CTMP Results in Yet Another WeatherTech Championship LMP2 Pole for Hyett

PJ Hyett is making a habit out of earning the Motul Pole Award in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Hyett, the founder of AO Racing, drove AO’s No. 99 “Spike” liveried ORECA LMP2 07 to pole position on Saturday for the Chevrolet Grand Prix. The LMP2 class headlines the two-hour, 40-minute race set for 2 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Hyett thought he lost his best chance for earning the top qualifying spot when he encountered traffic as time ticked down in the 15-minute session. But he put it all together over his final tour of the 2.459-mile, 10-corner road course in Eastern Ontario to clock a lap of 1 minute, 8.888 seconds (128.504 miles per hour).

That narrowly beat out the 1:08.986 (128.321 mph) benchmark established by Daniel Goldburg some eight minutes earlier in the No. 22 United Autosports USA ORECA LMP2 07.

This is Hyett’s second consecutive LMP2 pole this year, and his sixth in 10 career qualifying attempts in the class in WeatherTech Championship competition.

The Chicago-based business entrepreneur and his co-driver Dane Cameron are coming off a second-place finish in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International.

“That’s a pretty cool stat and I really love driving these cars,” Hyett remarked. “These P2 cars and I just get along really, really well. I love putting it on pole for the team who works so hard behind the scenes to make this car fast.

“I like this habit,” he added with a smile. “The previous lap looked like a great lap, I just hit traffic. I was like, ‘Oh gosh, I don’t know if I’ve got it.’ I don’t necessarily like the added pressure of having to get it done in one lap, but it’s very, very exciting when you’re able to pull it off like that. We got it done.”

Goldburg, who leads the LMP2 point standings with Paul Di Resta and Rasmus Lindh, has a different co-driver for the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park race: IMSA Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class star Tom Blomqvist. Di Resta has a schedule conflict with the FIA World Endurance Championship round this weekend at Sao Paulo, Brazil.

“Tom is fast, reliable, and a proven winner,” commented United Autosports CEO Richard Dean. “He’s the perfect driver to join Daniel and the crew as we go for another strong result to extend the No. 22’s championship lead.”

Renger van der Zande, who like Blomqvist regularly drives for Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian in GTP, will line up 11th in the No. 8 Tower Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07 qualified by John Farano. IMSA’s LMP2 class rules require a Bronze-rated driver to qualify the car and start the race. Van der Zande has shown strong pace all weekend though, leading both pre-qualifying practice sessions.

Steven Thomas qualified third fastest in the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA LMP2 07 he shares with Hunter McElrea, while Jeremy Clarke fills out the second row in the No. 43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA LMP2 07 he’ll share with 2024 CTMP winner and LMP2 class champion and 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans LMP2 winner Tom Dillmann.

Results are HERE