Chris Dyson knew he was quick, but that’s about all.
The driver of the no. 20 Altwell Ford Mustang claimed the pole for Saturday’s multi-class TA and GT race, part of the Trans Am Speedfest at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, with a fast time of 1:23.79 during Friday qualifying. Tony Drissi in the no. 8 Lucas Oil Ford Mustang was second, just 0.006 of a second off the pace.
It marks Dyson’s second consecutive pole and third on the young season.
Dyson came onto the track behind Drissi and was able to keep watch. At one point in the 15-minute qualifying session, Dyson saw Drissi pull away, so he responded.
“I thought we had a good lap,” he says. Because his radio had cut out, Dyson had no communication from his crew on lap times. He was not certain of his position until he pulled into the pits at the end of the session.
Behind Dyson and Drissi on Saturday’s grid will be Ken Thwaits, who clocked a time of 1:26.6 on the 11-turn 2.2 mile track, finished third in the no. 7 Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro. Simon Gregg, Humaid Masaood, Amy Ruman and Adam Carolla round out the TA field. Because of a practice accident, Carolla did not take part in qualifying and will start last in the combined field.
Erich Joiner took the top spot in XGT and will start seventh overall. Cindy Lux is the lead car in SGT, eighth in the 16-car multi-class field.
Dyson explains that the key to qualifying is controlled aggression. The polesitter earns valuable season points, so taking the top slot is important. But teams have one set of Pirelli tires to cover qualifying and the race, so preserving rubber is critical.
But there was another issue troubling drivers on Friday, the same that caught Carolla out during practice. Runoff from a morning storm continued to flow across turn three, making the track in Dyson’s phrasing “99.9 percent dry.
“You couldn’t drive [through] it the same way twice,” he observes. “But we’re road racers. We adjust.”
The TA-GT race rolls at 1:05pm on Saturday.
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