Monterey, Califorinia - Jesse Lazare made sure to gain an edge for Round 3 of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama by earning his third straight pole position Thursday, April 28 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Lazare, from Montreal, led the 20-minute qualifying session with a best time of 1 minute, 28.411 seconds in the No. 21 Kelly-Moss Road and Race Porsche in unseasonably cool temperatures at the scenic track in Monterey, California.

"The car is unbelievable," Lazare said. "Kelly-Moss keeps giving me the perfect package. I just have to keep working at it, and I'm trying not to make mistakes on my good laps and keep hitting the home run. This weather is perfect for the cars, and Porsches love this weather. And honestly, it feels like home to me."

Lazare, one of the top championship contenders, is looking to rebound after a tire puncture in Round 2 ended his chance of a weekend sweep of Rounds 1 and 2 in March at Sebring International Raceway. The top five drivers in the field at this event qualified within one second of each other, so starting from pole on the 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit can give him an upper hand.

"Especially on a track like this, where there aren't too many passing zones, it is a huge advantage to have pole," Lazare said. "But at the same time, you can't make those little mistakes or it can turn bad quickly."

Will Hardeman, from Austin, Texas, qualified second at 1:28.933 in the No. 19 Moorespeed Porsche. Hardeman ran in top three through both practices Thursday before earning his career-best starting position.

Lucas Catania, from Cazenovia, New York, was third at 1:29.005 in the No. 26 NGT Motorsport Porsche, followed by Jeff Mosing, from Austin, Texas, in the No. 01 TOPP Racing Porsche at 1:29.053. Mosing was the top Platinum Masters qualifier.

Andrew Longe, from Naples, Florida, rounded out the top five at 1:29.066 in the No. 47 Wright Motorsports Porsche.

Sebastian Landy, from Great Falls, Virginia, was the top qualifier in the Gold Cup class at 1:30.181 in the No. 49 TPC Racing Porsche. Landy is looking for another podium after a third-place finish in Round 1 at Sebring. There are five Platinum Cup cars between Landy and Gold Cup points leader Michael de Quesada, who qualified second at 1:30.948.

"It's a great place, and it's fun to be back and really happy to be representing my new sponsor, Forto Strong Coffee, on pole," Landy said. "Qualifying was huge today. You have to work for every position, and it's a hard place to pass. It's never easy to make it through the field of Platinum cars, so to have that gap is key for us."

Round 3 starts at 3:40 p.m. (PT) Friday, April 29, with Round 4 at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 30. Both races are 45 minutes each.

Race Coverage

Live streaming: Both races at www.imsa.com
Live timing: All on-track sessions at scoring.imsa.com

TV: Delayed television coverage will be provided on major network affiliates in numerous U.S. markets by Sinclair Broadcast Group. The schedule will be announced soon, and the broadcast will be available on YouTube after it airs on television.

Twitter: Live text commentary from all sessions at @IMSALive

For more information about Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama, visit www.gt3cupchallengeusa.com, follow hashtag #GT3USA @IMSA on Twitter or IMSA on Facebook.

About Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama

The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama enters its 12th season in 2016 as one of Porsche's 20 single-make Cup Challenge series in the world. The series produces intense, exciting competition for semi-professional and aspiring professional drivers in the world's most produced and iconic race car, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

Racing is divided into two classes - Platinum Cup, featuring the 2014-2016 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, which is based on the current seventh, and current, generation of the street car, and Gold Cup, which is comprised of the previous iteration (model years 2010-2013) of the race car. A Masters Championship also is conducted in the Platinum class. Each class is awarded with its own podium at the end of every race and individual champion at the end of every season. Points are awarded by finish in class.

For more information about Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama, visit www.gt3cupchallengeusa.com, follow hashtag #GT3USA @IMSA on Twitter or IMSA on Facebook.

About IMSA

The International Motor Sports Association, LLC (IMSA) was originally founded in 1969 and owns a long and rich history in sports car racing. Today, IMSA is the sanctioning body of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the premier sports car racing series in North America. IMSA also sanctions the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and the Mazda Prototype Lites Presented by Cooper Tires, as well as four single-make series: Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama; Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama; Ferrari Challenge North America; and Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America. IMSA - a company within the NASCAR family - is the exclusive strategic partner in North America with the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) which operates the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The partnership enables selected IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competitors to earn automatic entries into the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. For more information, visit www.IMSA.com, www.twitter.com/IMSA or www.facebook.com/IMSA. 

Canadians In BOLD