Lilou Wadoux added one other landmark achievement to her racing resume on Saturday, capturing her first profession IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship pole place throughout GTD qualifying for the Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix at Highway America.
Driving the #21 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO, Wadoux set a GTD-leading lap of 2m04.688s across the 4.048-mile, 14-turn natural-terrain highway course.
The outcome got here in her thirteenth WeatherTech Championship begin and on her first look on the Wisconsin circuit, following a troublesome build-up for the staff.
After encountering technical setbacks at Watkins Glen, AF Corse introduced a newly prepped Ferrari to Highway America. Nevertheless, unpredictable climate added one other layer of problem heading into qualifying. A moist second session left groups with minimal dry setup time earlier than the decisive session.
“We had points on the automotive [in Watkins Glen], so we had a brand new automotive for right here. The staff did an incredible job to have a very good automotive,” Wadoux mentioned after qualifying. “For positive it was not simple with FP2 within the rain. We weren’t actually prepared for quallie, however on the finish, we did a fairly good job. I am fairly proud of this pole place.”
ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN – AUGUST 1: #21: Af Corse USA, Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO, GTD in observe: Simon Mann, Lilou Wadoux Ducellier, Antonio Fuoco throughout the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix at Highway America on August 1, 2026 in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
Picture by: Picture by Jake Galstad/Lumen by way of Getty Photographs
It made Wadoux the primary lady to say an IMSA pole since Katherine Legge at Laguna Seca in 2018. Whereas Wadoux’s maiden pole is a historic second for ladies in North American sports activities automotive racing, the 25-year-old French driver stays targeted on her core job: successful races strictly as a competitor on the highest degree.
When requested in regards to the broader affect of her achievement for ladies in motorsport, Wadoux famous the significance of visibility whereas preserving her major id as a racer entrance and heart.
“To point out that we’re in a position to do the identical, it is good,” Wadoux mirrored. “However I am fairly comfortable as a driver to do the pole place. We’re increasingly [women in racing], so we’ll see within the subsequent years if it continues on this means.”
With beginning monitor place locked in, Wadoux now turns her consideration to changing single-lap pace into endurance race success.
“Yeah,” she mentioned, “we’ll see what we will do tomorrow.”
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