Genesis Takes First WEC Pole Ahead of the Barcelona 6 Hours
Mathys Jaubert became the youngest pole-sitter in WEC history as Toyota lined up second with the title in sight.
Genesis has taken its first pole position in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Mathys Jaubert set a 1m30.166s lap in Hyperpole on October 17 to put the No. 17 Genesis GMR-001 at the front for the inaugural 6 Hours of Barcelona. At 21, he becomes the youngest outright pole-sitter in the history of the series. He shares the car with André Lotterer and Pipo Derani.
Toyota's Ryo Hirakawa was 0.170s slower in the No. 8 TR010 Hybrid, and Mathieu Jaminet completed a strong day for the debutant marque by putting the sister No. 19 Genesis third. Charles Milesi's Alpine and Will Stevens in the No. 12 JOTA Cadillac completed the top five. Robert Kubica was the best-placed Ferrari driver in sixth, while both Aston Martin Valkyries missed the Hyperpole cut.
The grid matters for the championship. The No. 8 Toyota crew of Hirakawa, Sébastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley leads the sister No. 7 car by 10 points and BMW's René Rast and Robin Frijns by 14, with both BMWs starting outside the top 10. A strong result could let Toyota settle the drivers' title early. In LMGT3, Tom Fleming took pole for Garage 59 in the No. 10 McLaren 720S Evo by 0.122s.
The six-hour race starts at noon local time on Sunday, October 18, at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the penultimate round of the season. For Genesis, Hyundai's luxury brand, pole position in its first WEC campaign is a significant marker against long-established manufacturers. It also gives the brand a timely boost as it builds its performance credentials in the US market.
Source: FIA WEC
