Lilou Wadoux has made a historic moment in the world of racing this Saturday, recording her first pole position in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship during the GTD qualifying for the Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix at Road America.
Driving the AF Corse USA number 21 Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO, Wadoux achieved a time of 2m04.688s on the natural track of 4.048 miles and 14 corners. This result comes in her thirteenth start in the WeatherTech Championship and her first appearance at the Wisconsin circuit, following a challenging previous period for the team.
After several technical setbacks at Watkins Glen, AF Corse brought a newly prepared Ferrari to Road America. However, the variable weather added an additional challenge before the qualifying session, leaving teams with little time to prepare in dry conditions due to rain in the second session.
Wadoux expressed satisfaction with the result: ‘We had issues with the car at Watkins Glen, so we brought a new car here. The team did a great job to have a good car. It certainly wasn’t easy with FP2 in the rain. We weren’t really prepared for qualifying, but in the end we did a good job. I’m quite happy with this pole position.’
This success makes Wadoux the first woman to achieve a pole in IMSA since Katherine Legge at Laguna Seca in 2018. The 25-year-old French driver acknowledges the importance of her achievement, both for herself and for the visibility of women in the world of racing, though she maintains her primary focus on winning races.
‘To show that we are capable of doing the same is good,’ Wadoux commented. ‘But I’m quite happy as a driver to achieve this pole position. We are increasingly [women in racing], so we’ll see what happens in the coming years if this continues.’
With a starting position secured, Wadoux now focuses her attention on translating her one-lap speed into success during the endurance race.
‘Yes,’ she said, ‘we’ll see what we can do tomorrow.’
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_2942b9579d43f62225cca7b42452fd63f3de50f8