Jarvis just 0.089-seconds shy of pole position in first qualifying run of the season in the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Acura ARX-05
Monterey, Calif. (30 April 2022) – After a strong start at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Oliver Jarvis brought that momentum into qualifying on Saturday after a run that nearly put the Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) Acura ARX-05 on pole position. Jarvis and teammate Tom Blomqvist will start from second for Sunday’s Monterey Sports Car Championship (3:00pm ET, NBC).
Both Blomqvist and Jarvis were eager heading into the Laguna Seca weekend having made considerable gains in the previous round in Long Beach. Now arriving at a track that has suited the Acura DPi well in recent past, the MSR driver pair were looking to make championship gains.
The No. 60 Acura rolled off the trucks quick, with Blomqvist and Jarvis keeping the MSR machine in the top three throughout the first two rounds of practice. Heading into Saturday afternoon qualifying Jarvis took the controls for the first first time this season.
Right out of the gate Jarvis posted quick times putting him right at the top of the leaderboard. Posting a 1:14.013-second flyer on lap 7, Jarvis sat second and just 0.089-second behind the pole position.
Jarvis made a second attempt to improve his time, but settled for a front row starting spot for Sunday’s main event. The second place qualifying run matched MSR’s qualifying run last year with the No. 60 Acura DPi.
“If you would’ve asked me before qualifying I would have said I’d be happy with P2,” said Jarvis. “But now I’m like ‘oh man’ I really wish we had just a little bit more to get the pole. The car felt really, really good, but I just wish we got 100% out of that fast lap. There is really one lap where the tires are perfect and to get the maximum, but we had one small moment going into the corkscrew so I just missed it. I’m looking forward to the start of the race tomorrow and I’m feeling good about the car that we’ve got now.”
The Monterey Sports Car Championship race will air live on NBC starting at 3:00pm ET. SiriusXM will also host live IMSA Radio coverage on SiriusXM Ch. 207.