Pole Position and Podium for Hanley Motorsports at Sonoma Season Opener

Sonoma, California

The Hanley Motorsports 2024 race season launched last weekend in Northern California wine country as Parker Thompson and Daniel Hanley piloted the No. 999 GR Supra GT4 EVO in two races with Pirelli GT4 America season at Sonoma Raceway. The duo showed excellent pace throughout the weekend, capping off the event with a pole position start and a podium finish in Race 2 on Sunday morning.

After asphalt repairs at the 2.5-mile Sonoma road course impacted practice and testing sessions on Thursday and Friday, official sessions commenced on Saturday morning, with a combined Practice/Qualifying session determining the order for race starts on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. The fresh surface allowed for tremendous lap times, with Thompson completing the fastest GT4 lap of the weekend at 1:40.846, more than six seconds faster than the best lap of 2023, and good enough for the Race 2 pole position. Daniel Hanley also showed excellent pace in the session. A best lap of 1:42.178 put him fourth among the Driver 1 group and on row 2 for the start of Race 1.

Unfortunately, the team was unable to showcase their race pace when the green flag dropped for Race 1 on Saturday evening. A collision on the opening lap rendered the No. 999 undrivable and forced the team’s early retirement. They were unable to score any points toward the season championship. 

A pole position start for Race 2 brought new hope and, ultimately, a podium finish in the Silver class. The No. 999 gave up its lead early in turn two but battled hard in the top five of the twenty-eight-car field. Young Daniel Hanley continued the fight, taking the wheel around the 32-minute mark. Hanley relentlessly defended his position, and when the checkered flag fell at the 60-minute mark, he and the white, red, orange, and yellow No. 999 sat fourth overall and, most critically, third in the Silver class. The team finished the weekend with 15 points toward the season championship.

Parker Thompson
“I’m not one to celebrate a third-place finish, but knowing the body of work that went into today, this is a finish I won’t forget for a long time to come. For Daniel to qualify 4th overall for Race 1, then dust himself off after our woes in that race, drive an incredible stint in Race 2, and move the 999 forward, that’s what I live for in this sport. We will stay true to the process and see what inroads we can make in this competitive Pirelli GT4 America championship at Sebring next month.”

Daniel Hanley
“The was by far the most unpredictable race weekend I have ever experienced. Staying focused and ready to go through delays early in the week was difficult, but when we finally did have the opportunity to drive again, I was eager. Saturday’s collision was unfortunate, but that is always a risk in this sport. In my eyes, Sunday’s race made it all worth it. The fact that we were able to bring something home from such an unprecedented week means a lot to me.”

Next up, the team travels to Sebring International Raceway, where a pole position, overall win, and silver-class podium finish gave the team their best results of 2023. Races 3 and 4 of the 2024 season will take place at the iconic Florida road course on May 4th and 5th.