Ryan Hardwick was clearly eager to get behind the wheel again. Forced to miss the first two IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge races this season after sustaining a concussion in a practice crash at Daytona International Speedway in January, Hardwick collected the Motul Pole Award for Saturday’s Mid-Ohio 120 in the Grand Sport (GS) class.
Hardwick toured Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 1:27.021 (93.411 mph) in the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport to notch his maiden Pilot Challenge pole. He and co-driver Jan Heylen will start up front, with Chris Green and Kumo Wittmer alongside in the No. 13 AWA McLaren 570S GT4.
“Man, I don’t know what to say!” Hardwick said. “First and foremost, I’ve got to thank my team. These guys have worked really hard on our car; this is two poles in a row for this car. I’ve been working really hard since my injury at Daytona, and it means a lot to be able to come back and not only be competitive but to come out on top on the pole.
“The lap, it was tough out there. There was a lot of traffic and a lot of people with different speeds, and I just seemed to be stuck behind the wrong car for a long time. I finally got just enough clean air that I was able to put one clean lap together.”
Green, subbing for Orey Fidani who remained home this weekend for the birth of his child, qualified second with a lap of 1:27.462.
The two-hour Mid-Ohio 120 will stream live starting at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold. IMSA Radio coverage is available on IMSA.com.