vasser Sullivan (Lexus RC F GT3) F. Montecalvo, J. Hawksworth (99.375 mph)
Daniel Formal, No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2: “First of all, I’m so grateful to be part of this organization, WTRAndretti. I’ve been part of the family since 2021 in Lamborghini Super Trofeo, so today was a great day. In Practice 2 we prepared for this qualifying; we decided I was going to qualify the car. The No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 car felt extremely good. It was a little cooler out, which benefited our car. I had difficulties getting a good lap in during qualifying. It was quite dusty, and I just couldn’t get the rear tires activated. The last lap it cooled off, and I pushed pretty hard in the last sector to start the lap, and I saw my tire pressure was an ideal number, so I was able to get two tenths in the last lap and get that pole position that my team truly deserves. We’ve been working so hard. It’s a new program, only our fourth race ever, and to be close to these guys in GTD PRO and get our first GTD Championship pole position in four races is just incredible.”
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.