Audi returned to the
top of the American Le Mans Series heap Saturday when Rinaldo Capello
grabbed the pole position for Sunday's GT3 Grand Prix at Mosport
International Raceway.
Meanwhile, three cars that had qualified for the race, including two
class pole winners, failed to pass post-qualifying inspection and had their
times disallowed. The three will start at the rear of Sunday's race.
The cars included the Reynard 01Q-Judd of apparent LMP 675 pole
winner Didier de Radigues, which did not conform to regulations in the rear
diffuser, and the BMW M3 GTR of apparent GT pole winner JJ Lehto, which did
not meet the minimum ride height regulations.
Female driver Claudia Huertgen of Germany inherited the LMP 675 pole
position, her second in the ALMS, and Lehto's teammate, Dirk Muller,
inherited the GT pole.
In addition, the Riley & Scott MkIIIC-Lincoln Prototype driven by
Butch Leitzinger, which had apparently qualified fifth-fastest, had its time
disallowed for a wing height violation and for having an engine air source
that did not meet regulations.
Also Saturday, ALMS driver Bill Auberlen suffered a concussion when
his BMW M3 GTR slammed into a tire barrier in turn nine after tangling with
the Cadillac LMP 01 driven by Max Angelelli. Auberlen was released from a
local hospital, but will not drive in Sunday's race. The team was still
seeking a replacement driver late Saturday night.
Capello, leader of the ALMS points, turned the 2.459-mile circuit at
129.759 mph (1:08.222), breaking the track record of 129.361 that Audi
teammate Frank Biela had set in 2000. Capello will co-drive with Tom
Kristensen of Denmark in Sunday's two-hour, 45-minute timed event.
The stranglehold that Audi had held on the sports car endurance
racing series was snapped in the most recent series race at Portland, Ore.,
two weeks ago when a Panoz beat the Audis in both qualifying and the race,
ending Audi's 11-race winning streak.
"We made some adjustments this morning after practice," said
Capello. "I set a fast lap time in practice after lunch. I was worried that
I couldn't trust the car in the corners, but I checked the telemetry and saw
that everything was OK and that gave me confidence."
Biela and co-driver Emanuele Pirro will start second Sunday, while
Portland winners David Brabham and Jan Magnussen will line up third.
Huertgen, who will co-drive with American Steven Knight in a Lola
B2K-Nissan, also was the fastest LMP 675 qualifier earlier this year at
Sebring. "It's my first time to race at Mosport," she said. "We have been
working on setup and I'm happy with the time. Mosport is a difficult track,
but we have a good race setup."
Terry Borcheller of Phoenix was the fastest qualifier in the GTS
class, driving a Saleen S7R to a speed of 114.831. He will co-drive with
Germany's Franz Konrad. He beat Canadian favorite Ron Fellows, whose
Chevrolet Corvette C5-R experienced clutch problems in qualifying and will
have to start near the rear of the 26-car field.
"I know it was important for Ron and Corvette, but especially Ron,
to do well here," said Borcheller, who won his second pole of the season. "I
felt bad because he didn't have a chance to run for the pole. I didn't have
a good lap, so he probably would have pulled it off. I'm sure he will be up
in the front quickly in the race."
"Starting position doesn't matter," said Fellows, who has teamed
with Johnny O'Connell to win GTS in three of the four ALMS races this year.
"We know we have a good car. Being in the back is not a big deal. It's
exciting for the locals."
Muller has won more poles (13) than any driver in any class in the
three-year history of the ALMS.
The starting lineup:
1. Rinaldo Capello, Italy; Tom Kristensen, Denmark; Audi R8,
129.759 mph(1:08.295) (track record, breaking previous record of 129.361 set by Frank Biela, Audi R8, in August, 2000).
2. Frank Biela, Germany; Emanuele Pirro, Italy; Audi R8,
129.406 (1:08.443).
3. Jan Magnussen, Denmark; David Brabham, Australia; Panoz LMP1-R,
127.060 (1:09.701).
4. Johnny Herbert, England; Andy Wallace, England; Audi R8,
126.954 (1:09.817).
5. Wayne Taylor, Altamonte Springs, Fla.; Max Angelelli, Italy; Cadillac LMP01,
126.519 (1:10.123).
6. Emmanuel Collard, England; Christophe Tinseau, France; Cadillac LMP 01,
126.006 (1:10.292).
7. Klaus Graf, Germany; Franck Lagorce, France; Panoz LMP1-R,
125.163 (1:10.935).
8. Claudia Huertgen, Germany; Steven Knight, Castle Rock, Col.; LolaB2K-Nissan,
116.335 (1:16.437).
9. Milka Duno, Venezuela; John Graham, Canada; Reynard 01Q-Judd,
115.174 (1:17.098).
10. Terry Borcheller, Phoenix; Franz Konrad, Germany; Saleen S7R,
114.831 (1:17.299).
11. Andy Pilgrim, Aventura, Fla.; Kelly Collins, Corona del Mar, Calif.; Chevrolet Corvette C5-R,
114.590 (1:17.468).
12. Fredrik Ekblom, Sweden; Dirk Muller, Germany; BMW M3 GTR,
112.236 (1:19.115).
13. Hans Stuck, Austria; Boris Said, Carlsbad, Calif.; BMW M3 GTR,
111.452 (1:20.342).
14. Shane Lewis, Jupiter, Fla.; David Donohue, Malvern, Penn.; Dodge Viper GTS-R,
111.331 (1:19.742).
15. Randy Pobst, Melbourne, Fla.; Christian Menzel, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RS,
110.518 (1:20.259).
16. Lucas Luhr, Germany; Sascha Maassen, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RS,
110.168 (1:20.576).
17. Johnny Mowlem, England; Timo Bernhard, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RS,
108.184 (1:22.303).
18. Tony Burgess, Canada; Magnus Wallinder, Sweden; Porsche 911 GT3 R,
107.901 (1:22.842).
19. Tom Weickardt, Whitefish Bay, Wis.; Kevin Allen, Orlando, Fla.; Dodge Viper GTS-R,
106.266 (1:23.321).
20. Kye Wankum, Canada; Jeff Pabst, Canada; Porsche 911 GT3 R,
103.890 (1:25.688).
21. Randy Wars, Mexico; Grady Willingham, Birmingham, Ala., Porsche 911 GT3 R,
102.481 (1:26.454).
22. Ron Fellows, Canada; Johnny O'Connell, Flowery Branch, Ga.; Chevrolet Corvette C5-R,
89.152 (2:06.915).
23. Niclas Jonsson, Sweden; Bill Auberlen, Hermosa Beach, Calif.; BMW M3 GTR,
no speed.
24. Butch Leitzinger, State College, Penn.; James Weaver, England; Riley & Scott MKIIIC-Lincoln,
time disallowed.
25. Didier de Radigues, Belgium; Bruno Lambert, Belgium; Reynard 01Q-Judd,
time disallowed.
26. JJ Lehto, Finland; Jorg Muller, Germany; BMW M3 GTR,
time disallowed.
Created and Designed by John Favata
