HINDMAN, SKEER CAPTURE CONTINENTAL TIRE SPORTSCAR CHALLENGE TOTAL POLE AWARDS AT MAZDA RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA

Company press release.

◾Hindman Earns Second Consecutive GS Pole In Fall-Line BMW M3

◾Skeer Drives CJ Wilson Racing Mazda MX-5 To ST Pole In Series Debut

MONTEREY, Calif. (May 2, 2014) - Winning TOTAL Pole Awards in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge is becoming a habit for Trent Hindman. However, the 18-year-old driver of the No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3 was anything but confident entering Friday qualifying at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Putting a disappointing practice session behind him, Hindman went out and set a lap of 1:35.948 (83.970 mph) late in the 15-minute qualifying session, giving him his second consecutive pole and third in four races dating back to the final race of 2013.

'I'm thrilled because I was really disappointed with my driving earlier today in practice,' said Hindman. 'I'm so thankful to be surrounded by some of the best people in the business. They really brought my spirits up today by giving me such a great car for qualifying.'

Hindman and co-driver John Edwards have finished second in both races this season at Daytona International Speedway and Sebring International Raceway to take a 15-point lead in the GS points entering Saturday's race.

Eric Curran missed the pole by 0.031 seconds, running a lap of 1:35.979 (83.943 mph) in the No. 01 CKS Autosport Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R co-driven by Lawson Aschenbach. Curran led for most of the session.

'The CKS guys did an awesome job, and gave me an awesome car,' Curran said. 'Right away we were P1 and held it most of the way but just got nipped at the end. We're real happy, and just need a solid run to the end tomorrow.'

---

Trending News

• Hyundai Wins Two Favorite Vehicle Awards From Midwest Automotive Media Association
• Wrap it Up! The All-new, All-Electric 2024 Jeep® Wagoneer S Launch Edition Takes Center Stage on Stellantis NA Headquarters in Michigan
• Dark Horse R drivers set for 2025 Mustang Challenge Le Mans Invitational
• Nissan sunsets R35 generation GT-R with T-spec Takumi and Skyline limited editions
• Genesis reveals U.S. pricing for first-ever 2025 GV80 Coupe

---

Charles Espenlaub qualified third in the No. 99 Automatic Racing BMW M3 co-driven by Rob Ecklin Jr. with a lap of 1:36.040 (83.890 mph).

CJ Wilson Mazda MX-5s 1-2 in ST Qualifying

Competing in his first Continental Tire Challenge event, Elliott Skeer broke the track qualifying mark while leading CJ Wilson Racing Mazda MX-5s to a front row sweep in Street Tuner (ST) qualifying.

Skeer, filling in for the recovering Marc Miller in the No. 3 Mazda MX-5 co-driven by Tyler McQuarrie, ran a lap of 1:39.260 (81.169 mph), edging out teammate Chad McCumbee, who ran a lap of 1:39.572 (80.914 mph) in the team's No. 5 Mazda MX-5 co-driven by Stevan McAleer.

'You couldn't ask for a better set of circumstances, driving a Mazda at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca,' said Skeer, a 19-year-old resident of San Diego. 'Mazda is naturally a good car here, and I know Mazda Raceway from racing for CJ Wilson Racing in the Mazda MX-5 Cup. I've shown speed here in the past, but I really didn't expect to be up to speed in these cars this quickly.'

Randy Pobst, who is participating in his first Continental Tire Challenge race at Mazda Raceway, qualified third in the No. 26 Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5 co-driven by Andrew Carbonell with a lap of 1:39.647 (80.853 mph).

Saturday's two-hour, 30-minute race begins at 3:45 p.m. ET (12:45 p.m. PT), and will be streamed live on IMSA.com.