LEXINGTON, Ohio – Michael DiMeo, of Toronto, Shea Holbrook, of Groveland, Fla., and Chase Pelletier, of Brampton, Ontario have captured the TC, TCA and TCB pole positions for the Pirelli World Challenge Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge Presented by StopTech, Round 9 of the season.
DiMeo, driving the No. 71 Grand Alarms Honda Civic Si, snatched the pole near the end of the 12-minute session with a lap of 1:34.810. The pole is DiMeo’s sixth this season in Touring Car.
Second was Round 8 winner Adam Poland, of Mt. Vernon, Texas, in the No. 11 Texas Track Works/Eastex Motorsports Mazda MX-5 at 1:34.936. Third was Round 7 winner Steven Doherty, of Plainfield, Ill., in the No. 94 Nissan/GT Academy/Skullcandy Nissan Altima Coupe at 1:35.692.
In TCA, Holbrook, in the No. 67 TRUECar/Lucas Oil/Radium Honda Civic Si, secured a pivotal fifth pole of the season at 1:38.093. She looks to take the championship lead this weekend.
Second was Ernie Francis Jr., of Dania, Fla., in the No. 98 Breathless Performance Mazda MX-5 at 1:38.235. Third was Jason Cherry, of Gambrills, Md., in the No. 13 Autism Society of America/Avpro/Purposeful Architecture Mazda MX-5 at 1:39.143. Points leader and local driver Jason Wolfe, of Mt. Vernon, Ohio, in the No. 36 Wolfe Trucking Kia Forte Koup, will have to come from fourth after qualifying at 1:39.452.
Pelletier has taken his first career TCB pole position in the Garrett Racing/Drive4Diabetes entry, the No. 12 ADA/Lilly Diabetes/American Honda Honda Fit.
With a lap of 1:47.987, Pelletier set a new track record by nearly four full tenths of a second over the previous mark set last year by Francis Jr. (1:48.380).
Track veteran John Heinricy of Clarkston, Mich. clocked in second in the No. 35 Matick Chevrolet Chevrolet Sonic (1:48.028), in both his and the car’s first Pirelli World Challenge start of 2014. Brian Price, of Middletown, Va., was third in the No. 51 Unlimited Racing/RP Performance Honda Fit at 1:48.419.
Of note, Road America race winners Glenn Nixon and Paul Holton qualified sixth and seventh, with Leo Parente clocking in at a 1:52.144 in the charity No. 00 FIAT 500.
Tonight’s first TC, TCA and TCB race of the weekend, Round 9 of the season, will begin with live streaming on www.world-challengetv.com at 5:05 p.m. ET. The lights will go out from a standing start at 5:15 p.m. for a 40-minute race.