Photo: TC America

Mason Filippi claims Portland pole position in close qualifying

Mason Filippi claimed pole position for Copeland Motorsport in a close TC America qualifying session at Portland International Raceway.

The Hyundai driver lapped the circuit in 1:19.137 and was just five hundredth of a second ahead of two drivers as FCP Euro driver Nate Vincent and Risi Competizione driver James Walker posted identical lap times; 1:19.187.

As Vincent was the first driver to set that lap time, the Volkswagen driver will start second with Walker third in his Alfa Romeo.

Championship leader Michael Hurczyn was fourth fatest for FCP Euro, 0.103 seconds from pole position.

McCann Racing driver Michael McCann Jr was fifth fastest in his Audi RS 3 LMS, just eight hundredth of a second behind Hurczyn.

The sole Honda driver of the TCR field, Victor Gonzalez, claimed position six ahead of three Audi drivers in the form of Bryan Putt in seventh, Stephen Vadja in eighth and Christian Cole ninth and last of the TCR drivers.

The first race of the weekend starts at 19:00 local time.