Sick Sideway Emerges From Mazda Raceway Fog With
Victory
MONTEREY, Calif. (May 12, 2012) –
Sick Sideways teammates John Dean, of Sebring,
Fla., and Christian Szymczak, of Palos Verdes,
Calif., took the top two-steps of the SCCA Pro
Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup podium on Saturday
morning at
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Dean Copeland,
from Bowie, Md., finished third.
After an
hour-long delay for visibility-limiting fog, the
scheduled 45-minute race was shorted to
30-minutes. It turned out to be the perfect race
length for Dean’s No. 16 Projections
Research/Sick Sideways Mazda MX-5, who took the
lead in the first corner and led to the
checkered flag. Dean scored a 0.462-second
victory, averaging 78.489 mph in the 18-lap
race.
Dean held off his
charging teammate at the finish, when Szymczak’s
No. 34 Projections Research/Sick Sideways MX-5
shaved more than two seconds off the gap in the
final two laps.
The win was the
second in the four-race season for Dean, who
also won Round Two at Sebring on the opening
weekend.
“Unbelievable,”
Dean said more than once. “It’s just a crazy
week. When we got here we had an issue somewhere
in the front suspension, and we really haven’t
figured it out. Unbelievable getting the car set
up last night, they worked until 10 o’clock. The
race couldn’t have gone better for us.
“Christian was on
a charge there, I could see him back there and
that’s all I had. One more lap and he definitely
would have had the top spot here on the podium.
It was such a tough week and I was just hoping
for a fourth or better. To be on the top step of
the podium is just unbelievable.”
Szymczak finished
seventh during Friday’s Round Three race after
transmission issues, and started fourth during
Sunday’s race. The shortened race that helped
Dean may have worked in reverse for Szymczak.
“It would have
been such a fantastic battle between me and
John,” Szymczak said. “I think we both had
fantastic cars today, extremely fast cars. We
found some set up tricks that helped us out a
lot and I think Sick Sideways was the class of
the field this weekend.
“I had the pace
to run with him. I was very close at the 30
minute mark and with 15 more minutes, it would
have been a great battle.”
Copeland’s No. 7
Copeland Motorsports/Sync Speed MX-5 ran just
behind Dean until lap 15. Beginning a late race
challenge for the win, Dean and Copeland
encountered lap traffic. Dean slipped past the
slower car, but Copeland hit the left rear of
the MX-5, lifting Copeland’s machine into the
air and off track.
Still, Copeland
recovered to finish third, including turning the
fastest lap of the race on Lap Three in 1:41.646
(79.263 mph).
“It was a little
bit of a wild start, Copeland said. “John Dean
and those guys got out a little bit and I was
trying real hard to catch up to them and it
wasn’t working. I backed off, just tried to cool
my tires, and was making a run. I was closing,
closing, and wanted to go around [the lapped
car] and he just wasn’t even looking in his
mirrors. It just flat punted me and I finished
third.
“It was shaking,
the steering wheel was pretty much ripping out
of my hands. It was making noises and it’s all
tore up. But we salvaged third, so I guess it’s
not terrible. It could have been worse.”
Ara Malkhassian
started on pole in his No. 11 ALARA Garage MX-5,
but jumped the start and was ordered through pit
lane to serve a drive-through penalty. Running
second at the time he served his penalty,
Malkhassian rejoined the race and fifth and made
up an additional position to salvage a
fourth-place finish.
Matt Schultz,
making his Playboy MX-5 Cup debut, finished
fifth in the No. 83 SMI Motorsports MX-5.
Saturday’s race
winner, Elliott Skeer, finished sixth in the No.
17 MAZDASPEED/Sparco CJ Wilson Racing entry.
Kenton Koch, from
Glendora, Calif., won the Skip Barber Racing
School MAZDASPEED Pro Series running
concurrently with the Playboy MX-5 Cup. It was
the second win in as many days for Koch, who was
joined on the podium by Zachry Lee (No. 69 Alpha
Motorsports/B+ Foundation MX-5) and Bryan Hixon
(No. 63 Seven Devils Lodge/Tequila Me MX-5).
The win elevates
Dean to the championship lead after four of 11
races with 228 points. Stevan McAleer, who
finished 12th on Saturday morning, is second
with 210 points. Szymczak (205 points),
Malkhassian (203), and Skeer (186) follow.
Round Three from
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will air on Velocity
as part of the Mazda Motorsports Hour, June 9 at
Noon EDT, with Round Four airing one week later,
June 16, at the same time.
More information
on the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy MX-5 Cup is
available at www.mx-5cup.com.
Follow the MX-5
Cup on Twitter @MazdaMX5Cup.
MONTEREY, Calif.
- Results from Saturday's 18-lap, 40.284-mile
SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup Round 4
race, part of the American Le Mans Monterey at
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, with finishing
position, class, starting position in
parentheses, driver, hometown, car, laps and
reason out (if any).
1. MX, (2), John
Dean II(R), Sebring, Fla., MX-5, 18.
2. MX, (4),
Christian Szymczak(R), Palos Verdes, Calif.,
MX-5, 18, -.462.
3. MX, (6), Dean
Copeland, Bowie, Md., MX-5, 18, -9.317.
4. MX, (1), Ara
Malkhassian, Houston, Texas, MX-5, 18, -11.106.
5. MX, (11), Matt
Schultz(R), Clackamas, Ore., MX-5, 18, -21.539.
6. MX, (3),
Elliott Skeer(R), Vista, Calif., MX-5, 18,
-26.259.
7. MX, (9), Tim
Probert, Houston, Texas, MX-5, 18, -28.036.
8. MX, (7),
Nathanial Sparks(R), Spanish Fort, Ala., MX-5,
18, -30.774.
9. MX, (8), Steve
Bottom, Newport Beach, Calif., MX-5, 18,
-35.849.
10. MX, (14), Guy
Laidig, Woodside, Calif., MX-5, 18, -54.932.
11. MX, (12),
Brent Mosing(R), Lafayette, La., MX-5, 18,
-1:22.431.
12. MX, (5),
Stevan MCAleer(R), Puntam Valley, N.Y., MX-5,
18, -1:34.408.
13. MX, (15),
Beth Chryst, Herndon, Va., MX-5, 18, -1:34.953.
14. MX, (13), Ari
Straus, Monticello, N.Y., MX-5, 18, -1:45.415.
15. MX, (16),
Emilee Tominovich(R), Clarksville, Md., MX-5,
17, -1 lap.
16. MX, (10),
Brandon Kidd, Manilius, N.Y., MX-5, 15, -3 laps.
17. SBMX, (17),
Kenton Koch, Glendora, Calif., Barber MX-5, 18,
-48.027.
18. SBMX, (18),
Zachry Lee, San Antonio, Texas, MX-5, 18,
-56.315.
19. SBMX, (19),
Bryan Hixon, San Antonio, Texas, Barber MX-5,
18, -1:07.066.
20. SBMX, (20),
Kevin Marshall, Truckee, Calif., Barber MX-5,
18, -1:25.029.
21. SBMX, (22),
Doug Tuttle, Glenbrook, Nev., Barber MX-5, 18,
-1:25.634.
22. SBMX, (21),
David Knight, Jericho, Vt., , 17, -1 lap.
23. SBMX, (23),
Douglass Brown, Wilmington, Mass., MX-5, 16, -2
laps.
Time of race: 30
minutes, 47.659 seconds.
Average speed:
78.489 mph
Margin of
victory: .462 Seconds
Lap leaders: Laps
1-18, #16 John Dean_II(R)
Fastest race lap:
#7 Dean Copeland, 1:41.646 (79.263 mph)
Skeer Passes Test In Playboy MX-5 Cup Race At Mazda
Raceway
MONTEREY, Calif. (May 11, 2012) –
Elliott Skeer, from Vista, Calif.,
outlasted the field on Friday morning at
Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca and earned the first SCCA
Pro Racing Playboy MX-5 Cup victory of his short
career. Stevan McAleer, living in Putnam Valley,
N.Y., and Ara Malkhassian, of Houston, Texas,
completed the podium in the Round Three race.
Skeer, a 17-year-old
high school student playing hooky to participate in
the doubleheader race week, was one of five cars
battling for the race lead at different points in
the 45-minute timed race. Skeer bested all of them
to the checkered flag in the No. 17 MAZDASPEED/Sparco
MX-5 by 3.001 seconds, averaging 77.990 mph over the
27-lap, 60.426-mile race distance.
The opening laps of
the race saw McAleer’s No. 28 CJ Wilson Children’s
Charities/Blue Mercury Capital/RUFocused.com MX-5
lead the standing start away from the pole position
followed by Christian Szymczak, Skeer, Dean
Copeland, Malkhassian and John Dean. Copeland’s No.
7 Copeland Motorsports/Sync Speed MX-5 got contact
from Skeer as the group moved toward the Corkscrew,
spinning the No. 7 out of contention and onto pit
lane with a 16th-place finish.
The other five cars
continued to battle, with Szymczak’s No. 34
Projections Research/Sick Sideways MX-5 leading laps
seven to nine, and Skeer taking the point on lap 10
going into Turn Two when Szymczak slid wide.
Skeer, the MAZDASPEED
Motorsports Ladder shootout winner for this season,
held off a handful of challenges to the checkered
flag. Catching traffic at the right time to create a
gap from Malkhassian in the closing laps, the
hard-charging No. 11 ALARA Garage MX-5 of
Malkhassian sputtered exiting Turn Two, out of fuel,
and let Skeer drive away for the win.
“To get the first win
in the series, it was something special out there,”
Skeer said. “To do it in my home state, the second
home race for me, I love it, every second.
“Once I got through
the traffic and I was able to open up a little lap,
I was getting calls at the start/finish line saying
15 cars [ the distance back to Malkhassian], so I
thought ok, I’ve got a gap. Next time by it was 10
cars, the next time it was 7, so I thought, oh, he’s
catching me pretty quick. Going to the last lap, I
thought it was going to be a good battle on the
second half of the track and then I see him start
moving over. I thought he broke, but I guess he ran
out of gas. It’s a shame for him because it was
going to be a good battle.”
McAleer led the
opening six laps of the race and moved around
Malkhassian after his bobble to take second place,
his second podium finish in the young three-race
season.
“It was a good race,
I enjoyed every minute of it,” McAleer said. “When I
dropped to third place, it was a missed shift from
second to third, but I knew it was a long race and I
wasn’t really too bothered about the miss shift. I
just had to keep on top of it to get caught back
up.”
“Third place was all
I had today, and I was a little bit lucky that Ara
had the problem on the last lap and obviously I took
second place.”
Malkhassian clearly
had the quickest car going through turn six and up
to the world-famous Corkscrew, but missed a chance
for a last lap pass of the lead. Instead,
Malkhassian was left wondering ‘what if’ three days
before his birthday.
“It was an
unfortunate miscalculation, we ran out of fuel on
the last lap,” Malkhassian explained. “I think our
pace was so hot and heavy that our percentage of
wide open throttle was higher than it’s been all
weekend so far. I think that’s what caught us.”
With the fastest lap
of the race, however, Malkhassian earned the pole
for Saturday morning’s race, set by best race lap.
Malkhassian lapped the 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit
in 1:42.208 (78.827 mph).
“I had them covered
up in [turn] six pretty good, but I wasn’t as fast
on the last corner so I was never able to make a
pass on the front straight except maybe one,”
Malkhassian said. “Most of the stuff I was able to
do was on the back side of the track. When people
would make mistakes, I picked them off here and
there.
“ALARA Racing gave me
an amazing car and it’s just been a pure joy to race
all day, watching other cars struggling with
handling and we were right there the whole time.”
Sick Sideways
teammates Szymczak and Dean both lost touch with the
lead group toward the latter stages of the race,
though Dean’s No. 16 Projections Research/Sick
Sideways almost caught Malkhassian before the
checkered flag and finished fourth. Szymczak pulled
to pit lane missing fourth gear but continued,
finishing seventh.
Nathan Sparks
finished fifth in the No. 3 OOTSK Performance MX-5
after a battle with sixth-finishing Steve Bottom in
the No. 44 Steve Bottom Racing/RACER Magazine MX-5.
Another high school
student, Kenton Koch from Glendora, Calif., won the
Skip Barber Racing School MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge
class running concurrently with the Playboy MX-5
Cup. Bryan Hixon and Kevin Marshall completed the
podium.
Skeer was penalized
40 points by SCCA Pro Racing officials after the
race for the contact on Copeland.
After Skeer’s
penalty, McAleer holds the point lead after three of
11 races with 175 points. Dean’s fourth-place finish
leaves him 9 points out of the lead with 166,
followed by Malkhassian (152), Szymczak (149) and
Skeer (139).
Round Four of the
SCCA Pro Racing will begin at 8:00 a.m. PDT on
Saturday morning at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Round Three from
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will air on Velocity as
part of the Mazda Motorsports Hour, June 9 at Noon
EDT.
More information on
the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy MX-5 Cup is available at
www.mx-5cup.com.
Follow the MX-5 Cup
on Twitter @MazdaMX5Cup.
MONTEREY, Calif. -
Results from Friday's 27-lap, 60.426-mile SCCA Pro
Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup Round 3 race, part of
the American Le Mans Monterey at Mazda Raceway
Laguna Seca, with finishing position, class,
starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown,
car, laps and reason out (if any).
1. MX, (2), Elliott
Skeer(R), Vista, Calif., MX-5, 27.
2. MX, (1), Stevan
MCAleer(R), Puntam Valley, N.Y., MX-5, 27, -3.001.
3. MX, (5), Ara
Malkhassian, Houston, Texas, MX-5, 27, -10.502.
4. MX, (8), John
Dean_II(R), Sebring, Fla., MX-5, 27, -10.712.
5. MX, (6), Steve
Bottom, Newport Beach, Calif., MX-5, 27, -41.537.
6. MX, (3), Christian
Szymczak(R), Palos Verdes, Calif., MX-5, 27,
-57.632.
7. MX, (10), Matt
Schultz(R), Clackamas, Ore., MX-5, 27, -1:15.275.
8. MX, (9), Brandon
Kidd, Manilius, N.Y., MX-5, 27, -1:15.445.
9. MX, (7), Tim
Probert, Houston, Texas, MX-5, 26, -1 lap.
10. MX, (11), Brent
Mosing(R), Lafayette, La., MX-5, 26, -1 lap.
11. MX, (15), Ari
Straus, Monticello, N.Y., MX-5, 26, -1 lap.
12. MX, (12), Guy
Laidig, Woodside, Calif., MX-5, 26, -1 lap.
13. MX, (14), Emilee
Tominovich(R), Clarksville, Md., MX-5, 24, -3 laps.
14. MX, (13), Beth
Chryst, Herndon, Va., MX-5, 22, Mech.
15. MX, (4), Dean
Copeland, Bowie, Md., MX-5, 5, Mech.
16. SBMX, (17),
Kenton Koch, Glendora, Calif., Barber MX-5, 27,
-47.012.
17. SBMX, (19), Bryan
Hixon, San Antonio, Texas, Barber MX-5, 27,
-1:26.665.
18. SBMX, (21), Kevin
Marshall, Truckee, Calif., Barber MX-5, 27,
-1:27.811.
19. SBMX, (20), Doug
Tuttle, Glenbrook, Nev., Barber MX-5, 26, -1 lap.
20. SBMX, (23),
Douglass Brown, Wilmington, Mass., MX-5, 23, -4
laps.
21. SBMX, (18),
Zachry Lee, San Antonio, Texas, MX-5, 17, Off
Course.
22. SBMX, (22), David
Knight, Jericho, Vt., , 9, Mech.
23. MX, (16),
Nathanial Sparks(R), Spanish Fort, Ala., MX-5, 27,
-38.487.
Time of race: 46
minutes, 29.241 seconds.
Average speed: 77.990
mph
Margin of victory:
3.001 Seconds
Lap leaders: Laps
1-6, #28 Stevan MCAleer(R); laps 7-9, #34 Christian
Szymczak(R); laps 10-27, #17 Elliott Skeer(R)
Fastest race lap: #11
Ara Malkhassian, 1:42.208 (78.827 mph)
Fastest qualifier:
#28 Stevan MCAleer(R), 1:42.372 (78.701 mph)
Pobst All the Way in Monterey Pirelli World
Challenge; Cunningham, Lamb Take Class Wins
MONTEREY, Calif. (May 11, 2012) –
Randy Pobst, of Gainesville, Ga., led all the way to
win the Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac Sports Car
Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, piloting
his Volvo S60 to the GT class win. Peter Cunningham,
of Milwaukee, Wis., captured the GTS win, while Todd
Lamb, of Atlanta, Ga., won in Touring Car.
 Starting
from the pole with his No. 6 K-PAX Racing Volvo S60,
Pobst got the holeshot on the standing start, built
a 3.5-second lead over teammate Alex Figge, of
Denver, Colo., by lap three and was never seriously
challenged to win at the undulating 11-turn,
2.358-mile circuit for the third time, and first
since 2006. It was Pobst’s first series win of the
2012 season, the 27th of his career.
“This is the
combination of so much hard work by the K-PAX Volvo
racing team and this track and the Volvo working
well together,” Pobst said after the race. “The
car’s better than ever. We had some trouble keeping
it running last year. I think they’ve got it sorted
out, though. We’re going to have some good races
with these guys for the rest of the year. Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca is just right for the Volvo with
its all-wheel drive, especially coming out of Turn
11. It just rocks off that corner!”
Pobst set a new lap
record during the race, with a 1:27.491 (92.087
mph).
Figge started third
in his No. 9 K-PAX Racing Volvo S60, but launched
into second at the start around the No. 8 Cadillac
Racing Cadillac CTS-V of Andy Pilgrim. From there,
he maintained second for the duration of the 28-lap,
62.664-mile contest, closing twice under caution,
but never forcing the issue with his teammate.
“A great day for the
team and for Volvo,” Figge said. “Andy Pilgrim was
really a gentleman, as he always is, driving clean
and his own race. That made it a lot more fun for me
as well as we had a little dice on the restart.
Other than that, it was just about putting laps in
and making sure we had a one-two for the guys.
“The restarts were
the only places to maybe try something, but the cars
don’t run really well in traffic, even behind a
similar car. Yesterday, in qualifying, it was
Randy’s day and he had the pace today. It wasn’t
going to be some easy move to go by Randy, so I
think it was better to run a clean race, take the
points and the one-two.”
Pilgrim was happy
with his third-place run, and had to hold off a
charging Lawson Aschenbach at the finish, who
started from the rear of the field in his No. 1
TruSpeed/Privacy Star/EnTrust Porsche 911 GT3 after
missing qualifying.
“Manufacturers points
is all we care about,” Pilgrim said. “Of course, I
was going to try and get to Alex Figge, because I
wanted him to be a cushion between us and the
Porsche. It just really kept me focused. Lawson
raced me fair and really close. The brakes on our
car made it for us. He didn’t make anything on us on
brakes.
“It was a really good
run. It was an elastic-band effect with Volvo. They
were slow going into the corners and rockets coming
out. I had the best shot on restarts, to try and get
Alex. He was very clean, we were bumping, but it was
clean. He gave me room and I gave him room. But once
I got to the end of the corner, they took off. I
tried, really, because I wanted to put him between
me and Lawson. Having Lawson behind me, holy smoke…I
had to just be perfect for those four or five laps
at the end. Luckily, we were.”
For his efforts,
moving from 15th on the grid to finish fourth,
Aschenbach earned the Optima Batteries Best Standing
Start award (advancing five positions on the opening
lap) as well as the Cadillac CTS-V Move of the Race.
Steve Ott, who
started sixth but moved to fourth on the opening
lap, running closely behind Figge and Pilgrim for
the first 10 laps, finished fifth in the No. 85
Racing For Our Heros/Loctite Porsche 911 GT3 to
equal his career-best.
Mike Skeen (Chevrolet
Corvette), Johnny O’Connell (Cadillac CTS-V), Justin
Marks (Porsche 911 GT3), Tomy Drissi (Porsche 911
GT3) and Bret Curtis (Porsche 911 GT3) completed the
top 10 in GT.
Cadillac drivers sit
one-two in the Championship point standings, with
O’Connell on top, with 573, followed by Pilgrim,
with 559. Pobst moved to third, with 502, followed
by Aschenbach (427) and Sofronas (409), who retired
with a mechanical problem on the front straight to
bring out the race’s first caution on lap 15.
Cadillac also
maintained the Manufacturers Championship lead over
Porsche 37 to 33, with Volvo closing the gap, with
25, followed by Chevrolet, with eight.
 Cunningham
started from his fourth-consecutive GTS class pole
position in the No. 42 Acura/HPD/RealTime Racing
Acura TSX, but saw Jack Baldwin’s No. 68 Voodoo
Ride-Invoice Prep/Hot Wheels Porsche Cayman S get
the jump from the second starting spot. It wasn’t
long, though before Cunningham made the Invisible
Glass Clean Pass of the Race to put his Acura back
up front, a position he held from lap two until the
finish to capture the first win of the new V-6
powered Acura in Pirelli World Challenge GTS
competition.
“I was pleased we had
such good speed at the start,” Cunningham said. “We
were able to get a good run out of six. We went
side-by-side up the hill and we touched a little,
but we ended up in the lead there. From there, it
was a controlled pace for a while. I could do my
laps and still be nice to the tires. Then those two
yellows, of course, we’ve been there before so we
know what can happen. The first restart was great,
and I had a good advantage after the first lap. Of
course, then the yellow came out again. After the
second restart, Jack was coming and he was doing a
great job and pressuring pretty hard and I managed
to just stay ahead of him to the checker.”
With the win, and
coupled with the retirement of pre-race point leader
Justin Bell, Cunningham took over the Championship
point lead, with 602 to Baldwin’s 552. Bell was
running in the top five in his No. 50 eBay Motors
Ford Mustang Boss 302S but was involved in a heavy
incident coming out of the last corner with Touring
Car polesitter Tristan Herbert’s No. 33
HPA/RennGruppe/Brimtek/SG Racing Volkswagen Jetta
GLI, which brought out the race’s final caution on
lap 21. Neither driver was injured.
“When I came around
and saw Justin in the wall, that was awful,”
Cunningham said. “Justin is a good friend, and you
don’t want to get points because the friend was in
the wall so that’s a bummer for that team. We’ve had
our days, too, so it was a good day points wise for
RealTime and Acura and for the drivers points. We’re
proud to get these points and carry on now to
Detroit.”
Cunningham also set a
new track record for GTS during the race, with a
fastest time of 1:34.137 (85.585 mph).
Aaron Povoledo, of
Toronto, Canada, finished third in the No. 26
CapaldiRacing.com Ford Mustang Boss 302S, passing
the No. 34 Acura/HPD/RealTime Racing Acura TSX of
Nick Esayian on the final lap of the race. Andy Lee
brought the No. 20 Best IT Chevrolet Camaro home
fifth.
Lee now sits fourth
in GTS points with 502, 24 behind Bell. Michael
Galati finished sixth in his Kia Optima and sits
fifth in points, with 391.
Acura took over the
Manufacturers Championship lead, with 32 points to
Ford’s 31, Chevrolet’s 20 and Kia’s 13.
Touring Car had the
biggest shakeup in its race, both from the starting
grid and related to the Championship.
 Herbert
started from the pole, but was jumped by the Honda
Civics of Compass360 teammates Todd Lamb (No. 71
National Karting News/HPD) and Ryan Winchester (No.
72 Ligon Industries/HPD) at the start. Point leader
Michael Cooper, who started fifth in his No. 03
Mazdaspeed Motorsports MAZDASPEED3 had contact off
the start and immediately had a flat tire,
necessitating a trip to the pit lane, dropping him
to last.
Lamb led the entire
way, but had to deal with a charging Jeff Altenburg,
of Ellicott City, Md., in his No. 43 HPA/RennGruppe
Brimtek/SG Racing Volkswagen Jetta GLI in the race’s
closing laps. Their battle was broken off in the end
by a slower GTS car that separated the two and
allowed Lamb to open up more of a gap to the
checkered flag.
“Toward the end, we
got a couple of yellows and bunched up the field a
little bit,” Lamb said. “I tried to conserve the car
for the first part of the race knowing that, toward
the end, we’d definitely be getting a yellow and
there would be a battle. We’ve struggled against the
turbos all season, so we knew they were probably
going to conserve tires and come on strong at the
end. It was a shame to see Tristan get taken out
there, but at the same time we’re here to get some
points. I had a pretty good battle with Altenburg
there at the end, we raced nice and clean but I
definitely had to be defensive and hold him off. It
was tough.”
It was Lamb’s second
Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car win of his
rookie season, and the former SCCA Pro Racing
Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup Champion took the point lead
over that series’ defending Champion Cooper, 771 to
755.
“It was a great
points day,” Lamb added. “It’s nice to win races,
but we’re here to win the Championship for Honda. A
huge step in the right direction today, so we should
be close to leading the points.”
Altenburg scored his
best finish of the year at a track that he has twice
won previously.
Winchester finished
third, his fourth-consecutive podium result.
Patrick Seguin
brought his No. 80 Theberge Homes/capsparts.com
Volkswagen GTI home fourth, followed by Shea
Holbrook’s No. 67 TrueCar.com Honda Civic Si. Cooper
salvaged a sixth-place finish after his pit stop.
Winchester’s recent
consistency has him third in points, with 558,
followed by Herbert (511) and Gustavo Michelsen
(472).
Honda leads the
Touring Car Manufacturers’ Championship, with 48
points, to Mazda’s 35. Volkswagen is third, with 26.
Today’s race will be
broadcast Sunday, May 27 at 11 p.m. (EDT) on NBC
Sports Network.
The series next
travels to Detroit for the Cadillac V-Series
Challenge at Belle Isle, part of the IZOD IndyCar
weekend, June 1-3.
Full results and
points are available at www.world-challenge.com.
Follow World
Challenge on Twitter @WCRacing. Follow World
Challenge on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/groups/pirelliworldchallenge/.
Image 1: Randy Pobst
leads the field at the start of the Pirelli World
Challenge race at Mazda Raceway Friday. (right click
image and "save as" for larger image)
Image 2: Peter
Cunningham leads the GTS field. (right click image
and "save as" for larger image)
Image 3: Todd Lamb
leads teammate Ryan Winchester in Touring Car.
(right click image and "save as" for larger image)
Credit: Mark
Weber/SCCA
MONTEREY, Calif. -
Results from Friday's 28-lap, 62.664-mile Pirelli
World Challenge Championship Cadillac Sports Car
Grand Prix of Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
with finishing position, class, starting position in
parentheses, driver, hometown, car, laps, distance
behind winner and reason out (if any).
1. GT, (1), Randy
Pobst, Gainesville, Ga., Volvo S60, 28.
2. GT, (3), Alex
Figge, Denver, Colo., Volvo S60, 28, -.699.
3. GT, (2), Andy
Pilgrim, Boca Raton, Fla., Cadillac CTS-V.R, 28,
-1.580.
4. GT, (15), Lawson
Aschenbach, Darnestown, Md., Porsche 911 GT3, 28,
-1.717.
5. GT, (6), Steve
Ott, Houston, Texas, Porsche 911 GT3, 28, -2.366.
6. GT, (16), Mike
Skeen, Charlotte, N.C., Chevrolet Corvette, 28,
-3.159.
7. GT, (7), Johnny
O'Connell, Flowery Branch, Ga., Cadillac CTS-V.R
6.2, 28, -4.510.
8. GT, (8), Justin
Marks, Davidson, N.C., Porsche 911 GT3, 28, -4.957.
9. GT, (9), Tomy
Drissi, Los Angeles, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3, 28,
-5.686.
10. GT, (13), Bret
Curtis, Lake Sherwood, Calif., Porsche 997 Cup, 28,
-9.876.
11. GT, (11), Tony
Gaples, Lincolnshire, Ill., Chevrolet Corvette, 28,
-11.128.
12. GT, (10), Jeff
Courtney, Milwaukee, Wis., Porsche GT3 Cup, 28,
-11.494.
13. GT, (12), Anders
Hainer, Hidden Hills, Calif., Audi R8, 28, -11.508.
14. GTS, (17), Peter
Cunningham, Milwaukee, Wis., Acura TSX, 28, -27.942.
15. GTS, (18), Jack
Baldwin, Marrietta, Ga., Porsche Cayman S, 28,
-28.410.
16. GTS, (23), Aaron
Povoledo, Toronto, Ontario, Ford Mustang Boss 302S,
28, -35.374.
17. GTS, (19), Nick
Esayian, San Diego, Calif., Acura TSX, 28, -36.675.
18. GTS, (21), Andy
Lee(R), Colorado Springs, Colo., Chevrolet Camaro,
28, -42.549.
19. GTS, (20),
Michael Galati, Olmsted, Ohio, Kia Optima, 28,
-44.740.
20. GTS, (26), Alec
Udell, The Woodlands, Texas, Ford Mustang Boss 302R,
28, -45.289.
21. GTS, (24), Mark
Wilkins, Aurora, Ontario, Kia Optima, 28, -45.995.
22. GTS, (25), Harry
Curtin(R), Buffalo, N.Y., Chevrolet Camaro, 28,
-53.479.
23. GTS, (27), Mark
Klenin, Lonetree, Colo., BMW E92 M3, 28, -1:03.353.
24. TC, (35), Todd
Lamb(R), Atlanta, Ga., Honda Civic Si, 27, -1 lap.
25. TC, (36), Jeff
Altenburg, Elicott City, Md., Volkswagen GLI, 27, -1
lap.
26. TC, (37), Ryan
Winchester(R), Mason City, Iowa, Honda Civic Si, 27,
-1 lap.
27. GTS, (33), Don
Istook, River Oaks, Texas, Audi TT RS, 27, -1 lap.
28. TC, (40), Patrick
Seguin, Clarence Creek, Ontario, Volkswagen GTI, 27,
-1 lap.
29. TC, (39), Shea
Holbrook, Orlando, Fla., Honda Civic Si, 27, -1 lap.
30. TC, (38), Michael
Cooper(R), Syosset, N.Y., Mazda 3, 27, -1 lap.
31. GTS, (32), Ric
Bushey, Virginia Beach, Va., Nissan 370 Z, 25, Off
Course.
32. GT, (14), Jason
Daskalos, Albuquerque, N.M., Nissan GTR, 23, -5
laps.
33. TC, (42), Gustavo
Michelsen(R), Lima Peru, , Honda Civic Si, 23, -5
laps.
34. GTS, (22), Justin
Bell, Los Angeles, Calif., Ford Mustang Boss 302S,
19, Crash.
35. GTS, (28), Brad
Adams, New Orleans, La., Ford Mustang FR500 C, 19,
Mech.
36. TC, (34), Tristan
Herbert, Reston, Va., Volkswagen GLI, 18, Crash.
37. GTS, (30), Greg
Shaffer, Harrisonburg, Va., Nissan 370 Z, 16, Mech.
38. GT, (4), James
Sofronas, Newport Beach, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3,
13, Mech.
39. GTS, (31), Dane
Moxlow, Grosse Ile, Mich., Ford Mustang Boss 302S,
11, Mech.
40. GT, (5), Dino
Crescentini, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Porsche 911
GT3, 8, Susp.
41. TC, (41), Fred
Emich, Denver, Colo., Volkswagen GLI, 8, Mech.
42. GTS, (29), Bill
Ziegler, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Mitsubishi EVO, 0,
Mech.
43. TC, (43), Robb
Holland, Denver, Colo., Volkswagen GLI, 0, DNS.
Time of race: 50
minutes, 56.177 seconds.
Average speed: 73.814
mph
Overall/GT Margin of
victory: 0.699-second
GTS Margin of
victory: 0.468-second
TC Margin of Victory:
0.659-second
Overall/GT Lap
leaders: Laps 1-28, #6 Randy Pobst
GTS Lap Leaders: Lap
1, #68 Jack Baldwin; laps 2-28, #42 Peter Cunningham
TC Lap leaders: Laps
1-27, #71 Todd Lamb
Overall/GT Fastest
race lap: #6 Randy Pobst, 1:27.491 (92.087 mph),
RECORD
GTS Fastest race lap:
#42 Peter Cunningham, 1:34.137 (85.585 mph), RECORD
TC Fastest race lap:
#71 Todd Lamb, 1:40.283 (80.340 mph)
Fastest qualifier: #6
Randy Pobst, 1:26.361 (93.292 mph)
Sunoco Hard Charger:
#80 Seguin
Optima Batteries Best
Standing Start Award: #1 Aschenbach
Cadillac CTS-V Move
of the Race: #1 Aschenbach
Invisible Glass Clean
Pass of the Race Award: #42 Cunningham
Szymczak
Tops Opening Playboy MX-5 Cup Practice At Mazda Raceway
MONTEREY,
Calif. (May 10, 2012) –
Christian Szymczak, of Palos Verdes, Calif., led the
opening practice at the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda
MX-5 Cup’s “home” race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on
Thursday.
Szymczak turned a lap of
1:42.032 (78.963 mph) in the No. 34 Projections
Research/Sick Sideways MX-5 to lead the 30-minute
practice session, the first of two on Thursday in
preparation for this weekend’s doubleheader at the
11-turn, 2.238-mile course.
The series’ all-time
leader in starts, Ara Malkhassian, was second in the
session behind the wheel of the No. 11 ALARA Garage MX-5
with a time of 1:42.229 (78.811 mph), just 0.197-second
behind Szymczak for the lead. Malkhassian may have gone
faster, but contact with another car ended his session
early.
Dean Copeland, who
battled for the lead at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca a
season ago, was third with a 1:42.678 (78.467 mph) in
the No. 7 Sync Speed Inc/Copeland Motorsports MX-5,
followed by Elliot Skeer’s No. 17 MAZDASPEED/Sparco MX-5
in 1:42.695 (78.454 mph).
John Dean, the Round Two
winner, completed the top five with a lap of 1:42.698
(78.451 mph).
In all, just 0.666-second
separated the top five times in the practice session.
David Knight led the Skip
Barber Racing School MAZDASPEED Pro Series with a time
of 1:43.632 (77.744 mph) in the No. 60 Pharmanex/Skip
Barber MX-5.
The Series returns with a
second 30-minute practice at 10:40 a.m. PDT this
morning.
More information on
the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy MX-5 Cup is available at
www.mx-5cup.com.
Follow the MX-5 Cup on
Twitter @MazdaMX5Cup.
MONTEREY, Calif. -
Results from practice session 1 for Friday's SCCA Pro
Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup Round 3 race, part of the
American Le Mans Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca,
with position, class, car number in parentheses, driver,
hometown, car, fastest lap time, and speed in miles per
hour.
1, MX, (34), Christian
Szymczak(R), Palos Verdes, Calif., MX-5, 1:42.032,
78.963.
2, MX, (11), Ara
Malkhassian, Houston, Texas, MX-5, 1:42.229, 78.811.
3, MX, (7), Dean
Copeland, Bowie, Md., MX-5, 1:42.678, 78.466.
4, MX, (17), Elliott
Skeer(R), Vista, Calif., MX-5, 1:42.695, 78.453.
5, MX, (16), John
Dean_II(R), Sebring, Fla., MX-5, 1:42.698, 78.451.
6, MX, (28), Stevan
MCAleer(R), Puntam Valley, N.Y., MX-5, 1:42.786, 78.384.
7, SBMX, (96), David
Knight, Ludlow, Vt., Barber MX-5, 1:43.632, 77.744.
8, MX, (06), Guy Laidig,
Woodside, Calif., MX-5, 1:43.763, 77.646.
9, MX, (3), Nathanial
Sparks(R), Spanish Fort, Ala., MX-5, 1:43.841, 77.587.
10, MX, (26), Tim Probert,
Houston, Texas, MX-5, 1:44.821, 76.862.
11, SBMX, (69), Zachry
Lee, San Antonio, Texas, MX-5, 1:45.030, 76.709.
12, MX, (44), Steve
Bottom, Newport Beach, Calif., MX-5, 1:45.576, 76.312.
13, MX, (10), Brent
Mosing(R), Lafayette, La., MX-5, 1:46.009, 76.001.
14, MX, (29), Brandon
Kidd, Manilius, N.Y., MX-5, 1:46.116, 75.924.
15, SBMX, (62), Doug
Tuttle, Glenbrook, Nev., Barber MX-5, 1:46.149, 75.900.
16, MX, (97), Kevin
Marshall, Truckee, Calif., Barber MX-5, 1:46.863,
75.393.
17, MX, (27), Ari Straus,
Monticello, N.Y., MX-5, 1:47.493, 74.951.
18, SBMX, (99), David
Knight, Jericho, Vt., , 1:47.572, 74.896.
19, MX, (2), Beth Chryst,
Herndon, Va., MX-5, 1:48.483, 74.267.
20, MX, (83), Matt
Schultz(R), Clackamas, Ore., MX-5, 1:49.998, 73.245.
21, SBMX, (98), Douglass
Brown, Wilmington, Mass., MX-5, 1:50.713, 72.772.
22, MX, (19), Emilee
Tominovich(R), Clarksville, Md., MX-5, 1:52.119, 71.859.
23, SBMX, (63), Bryan
Hixon, San Antonio, Texas, Barber MX-5, no time.
Copeland
Tops P2, Szymczak Quickest In Combined Playboy MX-5 Cup
Practices At Mazda Raceway
MONTEREY,
Calif. (May 10, 2012) –
Dean Copeland, of Bowie, Md., turned the fastest lap of
the second SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup
practice on Thursday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, just
off the pace of the first session of the day. Christian
Szymczak, of Palos Verdes, Calif., saw his opening time
hold up to lead the combined charts.
Copeland turned a lap of
1:42.697 (78.452 mph) in the No. 7 Sync Speed
Inc/Copeland Motorsports MX-5 during the second of the
30-minute practice sessions. With qualifying looming
later in the day, Copeland – like most of the field –
elected to use the same BFGoodrich Tires g-Force R1 in
each session and falling just shy of the 1:42.678
(78.467 mph) he set in the early session.
Szymczak was just
0.090-second behind Copeland’s practice two time, and
his lap of 1:42.032 (78.963 mph) in the No. 34
Projections Research/Sick Sideways MX-5 in practice one
was quickest on the combined charts.
“We’ve worked a lot on
the cars, and we’ve figured a lot out,” Szymczak said of
the new team, which made its debut at Sebring. “At
Sebring, we were running settings that weren’t ideal, I
think, we didn’t understand a lot about the cars. We’ve
got a great mechanic, and he tries to figure stuff out,
John [Dean] tries to figure stuff out, and try to put in
my two cents and I think we’ve learned a lot. We’re
pretty happy.
“I’m feeling pretty good.
At this point, I think it’s reasonable to think we stack
up pretty well against the competition. We might not be
on pole, but hopefully we’ll be close. If we’re on pole,
great, I’d like the 5 points. But we’ll take what we can
get, hopefully we start towards the front and have a
great race.”
Ara Malkhassian, who was
second in the first session and on the combined chart
with a time of 1:42.229 (78.811 mph) in the No. 11 ALARA
Garage MX-5, was third in practice two after his team
made the necessary repairs to the right front of his
Mazda after contact with another driver in the opening
practice.
Elliot Skeer’s No. 17
MAZDASPEED/Sparco MX-5 was fourth in both sessions. The
championship leader turned a lap of 1:42.695 (78.454
mph) for his quickest time of the day, which also came
in the first session.
John Dean, the Round Two
winner, was fifth in each session and overall after a
lap of 1:42.698 (78.451 mph) in the first session.
David Knight was the
overall leader in the Skip Barber Racing School
MAZDASPEED Pro Series with a time of 1:43.632 (77.744
mph) in the No. 60 Pharmanex/Skip Barber MX-5 during the
opening session. Zachry Lee, from San Antonio, Texas,
was quickest in practice two with a time of 1:44.674
(76.970 mph).
Qualifying for Round
Three of the season and the first of the doubleheader
weekend takes place at 2:10 p.m. on Thursday afternoon.
More information on the
SCCA Pro Racing Playboy MX-5 Cup is available at
www.mx-5cup.com.
Follow the MX-5 Cup on
Twitter @MazdaMX5Cup.
MONTEREY, Calif. -
Results from practice session 2 for Friday's SCCA Pro
Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup Round 3 race, part of the
American Le Mans Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca,
with position, class, car number in parentheses, driver,
hometown, car, fastest lap time, and speed in miles per
hour.
1, MX, (7), Dean
Copeland, Bowie, Md., MX-5, 1:42.697, 78.452.
2, MX, (34), Christian
Szymczak(R), Palos Verdes, Calif., MX-5, 1:42.787,
78.383.
3, MX, (11), Ara
Malkhassian, Houston, Texas, MX-5, 1:43.316, 77.982.
4, MX, (17), Elliott
Skeer(R), Vista, Calif., MX-5, 1:43.372, 77.939.
5, MX, (16), John
Dean_II(R), Sebring, Fla., MX-5, 1:43.420, 77.903.
6, MX, (28), Stevan
MCAleer(R), Puntam Valley, N.Y., MX-5, 1:43.666, 77.718.
7, MX, (3), Nathanial
Sparks(R), Spanish Fort, Ala., MX-5, 1:43.781, 77.632.
8, MX, (26), Tim Probert,
Houston, Texas, MX-5, 1:44.316, 77.234.
9, MX, (06), Guy Laidig,
Woodside, Calif., MX-5, 1:45.085, 76.669.
10, MX, (83), Matt
Schultz(R), Clackamas, Ore., MX-5, 1:45.666, 76.247.
11, MX, (10), Brent
Mosing(R), Lafayette, La., MX-5, 1:45.672, 76.243.
12, MX, (29), Brandon
Kidd, Manilius, N.Y., MX-5, 1:45.803, 76.149.
13, MX, (44), Steve
Bottom, Newport Beach, Calif., MX-5, 1:46.269, 75.815.
14, MX, (2), Beth Chryst,
Herndon, Va., MX-5, 1:46.544, 75.619.
15, MX, (27), Ari Straus,
Monticello, N.Y., MX-5, 1:48.443, 74.295.
16, MX, (19), Emilee
Tominovich(R), Clarksville, Md., MX-5, 1:49.385, 73.655.
17, SBMX, (69), Zachry
Lee, San Antonio, Texas, MX-5, 1:44.674, 76.970.
18, SBMX, (96), Kenton
Koch, Glendora, Calif., Barber MX-5, 1:44.686, 76.961.
19, SBMX, (62), Doug
Tuttle, Glenbrook, Nev., Barber MX-5, 1:45.394, 76.444.
20, SBMX, (97), Kevin
Marshall, Truckee, Calif., Barber MX-5, 1:45.644,
76.263.
21, SBMX, (99), David
Knight, Jericho, Vt., , 1:45.834, 76.126.
22, SBMX, (63), Bryan
Hixon, San Antonio, Texas, Barber MX-5, 1:45.836,
76.125.
23, SBMX, (98), Douglass
Brown, Wilmington, Mass., MX-5, 1:52.407, 71.675.
MONTEREY, Calif. –
Combined practice results from Thursday for this
weekend’s SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup Rounds
3 and 4 race, part of the American Le Mans Monterey at
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, with position, class, car
number in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, fastest
lap time, and speed in miles per hour.
1, MX, (34), Christian
Szymczak(R), Palos Verdes, Calif., MX-5, 1:42.032,
78.963.
2, MX, (11), Ara
Malkhassian, Houston, Texas, MX-5, 1:42.229, 78.811.
3, MX, (7), Dean
Copeland, Bowie, Md., MX-5, 1:42.678, 78.466.
4, MX, (17), Elliott
Skeer(R), Vista, Calif., MX-5, 1:42.695, 78.453.
5, MX, (16), John
Dean_II(R), Sebring, Fla., MX-5, 1:42.698, 78.451.
6, MX, (28), Stevan
MCAleer(R), Puntam Valley, N.Y., MX-5, 1:42.786, 78.384.
7, MX, (06), Guy Laidig,
Woodside, Calif., MX-5, 1:43.763, 77.646.
8, MX, (3), Nathanial
Sparks(R), Spanish Fort, Ala., MX-5, 1:43.781, 77.632.
9, MX, (26), Tim Probert,
Houston, Texas, MX-5, 1:44.316, 77.234.
10, MX, (44), Steve
Bottom, Newport Beach, Calif., MX-5, 1:45.576, 76.312.
11, MX, (83), Matt
Schultz(R), Clackamas, Ore., MX-5, 1:45.666, 76.247.
12, MX, (10), Brent
Mosing(R), Lafayette, La., MX-5, 1:45.672, 76.243.
13, MX, (29), Brandon
Kidd, Manilius, N.Y., MX-5, 1:45.803, 76.149.
14, MX, (2), Beth Chryst,
Herndon, Va., MX-5, 1:46.544, 75.619.
15, MX, (27), Ari Straus,
Monticello, N.Y., MX-5, 1:47.493, 74.951.
16, MX, (19), Emilee
Tominovich(R), Clarksville, Md., MX-5, 1:49.385, 73.655.
17, SBMX, (96), Kenton
Koch, Glendora, Calif., Barber MX-5, 1:43.632, 77.744.
18, SBMX, (69), Zachry
Lee, San Antonio, Texas, MX-5, 1:44.674, 76.970.
19, SBMX, (62), Doug
Tuttle, Glenbrook, Nev., Barber MX-5, 1:45.394, 76.444.
20, SBMX, (97), Kevin
Marshall, Truckee, Calif., Barber MX-5, 1:45.644,
76.263.
21, SBMX, (99), David
Knight, Jericho, Vt., , 1:45.834, 76.126.
22, SBMX, (63), Bryan
Hixon, San Antonio, Texas, Barber MX-5, 1:45.836,
76.125.
23, SBMX, (98), Douglass
Brown, Wilmington, Mass., MX-5, 1:50.713, 72.772.
Pobst,
Cunningham and Herbert Top Mazda Raceway Practice Two
MONTEREY,
Calif. (May 10, 2012) –
As the track warmed for the second practice Thursday at
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, the all-wheel-drive Volvo
S60s shined in GT and topped the session in preparation
for Friday’s Cadillac Sports Car Grand Prix, the fourth
stop of the 2012 Pirelli World Challenge Championships.
Randy Pobst, of
Gainesville, Ga., and Alex Figge, of Denver, Colo.,
finished one-two in their K-PAX Volvo S60s, with Pobst
turning a 1:27.420 (92.162 mph), just 0.052-second ahead
of his teammate. As he did in the morning session, Peter
Cunningham, of Milwaukee, Wis., topped the GTS class,
and Tristan Herbert, of Reston, Va., was quickest in
Touring Car.
Following the pair of
Volvos was a pair of Porsches, with Dino Crescentini, of
Manhattan Beach, Calif., placing his No. 4 StopTech
Porsche 911 GT3 third on the time sheets with a 1:27.817
(91.745 mph), and Tomy Drissi, of Los Angeles, turning a
1:27.875 (91.684 mph) in his No. 47 Ice Age Porsche 911
GT3.
Morning practice leader
Andy Pilgrim, of Boca Raton, Fla., was fifth quickest in
his No. 8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V.R with a lap of
1:27.984 (91.571), a full 1.271 seconds slower than he
went in cooler temperatures. Pilgrim’s 1:26.713 (92.913
mph) stood as the quickest time overall leading into
this afternoon’s qualifying session.
Cunningham was the only
driver to top his class in each practice session,
piloting the No. 42 Acura/HPD/RealTime Racing Acura TSX
to the top time in the late morning session of 1:33.771
(85.920 mph). The time was well behind the 1:32.950
(86.679 mph) he ran in the morning, the only driver in
GTS to run a lap in the 1:32s.
“Our Acuras have always
been really good here, and the difference this year is
that we’ve got a V6 engine that makes the straightaways
shorter,” Cunningham said. “We’re going to try to
convert this speed into some good points this weekend.
The V6 affects the balance in a couple of corners, but
not as much as we expected.”
Third in the morning
session, Jack Baldwin ran the second-fastest time in
practice two, a 1:34.323 (85.417 mph) in the No. 68
Voodoo Ride-Invoice Prep/Hot Wheels Porsche Cayman S.
Point leader Justin Bell (No. 50 eBay Motors Ford
Mustang Boss 302S) was third fastest in the second
session with a 1:34.696 (85.080 mph). New to World
Challenge this weekend, Mark Wilkins, of Aurora,
Ontario, was fourth in the No. 38 Kia Motors America Kia
Optmia, with a 1:34.816 (84.973 mph), followed by Aaron
Povoledo, of Toronto, Ontario, with a 1:34.985 (84.821
mph) in the No. 26 CapaldiRacing.com Ford Mustang Boss
302S.
After sitting out the
opening practice session, Herbert topped the Touring Car
charts with his No. 33 HPA/RennGruppe/Brimtek/SG Racing
Volkswagen GLI with a 1:39.965 (80.596 mph). Michael
Cooper finished second in both sessions, turning a
1:40.155 (80.443 mph) in practice two in the No. 03
MAZDASPEED Motorsports MAZDASPEED3. Practice One leader
Todd Lamb was third quickest in the No. 71 National
Karting News/HPD Honda Civic, with a 1:40.452 (80.205
mph).
Lamb’s 1:39.257 (81.171
mph) was tops for the class entering this afternoon’s
qualifying session.
Qualifying for Friday’s
Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac Sports Car Grand Prix
is set for 2:50 p.m. (PDT) this afternoon. The Cadillac
Sports Car Grand Prix makes its standing start at 12:20
p.m. (PDT) Friday. View the race live at
www.world-challengetv.com.
For all series
information, please visit www.world-challenge.com.
Follow World Challenge on Twitter @WCRacing and on
Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/pirelliworldchallenge/.
Attached: Peter
Cunningham led both practice sessions in GTS.
Credit: Mark Weber/SCCA
MONTEREY, Calif. -
Results from practice session two in preparation for
Friday’s Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac Sports Car
Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, with position,
class, car number in parentheses, driver, hometown, car,
fastest lap time, and speed in miles per hour.
1, GT, (6), Randy Pobst,
Gainesville, Ga., Volvo S60, 1:27.420, 92.162.
2, GT, (9), Alex Figge,
Denver, Colo., Volvo S60, 1:27.472, 92.107.
3, GT, (4), Dino
Crescentini, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3,
1:27.817, 91.745.
4, GT, (47), Tomy Drissi,
Los Angeles, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3, 1:27.875, 91.684.
5, GT, (8), Andy Pilgrim,
Boca Raton, Fla., Cadillac CTS-V.R, 1:27.984, 91.571.
6, GT, (46), Justin
Marks, Davidson, N.C., Porsche 911 GT3, 1:28.197,
91.350.
7, GT, (02), Mike Skeen,
Charlotte, N.C., Chevrolet Corvette, 1:28.303, 91.240.
8, GT, (3), Johnny
O'Connell, Flowery Branch, Ga., Cadillac CTS-V.R 6.2,
1:28.356, 91.185.
9, GT, (32), Bret Curtis,
Lake Sherwood, Calif., Porsche 997 Cup, 1:28.534,
91.002.
10, GT, (40), Anders
Hainer, Hidden Hills, Calif., Audi R8, 1:28.626, 90.907.
11, GT, (14), James
Sofronas, Newport Beach, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3,
1:28.872, 90.656.
12, GT, (11), Tony Gaples,
Lincolnshire, Ill., Chevrolet Corvette, 1:29.070,
90.454.
13, GT, (99), Jeff
Courtney, Milwaukee, Wis., Porsche GT3 Cup, 1:29.659,
89.860.
14, GT, (85), Steve Ott,
Houston, Texas, Porsche 911 GT3, 1:29.726, 89.793.
15, GT, (12), Jason
Daskalos, Albuquerque, N.M., Nissan GTR, 1:33.209,
86.438.
16, GTS, (42), Peter
Cunningham, Milwaukee, Wis., Acura TSX, 1:33.771,
85.920.
17, GTS, (68), Jack
Baldwin, Marrietta, Ga., Porsche Cayman S, 1:34.323,
85.417.
18, GTS, (50), Justin
Bell, Los Angeles, Calif., Ford Mustang Boss 302S,
1:34.696, 85.080.
19, GTS, (38), Mark
Wilkins, Aurora, Ontario, Kia Optima, 1:34.816, 84.973.
20, GTS, (26), Aaron
Povoledo, Toronto, Ontario, Ford Mustang Boss 302S,
1:34.985, 84.821.
21, GTS, (20), Andy Lee(R),
Colorado Springs, Colo., Chevrolet Camaro, 1:35.115,
84.705.
22, GTS, (36), Michael
Galati, Olmstead, Ohio, Kia Optima, 1:35.334, 84.511.
23, GTS, (34), Nick
Esayian, San Diego, Calif., Acura TSX, 1:35.725, 84.166.
24, GTS, (16), Alec Udell,
The Woodlands, Texas, Ford Mustang Boss 302R, 1:36.059,
83.873.
25, GTS, (96), Brad
Adams, New Orleans, La., Ford Mustang FR500 C, 1:36.373,
83.600.
26, GTS, (29), Harry
Curtin(R), Buffalo, N.Y., Chevrolet Camaro, 1:36.707,
83.311.
27, GTS, (62), Mark
Klenin, Lonetree, Colo., BMW E92 M3, 1:36.851, 83.187.
28, GTS, (51), Ric Bushey,
Virginia Beach, Va., Nissan 370 Z, 1:39.324, 81.116.
29, GTS, (48), Dane
Moxlow, Grosse Ile, Mich., Ford Mustang Boss 302S,
1:39.586, 80.903.
30, TC, (33), Tristan
Herbert, Reston, Va., Volkswagen GLI, 1:39.965, 80.596.
31, TC, (03), Michael
Cooper(R), Syosset, N.Y., Mazda 3, 1:40.155, 80.443.
32, GTS, (52), Greg
Shaffer, Harrisonburg, Va., Nissan 370 Z, 1:40.171,
80.430.
33, TC, (71), Todd Lamb(R),
Atlanta, Ga., Honda Civic Si, 1:40.452, 80.205.
34, TC, (72), Ryan
Winchester(R), Mason City, Iowa, Honda Civic Si,
1:40.608, 80.081.
35, TC, (43), Jeff
Altenburg, Elicott City, Md., Volkswagen GLI, 1:40.929,
79.826.
36, TC, (69), Gustavo
Michelsen(R), Lima Peru, , Honda Civic Si, 1:41.573,
79.320.
37, TC, (67), Shea
Holbrook, Orlando, Fla., Honda Civic Si, 1:41.884,
79.078.
38, TC, (88), Robb
Holland, Denver, Colo., Volkswagen GLI, 1:42.349,
78.718.
39, TC, (87), Fred Emich,
Denver, Colo., Volkswagen GLI, 1:42.379, 78.695.
40, TC, (80), Patrick
Seguin, Clarence Creek, Ontario, Volkswagen GTI,
1:42.790, 78.381.
41, GTS, (01), Don
Istook, River Oaks, Texas, Audi TT RS, 1:44.945, 76.771.
42, GTS, (95), Bill
Ziegler, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Mitsubishi EVO,
6:53.018, 19.507.
43, GT, (1), Lawson
Aschenbach, Darnestown, Md., Porsche 911 GT3, no time.
Lamb’s teammate, Ryan
Winchester (No. 72 Ligon Industries/HPD Honda Civic) was
fourth fastest, with a 1:40.608 (80.081 mph), followed
by Jeff Altenburg, of Ellicott City, Md., in the No. 43
HPA/RennGruppe/Brimtek/SG Racing Volkswagen GLI, with a
1:40.929 (79.826 mph).
MONTEREY, Calif. –
Combined practice session results for the Pirelli World
Challenge Cadillac Sports Car Grand Prix at Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca, with position, class, car number in
parentheses, driver, hometown, car, fastest lap time,
and speed in miles per hour.
1, GT, (8), Andy Pilgrim,
Boca Raton, Fla., Cadillac CTS-V.R, 1:26.713, 92.913.
2, GT, (9), Alex Figge,
Denver, Colo., Volvo S60, 1:26.755, 92.868.
3, GT, (14), James
Sofronas, Newport Beach, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3,
1:27.137, 92.461.
4, GT, (6), Randy Pobst,
Gainesville, Ga., Volvo S60, 1:27.277, 92.313.
5, GT, (4), Dino
Crescentini, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3,
1:27.804, 91.759.
6, GT, (3), Johnny
O'Connell, Flowery Branch, Ga., Cadillac CTS-V.R 6.2,
1:27.859, 91.701.
7, GT, (47), Tomy Drissi,
Los Angeles, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3, 1:27.875, 91.684.
8, GT, (46), Justin
Marks, Davidson, N.C., Porsche 911 GT3, 1:27.886,
91.673.
9, GT, (02), Mike Skeen,
Charlotte, N.C., Chevrolet Corvette, 1:28.303, 91.240.
10, GT, (32), Bret
Curtis, Lake Sherwood, Calif., Porsche 997 Cup,
1:28.368, 91.173.
11, GT, (99), Jeff
Courtney, Milwaukee, Wis., Porsche GT3 Cup, 1:28.455,
91.083.
12, GT, (85), Steve Ott,
Houston, Texas, Porsche 911 GT3, 1:28.521, 91.015.
13, GT, (40), Anders
Hainer, Hidden Hills, Calif., Audi R8, 1:28.626, 90.907.
14, GT, (11), Tony Gaples,
Lincolnshire, Ill., Chevrolet Corvette, 1:29.070,
90.454.
15, GT, (12), Jason
Daskalos, Albuquerque, N.M., Nissan GTR, 1:31.643,
87.915.
16, GTS, (42), Peter
Cunningham, Milwaukee, Wis., Acura TSX, 1:32.950,
86.678.
17, GTS, (34), Nick
Esayian, San Diego, Calif., Acura TSX, 1:33.440, 86.224.
18, GTS, (68), Jack
Baldwin, Marrietta, Ga., Porsche Cayman S, 1:33.723,
85.964.
19, GTS, (20), Andy Lee(R),
Colorado Springs, Colo., Chevrolet Camaro, 1:33.962,
85.745.
20, GTS, (36), Michael
Galati, Olmstead, Ohio, Kia Optima, 1:34.293, 85.444.
21, GTS, (38), Mark
Wilkins, Aurora, Ontario, Kia Optima, 1:34.337, 85.404.
22, GTS, (50), Justin
Bell, Los Angeles, Calif., Ford Mustang Boss 302S,
1:34.696, 85.080.
23, GTS, (26), Aaron
Povoledo, Toronto, Ontario, Ford Mustang Boss 302S,
1:34.985, 84.821.
24, GTS, (16), Alec Udell,
The Woodlands, Texas, Ford Mustang Boss 302R, 1:36.059,
83.873.
25, GTS, (96), Brad
Adams, New Orleans, La., Ford Mustang FR500 C, 1:36.373,
83.600.
26, GTS, (29), Harry
Curtin(R), Buffalo, N.Y., Chevrolet Camaro, 1:36.707,
83.311.
27, GTS, (62), Mark
Klenin, Lonetree, Colo., BMW E92 M3, 1:36.851, 83.187.
28, GTS, (52), Greg
Shaffer, Harrisonburg, Va., Nissan 370 Z, 1:39.105,
81.295.
29, TC, (71), Todd Lamb(R),
Atlanta, Ga., Honda Civic Si, 1:39.257, 81.171.
30, GTS, (51), Ric Bushey,
Virginia Beach, Va., Nissan 370 Z, 1:39.324, 81.116.
31, GTS, (48), Dane
Moxlow, Grosse Ile, Mich., Ford Mustang Boss 302S,
1:39.586, 80.903.
32, TC, (03), Michael
Cooper(R), Syosset, N.Y., Mazda 3, 1:39.687, 80.821.
33, TC, (33), Tristan
Herbert, Reston, Va., Volkswagen GLI, 1:39.965, 80.596.
34, TC, (72), Ryan
Winchester(R), Mason City, Iowa, Honda Civic Si,
1:40.607, 80.082.
35, TC, (69), Gustavo
Michelsen(R), Lima Peru, , Honda Civic Si, 1:40.650,
80.047.
36, TC, (43), Jeff
Altenburg, Elicott City, Md., Volkswagen GLI, 1:40.929,
79.826.
37, TC, (80), Patrick
Seguin, Clarence Creek, Ontario, Volkswagen GTI,
1:41.794, 79.148.
38, TC, (67), Shea
Holbrook, Orlando, Fla., Honda Civic Si, 1:41.884,
79.078.
39, TC, (88), Robb
Holland, Denver, Colo., Volkswagen GLI, 1:42.349,
78.718.
40, TC, (87), Fred Emich,
Denver, Colo., Volkswagen GLI, 1:42.379, 78.695.
41, GTS, (01), Don
Istook, River Oaks, Texas, Audi TT RS, 1:44.945, 76.771.
42, GTS, (95), Bill
Ziegler, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Mitsubishi EVO,
1:59.371, 67.493.
43, GT, (1), Lawson
Aschenbach, Darnestown, Md., Porsche 911 GT3, no time.
McAleer
Earns Season’s Second Playboy MX-5 Cup Pole at Mazda
Raceway
MONTEREY,
Calif. (May 10, 2012) –
Steven McAleer, a Scotland native now living in Putnam
Valley, N.Y., earned the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda
MX-5 Cup pole on Thursday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
and will start Friday’s Round Three race from the front
row.
McAleer was outside of
the top five in both practice sessions earlier in the
day, and was unsure how quick his No. 28 CJ Wilson
Children’s Charities/Blue Mercury Mazda MX-5 was going
to be. When his second lap showed a 1:42.372 (78.701
mph), McAleer pulled into pit lane and watched as his
fast lap held up for his second pole of the young
season.
The pole position also
gets McAleer an additional five bonus points in the
Championship, which moved him from third to a one-point
advantage in a very tight early battle over Elliot Skeer
and John Dean (three back).
“I’ll be honest, we were
a little bit optimistic,” McAleer said of the session.
“We seemed to be lacking a little bit of speed to some
of the cars in the last session. I just went out to make
sure my laps were clean, and if we ended up fourth or
fifth that’s as good as we could hope for.
“I got my head down to
about a 42.3, and had a big massive slide in the next
corner and said ok, that seems to be good enough for
right now. I just came in and sat nervously and watched
the times get closer and closer, but I’m super happy to
be on the pole at Mazda Raceway.”
Between the bonus points
and the up front starting position, the pole is
especially important on the 11-turn, 2.238-mile track.
“Track position is
critical here,” McAleer said. “I was out with a couple
of cars in the last session that were substantially
slower, and it’s really not that easy to pass on this
track with these cars. Track position is everything.
It’s nice to start on the pole. I’m pretty excited.”
Skeer, McAleer’s CJ
Wilson Racing teammate, will make Friday morning’s
standing start on the outside of row one. Skeer’s No. 17
MAZDASPEED/Sparco/Pelican Windows & Doors MX-5 turned a
lap of 1:42.401 (78.679 mph), falling just 0.029-second
behind McAleer.
Christian Szymczak, who
was fastest in the morning practice session, will start
third in the No. 34 Projections Research/Sick Sideways
MX-5 after a time of 1:42.581 (78.540 mph). His time,
like most in the session, were slower than this
morning’s session as the track has gotten warmer.
Dean Copeland turned the
fastest lap of the race a season ago at Mazda Raceway
Laguna Seca and will start on the outside of row two
after a lap of 1:42.680 (78.465 mph) in the No. 7
Copeland Motorsports/SyncSpeed MX-5.
Starting fifth is the
Series’ all-time leader in fast race laps, Ara
Malkhassian, after a 1:42.781 (78.388 mph) in the No. 11
ALARA Garage MX-5.
Kenton Koch, from
Glendora, Calif., will start up front for the Skip
Barber Racing School MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge class
running concurrently with the MX-5 Cup.
The first of two
45-minute races this weekend, Round Three on the season,
will begin at 8:10 a.m. on Friday morning.
More information on
the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy MX-5 Cup is available at
www.mx-5cup.com.
Follow the MX-5 Cup on
Twitter @MazdaMX5Cup.
Monterey, Calif. -
Starting lineup for Friday's SCCA Pro Racing Playboy
Mazda MX-5 Cup Round 3 race, part of the American Le
Mans Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, with
position, class, car number in parentheses, driver,
hometown, car, fastest lap time, and speed in miles per
hour.
1, MX, (28), Stevan
MCAleer(R), Puntam Valley, N.Y., MX-5, 1:42.372, 78.701.
2, MX, (17), Elliott
Skeer(R), Vista, Calif., MX-5, 1:42.401, 78.679.
3, MX, (34), Christian
Szymczak(R), Palos Verdes, Calif., MX-5, 1:42.581,
78.540.
4, MX, (7), Dean
Copeland, Bowie, Md., MX-5, 1:42.680, 78.465.
5, MX, (11), Ara
Malkhassian, Houston, Texas, MX-5, 1:42.781, 78.388.
6, MX, (44), Steve
Bottom, Newport Beach, Calif., MX-5, 1:44.158, 77.351.
7, MX, (26), Tim Probert,
Houston, Texas, MX-5, 1:44.408, 77.166.
8, MX, (16), John
Dean_II(R), Sebring, Fla., MX-5, 1:44.459, 77.128.
9, MX, (29), Brandon
Kidd, Manilius, N.Y., MX-5, 1:44.561, 77.053.
10, MX, (83), Matt
Schultz(R), Clackamas, Ore., MX-5, 1:45.312, 76.504.
11, MX, (10), Brent
Mosing(R), Lafayette, La., MX-5, 1:45.721, 76.208.
12, MX, (06), Guy Laidig,
Woodside, Calif., MX-5, 1:45.745, 76.190.
13, MX, (2), Beth Chryst,
Herndon, Va., MX-5, 1:46.509, 75.644.
14, MX, (19), Emilee
Tominovich(R), Clarksville, Md., MX-5, 1:47.191, 75.163.
15, MX, (27), Ari Straus,
Monticello, N.Y., MX-5, 1:47.840, 74.710.
16, MX, (3), Nathanial
Sparks(R), Spanish Fort, Ala., MX-5, no time.
17, SBMX, (96), Kenton
Koch, Glendora, Calif., Barber MX-5, 1:44.173, 77.340.
18, SBMX, (69), Zachry
Lee, San Antonio, Texas, MX-5, 1:45.210, 76.578.
19, SBMX, (63), Bryan
Hixon, San Antonio, Texas, Barber MX-5, 1:45.331,
76.490.
20, SBMX, (62), Doug
Tuttle, Glenbrook, Nev., Barber MX-5, 1:45.461, 76.396.
21, SBMX, (97), Kevin
Marshall, Truckee, Calif., Barber MX-5, 1:45.985,
76.018.
22, SBMX, (99), David
Knight, Jericho, Vt., , 1:46.459, 75.679.
23, SBMX, (98), Douglass
Brown, Wilmington, Mass., MX-5, 1:51.263, 72.412.
Pobst
Charges to Monterey Pirelli World Challenge GT Pole,
Cunningham, Herbert Pace GTS, TC
MONTEREY,
Calif. (May 10, 2012) –
Randy Pobst, of Gainesville, Ga., captured his 37th
Pirelli World Challenge pole, and will lead the GT field
for Friday’s Cadillac Sports Car Grand Prix at Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca. Peter Cunningham, of Milwaukee,
Wis., and Tristan Herbert, of Reston, Va., earned the
pole positions for the GTS and Touring Car classes,
respectively.
Driving the No. 6 K-PAX
Racing Volvo S60, Pobst earned his second-consecutive
Pirelli World Challenge pole at Mazda Raceway Laguna
Seca, turning a 1:26.361 (93.292 mph) on his third lap
to eclipse the No. 8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V.R.
“For our K-PAX Racing
Volvo, it really comes down to balance,” Pobst said.
“Dax Raub and Will Moody really found the balance for me
today. The car is so fast on the entry to corners, the
challenge is getting the car to keep turning as we come
out of the corners. Today, the balance was really good.”
Pobst’s lap was
0.862-second slower than his track record from 2011 in
the same car, something that has the 2002 and 2006 Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca World Challenge GT winner puzzled.
“The laps feel fast but
when we look at the data, things are just a little off,”
Pobst said. “Maybe once the American Le Mans cars run,
there will be more grip. If the track has less grip,
that helps our K-PAX Volvos, which are the only
all-wheel drive cars in the Pirelli World Challenge GT
series.”
After topping practice in
the morning, Pilgrim, of Boca Raton, Fla., set the time
to beat on his first lap, lowering it again on his
second lap. After turning that 1:26.682 (92.947 mph),
Pilgrim headed to the pit lane to preserve his tires for
the race. Unfortunately for him, Pobst went 0.321-second
faster the next time around.
Mike Skeen, of Charlotte,
N.C., was third fastest, running a 1:26.753 (92.870 mph)
eight laps into his session in the No. 02 Hawk
Performance Chevrolet Corvette. Pobst’s teammate Alex
Figge, of Denver, Colo., was fourth with a 1:26.773
(92.849 mph) in his No. 9 K-PAX Racing Volvo S60. James
Sofronas, of Newport Beach, Calif., completed the top
five in his No. 14 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 with a lap
of 1:26.903 (92.710 mph).
Cunningham earned his
record-extending 48th career Pirelli World Challenge
pole and his fourth-consecutive in GTS in the No. 42
Acura/HPD/RealTime Racing Acura TSX. His record-breaking
lap of 1:33.094 (86.544 mph) came on his first flying
lap, and then he reported to the pit lane.
When he reported to pit
lane, he was more than a second clear of the field, but
the gap closed over the next 10 minutes, with Jack
Baldwin ultimately turning a 1:33.125 (86.516 mph)—just
0.031-second behind Cunningham.
“I had a perfect lap and
I knew that the tires were going to be at their best on
that first lap,” Cunningham said. “If you take a second
lap, or additional laps, you can drive better, but the
time won’t be there. So, I knew we had a representative
lap without any mistakes. We were pretty sure that was
all we could do. But then as Jack [Baldwin] did a great
job of getting to within 31 thousandths, we thought we’d
go and try again and I was four tenths slower. So either
the track was off a little bit or the sweet spot of my
tires was lost.
“Monterey is very nice
this time of year and the Acuras always like coming
here. We knew this was going to be a track that we could
do well at. Now the goal is just to take that starting
position and convert it into a win tomorrow.”
While Cunningham has four
poles in five races, he has yet to win this year, since
converting the Acura TSXs to V6 power.
Cunningham’s RealTime
Racing teammate Nick Esayian qualified third in his No.
34 Acura/HPD/RealTime Racing Acura TSX with a 1:33.752
(85.937 mph).
Michael Galati, of
Olmsted, Ohio, qualified his No. 36 Kia Motors America
Kia Optima fourth, followed by the series’ most recent
winner, Andy Lee, of Colorado Springs, Colo., in his No.
20 Best IT Chevrolet Camaro.
Herbert captured his
second pole position of the Pirelli World Challenge
Touring Car season, the third of his career, turning a
best time of 1:39.156 (81.253 mph) in his No. 33 HPA/RennGruppe/Brimtek/SG
Racing Volkswagen GLI.
“We’ve got a really fast
car,” Herbert said. “I was on the ragged edge on a
couple of those laps. I dropped the wheels in, went
totally sideways in the sand. I just tried to push it
too much before the car warmed up and the tires got hot.
I caught it, thank God, but it was almost the end of the
weekend for sure.
“I calmed down, relaxed a
little bit and started hitting the marks. I started
picking up speed, putting down lap times, and
progressively working on it. I knew some of the trouble
spots on this track for me, and hit them perfectly. I
could tell it was going to be a fast lap. After that, I
didn’t think I was going to go any faster. I couldn’t
push the car any further, so I just brought it in to
save it for tomorrow.”
Todd Lamb earned the
outside front row starting position in Touring Car with
a best time of 1:39.597 (80.894 mph) in his No. 71
National Karting News/HPD Honda Civic Si. Herbert’s
teammate, former Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Touring Car
winner Jeff Altenburg, of Ellicott City, Md., qualified
third in the No. 43 HPA/RennGruppe/Brimtek/SG Racing
Volkswagen GLI with a 1:39.689 (80.819 mph).
Ryan Winchester (No. 72
Ligon Industries/HPD Honda Civic Si) and point leader
Michael Cooper (No. 03 Mazdaspeed Motorsports
MAZDASPEED3) completed the top five.
Friday’s Cadillac Sports
Car Grand Prix Pirelli World Challenge Championship race
will make its standing start at Mazda Raceway Laguna
Seca Friday at 12:20 p.m. (PDT). Watch live at
www.world-challengetv.com or Sunday, May 27 at 11 p.m.
(EDT) on NBC Sports Network.
Follow Pirelli World
Challenge on Twitter @WCRacing or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/pirelliworldchallenge/.
Attached: Images of
Pirelli World Challenge polesitters Randy Pobst, Peter
Cunningham and Tristan Herbert.
Credit: Mark Weber/SCCA
Images
MONTEREY, Calif. -
Starting lineup for Friday's Pirelli World Challenge
Cadillac Sports Car Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna
Seca with position, class, car number in parentheses,
driver, hometown, car, fastest lap time, and speed in
miles per hour.
1, GT, (6), Randy Pobst,
Gainesville, Ga., Volvo S60, 1:26.361, 93.292.
2, GT, (8), Andy Pilgrim,
Boca Raton, Fla., Cadillac CTS-V.R, 1:26.682, 92.946.
3, GT, (02), Mike Skeen,
Charlotte, N.C., Chevrolet Corvette, 1:26.753, 92.870.
4, GT, (9), Alex Figge,
Denver, Colo., Volvo S60, 1:26.773, 92.849.
5, GT, (14), James
Sofronas, Newport Beach, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3,
1:26.903, 92.710.
6, GT, (4), Dino
Crescentini, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3,
1:27.265, 92.325.
7, GT, (85), Steve Ott,
Houston, Texas, Porsche 911 GT3, 1:27.311, 92.277.
8, GT, (3), Johnny
O'Connell, Flowery Branch, Ga., Cadillac CTS-V.R 6.2,
1:27.397, 92.186.
9, GT, (46), Justin
Marks, Davidson, N.C., Porsche 911 GT3, 1:27.441,
92.139.
10, GT, (47), Tomy Drissi,
Los Angeles, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3, 1:28.005, 91.549.
11, GT, (99), Jeff
Courtney, Milwaukee, Wis., Porsche GT3 Cup, 1:28.154,
91.394.
12, GT, (11), Tony Gaples,
Lincolnshire, Ill., Chevrolet Corvette, 1:28.221,
91.325.
13, GT, (40), Anders
Hainer, Hidden Hills, Calif., Audi R8, 1:28.369, 91.172.
14, GT, (32), Bret
Curtis, Lake Sherwood, Calif., Porsche 997 Cup,
1:28.490, 91.047.
15, GT, (12), Jason
Daskalos, Albuquerque, N.M., Nissan GTR, 1:31.048,
88.489.
16, GT, (1), Lawson
Aschenbach, Darnestown, Md., Porsche 911 GT3, no time.
17, GTS, (42), Peter
Cunningham, Milwaukee, Wis., Acura TSX, 1:33.094,
86.544.
18, GTS, (68), Jack
Baldwin, Marrietta, Ga., Porsche Cayman S, 1:33.125,
86.516.
19, GTS, (34), Nick
Esayian, San Diego, Calif., Acura TSX, 1:33.752, 85.937.
20, GTS, (36), Michael
Galati, Olmstead, Ohio, Kia Optima, 1:33.878, 85.822.
21, GTS, (20), Andy Lee(R),
Colorado Springs, Colo., Chevrolet Camaro, 1:34.165,
85.560.
22, GTS, (50), Justin
Bell, Los Angeles, Calif., Ford Mustang Boss 302S,
1:34.369, 85.375.
23, GTS, (26), Aaron
Povoledo, Toronto, Ontario, Ford Mustang Boss 302S,
1:34.409, 85.339.
24, GTS, (38), Mark
Wilkins, Aurora, Ontario, Kia Optima, 1:34.988, 84.819.
25, GTS, (29), Harry
Curtin(R), Buffalo, N.Y., Chevrolet Camaro, 1:35.581,
84.293.
26, GTS, (16), Alec Udell,
The Woodlands, Texas, Ford Mustang Boss 302R, 1:35.937,
83.980.
27, GTS, (62), Mark
Klenin, Lonetree, Colo., BMW E92 M3, 1:36.068, 83.865.
28, GTS, (96), Brad
Adams, New Orleans, La., Ford Mustang FR500 C, 1:36.130,
83.811.
29, GTS, (95), Bill
Ziegler, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Mitsubishi EVO,
1:36.200, 83.750.
30, GTS, (52), Greg
Shaffer, Harrisonburg, Va., Nissan 370 Z, 1:37.561,
82.582.
31, GTS, (48), Dane
Moxlow, Grosse Ile, Mich., Ford Mustang Boss 302S,
1:37.800, 82.380.
32, GTS, (51), Ric Bushey,
Virginia Beach, Va., Nissan 370 Z, 1:38.110, 82.120.
33, GTS, (01), Don
Istook, River Oaks, Texas, Audi TT RS, 1:39.595, 80.895.
34, TC, (33), Tristan
Herbert, Reston, Va., Volkswagen GLI, 1:39.156, 81.253.
35, TC, (71), Todd Lamb(R),
Atlanta, Ga., Honda Civic Si, 1:39.597, 80.894.
36, TC, (43), Jeff
Altenburg, Elicott City, Md., Volkswagen GLI, 1:39.689,
80.819.
37, TC, (72), Ryan
Winchester(R), Mason City, Iowa, Honda Civic Si,
1:39.914, 80.637.
38, TC, (03), Michael
Cooper(R), Syosset, N.Y., Mazda 3, 1:39.927, 80.626.
39, TC, (67), Shea
Holbrook, Orlando, Fla., Honda Civic Si, 1:40.539,
80.136.
40, TC, (80), Patrick
Seguin, Clarence Creek, Ontario, Volkswagen GTI,
1:40.589, 80.096.
41, TC, (87), Fred Emich,
Denver, Colo., Volkswagen GLI, 1:40.620, 80.071.
42, TC, (69), Gustavo
Michelsen(R), Lima Peru, , Honda Civic Si, 1:41.433,
79.429.
43, TC, (88), Robb
Holland, Denver, Colo., Volkswagen GLI, no time.
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