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Motorsport

Joey Barnes

Lilou Wadoux claims historic first IMSA GTD pole at Road America

Lilou Wadoux GTD IMSA Road America (Facility) Ferrari AF Corse

Lilou Wadoux added another landmark achievement to her racing resume on Saturday, capturing her first career IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship pole position during GTD qualifying for the Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix at Road America.

Driving the #21 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO, Wadoux set a GTD-leading lap of 2m04.688s around the 4.048-mile, 14-turn natural-terrain road course.

The result came in her 13th WeatherTech Championship start and on her first appearance at the Wisconsin circuit, following a difficult build-up for the team.

After encountering technical setbacks at Watkins Glen, AF Corse brought a newly prepped Ferrari to Road America. However, unpredictable weather added another layer of difficulty heading into qualifying. A wet second session left teams with minimal dry setup time before the decisive session.

"We had issues on the car [in Watkins Glen], so we had a new car for here. The team did an amazing job to have a good car," Wadoux said after qualifying. "For sure it was not easy with FP2 in the rain. We weren't really ready for quallie, but at the end, we did a pretty good job. I'm quite happy with this pole position."

ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 1: #21: Af Corse USA, Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO, GTD in practice: Simon Mann, Lilou Wadoux Ducellier, Antonio Fuoco during the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix at Road America on August 1, 2026 in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin (Photo by: Photo by Jake Galstad/Lumen via Getty Images)

It made Wadoux the first woman to claim an IMSA pole since Katherine Legge at Laguna Seca in 2018. While Wadoux’s maiden pole is a historic moment for women in North American sports car racing, the 25-year-old French driver remains focused on her core job: winning races strictly as a competitor at the highest level.

When asked about the broader impact of her achievement for women in motorsport, Wadoux noted the importance of visibility while keeping her primary identity as a racer front and center.

"To show that we are able to do the same, it's good," Wadoux reflected. "But I'm quite happy as a driver to do the pole position. We are more and more [women in racing], so we will see in the next years if it continues in this way."

With starting track position locked in, Wadoux now turns her attention to converting single-lap speed into endurance race success.

"Yeah,” she said, “we'll see what we can do tomorrow.”

Photos from Road America - Saturday

50 IMSA

#77 AO Racing Porsche 911: Nick Tandy, Harry King, Klaus Bachler

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#21 Af Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO: Simon Mann, Lilou Wadoux Ducellier, Antonio Fuoco

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#22 United Autosports USA ORECA LMP2 07: Daniel Goldburg, Paul Di Resta, Rasmus Lindh

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#22 United Autosports USA ORECA LMP2 07: Daniel Goldburg, Paul Di Resta, Rasmus Lindh

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#21 Af Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO: Simon Mann, Lilou Wadoux Ducellier, Antonio Fuoco

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#22 United Autosports USA ORECA LMP2 07: Daniel Goldburg, Paul Di Resta, Rasmus Lindh

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#21 Af Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO: Simon Mann, Lilou Wadoux Ducellier, Antonio Fuoco

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#22 United Autosports USA ORECA LMP2 07: Daniel Goldburg, Paul Di Resta, Rasmus Lindh

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06: Renger van der Zande, Nick Yelloly, Phil Fayer

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre, Felipe Nasr

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#068 White Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo: Marius Fossard, Valentin Hasse Clot, Trenton Estep

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R: Jordan Taylor, Louis Deletraz, Tom Blomqvist

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, Tommy Milner

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#77 AO Racing Porsche 911: Nick Tandy, Harry King, Klaus Bachler

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, Andrea Caldarelli

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#04 Crowdstrike Racing by APR ORECA LMP2 07: George Kurtz, Alex Quinn, Toby Sowery

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3: Jack Hawksworth, Ben Barnicoat, James Calado

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#18 Era Motorsport ORECA LMP2 07: Naveen Rao, Ferdinand Habsburg, Jacob Abel

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Felipe Nasr, Julien Andlauer, Ricky Taylor

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre, Felipe Nasr

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911: Adam Adelson, Callum Ilott, Tom Sargent

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#57 WINWARD RACING Mercedes-AMG GT3: Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, Indy Dontje

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#911 Manthey Porsche 911: Klaus Bachler, Thomas Preining, Aaron Telitz

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#13 13 Autosport Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Orey Fidani, Matthew Bell, Lars Kern

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#24 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8: Dries Vanthoor, Sheldon van der Linde, Philipp Eng

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R: Jordan Taylor, Louis Deletraz, Tom Blomqvist

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre, Felipe Nasr

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, Andrea Caldarelli

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#24 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8: Dries Vanthoor, Sheldon van der Linde, Philipp Eng

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#66 Gradient Racing Ford Mustang GT3: Jake Walker, Till Bechtolsheimer, Joey Hand

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, Tommy Milner

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#912 Manthey 1St Phorm Porsche 911: Ryan Hardwick, Riccardo Pera, Morris Schuring

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#65 Ford Racing Ford Mustang GT3: Christopher Mies, Frederic Vervisch, Nick Tandy

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#068 White Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo: Marius Fossard, Valentin Hasse Clot, Trenton Estep

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#52 Bryan Herta Autosport with PR1/Mathiasen ORECA LMP2 07: Misha Goikhberg, Parker Thompson, Harry Tincknell

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre, Felipe Nasr

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#64 Ford Racing Ford Mustang GT3: Ben Barker, Dennis Olsen, Christopher Mies

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO: Daniel Serra, Davide Rigon, Ben Barker

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#911 Manthey Porsche 911: Klaus Bachler, Thomas Preining, Aaron Telitz

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06: Renger van der Zande, Nick Yelloly, Phil Fayer

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#81 DragonSpeed Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Giacomo Altoè, Casper Stevenson, Alec Udell

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R: Jordan Taylor, Louis Deletraz, Tom Blomqvist

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre, Felipe Nasr

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Felipe Nasr, Julien Andlauer, Ricky Taylor

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#65 Ford Racing Ford Mustang GT3: Christopher Mies, Frederic Vervisch, Nick Tandy

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO: Patrick Gallagher, Robby Foley, Francis Selldorff

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, Tommy Milner

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#11 TDS Racing ORECA LMP2 07: Tobi Lutke, Mathias Beche, David Heinemeier Hansson

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3: Jack Hawksworth, Ben Barnicoat, James Calado

Road America - Saturday, in photos

#12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3: Aaron Telitz, Benjamin Pedersen, Frankie Montecalvo

Road America - Saturday, in photos

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