GB Autosport All Set to Make Big Moves in Brickyard Grand Prix

jjomalley

Following a busy day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, GB Autosport is set to debut at the famous venue for Friday’s Brickyard Grand Prix. After completing just four flying laps around the newly reconfigured 2.435-mile, 14-turn road course, Damien Faulkner placed the car in 11th position on the starting grid for Round 7 of the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

Thanks to previous testing around the circuit earlier in June, the No. 81 Tully’s Porsche 911 GT America that Faulkner will share with co-driver Matt Bell this weekend, rolled off the truck with a solid set up as they finished up the first practice session just outside of the top-10 in class. The team continued to make improvements on the car throughout the day, shaving time to set the teams best lap of the day in qualifying.

Unfortunately, a quick lock-up on entry to Turn 12 on Faulkner’s third flying lap forced the Irishman to return to the pits early. But with a solid time already in the books, the Tully’s Porsche will start the race from just outside the top ten in pursuit of a second consecutive IMSA top-five. 

Despite the abbreviated qualifying run, the Tully’s team remains optimistic for the 2.75-hour race tomorrow. With over 50 laps on the new circuit between the two drivers this weekend, in conjunction with Bell’s familiarity and previous experience at the front of the field at the track, the team is confident in their ability to move up in Friday’s race.

“It was a tough qualifying session,” said Team Manager Cole Scrogham. “But I really think it says a lot about the car and our team as a whole that we held 11th place after just four laps. Damien (Faulkner) is so fast in the car and Matt (Bell) has done an amazing job of getting up to speed in the Porsche as well, so we are just fine for Friday’s race. I think we honestly still have even more in the car, so we will just keep our heads down and drive another clean race tomorrow and see what happens.”

Friday’s race will go green at 5:45 PM (ET) and will be broadcast LIVE on FOX Sports 1 starting at 5:30 PM (ET). Be sure to follow @gbautosport on Twitter for additional updates throughout the weekend.