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Meyer Shank Racing's Tom Blomqvist scored the team's second pole of 2022, leading a front row lock out for Acura teams in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship's return to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Blomqvist's lap of 1:04.394 aboard the #60 ARX-05 is the highest average speed lap in IMSA history, and a new qualifying lap record for the Bowmanville, Ontario facility. Blomqvist also claimed the qualifying lap record with a pole performance last weekend at Watkins Glen.

He will share the #60 MSR Acura tomorrow with the holder of IMSA's now-second-place highest average speed lap, co-driver Oliver Jarvis.

Lining up alongside, and completing the Acura DPi front row sweep, will be Wayne Taylor Racing's Ricky Taylor in the #10 ARX-05 prototype. Taylor and co-driver Filipe Albuquerque currently lead the IMSA championship and fresh off victory last weekend at the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen—a race where they again started second to the #60 MSR Acura.

In the production-based GTD category, the #51 Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 from Rick Ware Racing will roll off sixth in the GTD class in the hands of Aidan Read and Ryan Eversley.

Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Acura Qualifying Results

  • 1st overall - #60 Tom Blomqvist, Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi [new lap record]
  • 2nd overall - #10 Ricky Taylor, Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
  • 6th GTD -  #51 Aidan Read, Rick Ware Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22

#51: Rick Ware Racing, Acura NSX GT3, GTD: Ryan Eversley, Aidan Read

Quotes

Tom Blomqvist (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05) Pole qualifier: "Wow, I gave it absolutely everything I had out there. I wasn't sure I was going to survive the session and there were definitely a few hairy moments out there. I had to just close my eyes and be very, very brave. Our Acura has been really fast, especially in the last sector. The entire team has given us a really fast package and it's showing with our results. We've made such great improvements from the start of the season, so we're really getting into a nice groove. We'll have to make a few adjustments for the race tomorrow, but I know we have a fast race car."

Ricky Taylor (#10 Wayne Taylor Racing ARX-05) Qualified 2nd: "We had a very good car in qualifying, all of the Konica Minolta guys did a good job to give us a good car. We did a lot of preparation because qualifying is very important here. Unfortunately, we were just short of pole, but it's good to have our teammates up there on the front row with us. I think we've shown this year we favor the races and oftentimes they favor the outright lap time. We're going to have a big fight I'm sure—a clean fight between the teammates. Hopefully we can get the Acuras to the top of the podium at the end of the day. Traffic is going to be the big factor tomorrow. The closing speeds are very, very high here so it's going to be difficult. I forgot how fast this place was! It takes a little bit to recalibrate your brain. It's such a fast, fun track to drive on. It's all commitment and you have to have a lot of confidence in the car. I love that, I love those styles of tracks. It will be interesting tomorrow!"

Fast Facts

  • This is the fourth IMSA pole of the season for Acura.  At the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona, Albuquerque and Taylor combined to win the qualifying race that set the starting field; and Taylor led another Acura front-row qualifying sweep at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Blomqvist now has scored consecutive poles:  last weekend at Watkins Glen International Raceway and today at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
  • Acura comes to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park on a roll, with a series of 1-2 race results have Acura teams Wayne Taylor Racing and Meyer Shank Racing first and second in both the Drivers' and Teams' championship points chases; and Acura leading the Manufacturers' Championship.
  • Acura Motorsports has recorded six previous victories at CTMP, all in the prototype categories of the former American Le Mans Series championship.
  • This weekend's two-hour, 40-minute race marks the return of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the first time since 2019 – a result of the 2020-21 COVID-19 pandemic.