Audi swept the top three starting positions for Saturday's ALMS season opener, the 12 Hours of Sebring. Photo courtesy ALMS
Andre Lotterer led an Audi sweep of the top three positions in qualifying Friday for the 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. It was an expected result for the mighty trio of diesel-powered prototypes, and Lotterer led the German factory squad with a lap of 1:45.820 (127.235 mph) in the Audi R18 he drives with Benoit Treluyer and Marcel Fassler. The three seek to add a Sebring victory to their win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last year.
Lotterer led a 64-car qualifying grid that combines the fields of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Tom Kristensen qualified second at 1:46.215 (126.762 mph) with Romain Dumas 0.72 seconds further back. Lotterer’s quick lap was more than enough to offset an early-session penalty for speeding in pit lane.
“Usually the pit limiter is always on, but it wasn’t that time. That was my mistake for not noticing. It didn’t really make my life more difficult. The car ran great and I was able to get in a good lap. This pole is really nice for the staff as the guys work so hard to prepare for this race.”
After the three Audis, Muscle Milk Pickett Racing’s Klaus Graf was the fastest non-diesel entry at 1:47.536 (125.205 mph). He drives the team’s HPD ARX-03a with Lucas Luhr and Simon Pagenaud. Graf was the quickest qualifier from the ALMS, and his performance was remarkable given that the Muscle Milk got its car less than two months ago.
“A new car is always a lot of work,” Graf said. “Everyone involved such as Wirth Research, HPD and the Muscle Milk Pickett Racing have put a lot of effort into it for this event. It was a big effort to first get the car running, then testing and how to set up. And now this is a reward for us including our partners, Michelin, with the tires. This is a small team for a 12-hour race. This gives us motivation for the whole team. Our team has worked more than 100 hours since we got here on Saturday. It is so hard to prepare these cars for a race like this one since they are so new.”
P1 cars took the top 10 spots. Olivier Pla was the quickest P2 qualifier thanks to a lap of 1:50.467 (121.883 mph) in Oak Racing’s Morgan-Judd. He was 0.356 seconds clear of ex-Peugeot factory driver Stephane Sarrazin in Starworks Motorsports’ HPD ARX-03b. Elton Julian, a regular last year in the ALMS’ Prototype Challenge class, was third in P2 qualifying Friday at 1:51.809 (120.420 mph).
“I had a chance to test here before, so I had a pretty good idea of the circuit,” Pla said. “I was really looking forward to racing here. The car is amazing. We had an incident on Monday and our team did a great job to get the car back and ready to go. The car felt perfect in qualifying.”
Christophe Bouchut led the ALMS’ contingent in the class with a lap of 1:52.129 (120.076 mph) in Level 5 Motorsports’ No. 055 HPD ARX-03b. He had just set his quick time when he clipped the inside of T1 and went hard into the outside tire wall. Bouchut said a fellow P2 car rejoined the race line too soon after exiting the pits and forced him to take an evasive maneuver.
“From my perspective, at that time, there was nothing else I could do or else the car would have hit me and then it would have been worse than what happened,” Bouchut said. “Everybody has to watch their mirrors – especially in qualifying; you have nothing to win on your first lap.”
Team manager David Stone said he feels confident that the team has the necessary spare parts – the engine cover was the main concern – to fix the car and make Saturday’s race.
“I know the guys can put the labor and effort in to get it back together,” he said. “If we don’t get tricked by not having a critical part, then I think we’ll have it back together.”
Bouchut’s time was 0.364 seconds clear of Conquest Racing’s Martin Plowman in the team’s Morgan-Judd. He was the second-quickest ALMS driver in P2.
Gimmi Bruni was the fastest GTE Pro driver with a lap of 1:58.427 (113.690 mph) for AF Corse as Ferrari F458 Italias took the top two spots in the GT class. The Italian was the pole-winner last year in the a Ferarri F430 GT – also for AF Corse. Bruni finished 0.296 seconds clear of Luxury Racing’s Jaime Melo.
“GT this year is a real fighting class – very good,” Bruni said. “The level is getting higher and higher, and we have been working so hard to be there and it is a good starting point for Ferrari and AF Corse, for sure. It will be a good fight tomorrow. Hopefully we can last for all 12 hours and make a great maneuver for the spectators to enjoy the racing.”
Corvette Racing’s Jan Magnussen qualified third in class and was the ALMS’ fastest driver in the production-based class. He set a lap of 1:58.996 (113.147 mph) in the Corvette C6.R that he is sharing with Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor. Magnussen was just 0.011 seconds clear of Oliver Gavin in the sister Corvette.
Both Corvettes went all-out. Magnussen ran out of E85 on his cool-down lap, and Gavin got back to pit lane on fumes.
“I don’t think we made the best of (qualifying) at the time, but we made the best of it at the end,” said Magnussen, who overtook Gavin for third on his final flying lap. “It is super competitive and we have to be 100 percent every time we go out. Qualifying is the first time for everyone to show what they can really do and I think it will be 12 hours of really hard racing.”
Bruno Junqueira earned his first ALMS pole in his qualifying debut in Prototype Challenge. The former open-wheel star set a lap of 1:54.510 (117.579 mph) in RSR Racing’s ORECA FLM09. Junqueira, a past championship runner-up in Champ Car, was 0.045 seconds clear of CORE autosport’s E.J. Viso – another open-wheel regular.
Junqueira, teaming with Tomy Drissi and Roberto Gonzalez at Sebring, drove for RSR last year in a Jaguar as part of the ALMS’ GT class. He said the team has a much better competitive advantage with equal cars in their new class.
“This pole gives our team some good morale for this race,” Junqueira said. “The team told me to be patient and bring the car home and we will be fine. This is the first time I have driven this car. I love it. On the first lap, I felt the brakes and they were great. They really worked well. So I said, ‘Hey, it’s race time. So let’s go.’ And the car was great. Now, we are ready for the race. It should be exciting.”
Dane Cameron qualified third for Dempsey Racing at 1:54.628 (117.458 mph) – only 0.118 seconds off the PC pace. The top five cars in the class were within 0.698 seconds.
Dominik Farnbacher was the fastest GTE Am qualifier with a lap of 2:00.184 (112.028 mph) in Luxury Racing’s Ferrari F458 Italia. He was 0.745 seconds clear of Krohn Racing’s Nic Jonsson in another Ferrari. The gap was similar from Jonsson back to Pedro Lamy in Larbre Competition’s Corvette C6.R.
“My first Sebring race was in 2004 and it really impressed me because in Europe we do not have such bumpy racetracks like here,” Farnbacher said. “The first year after I did it, I really felt it in my back at the end of the race and I still do. This is going to be one for the history books. It is the biggest field ever and the toughest one to beat.”
Sean Edwards won pole position in GT Challenge during a fantastically close session. Edwards, driving NGT Motorsports’ Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, set a lap of 2:06.674 (106.289 mph) in the car he will share with Henrique Cisneros and Carlos Kauffmann.
Only 0.037 seconds separated the top three runners in GTC. Damien Faulkner was second for Green Hornet Racing. Alex Job Racing was next at 2:06.711 (106.258 mph). All told, the top six GTC cars were separated by just 0.760 seconds.
“It is a really difficult track and the team has put together a good car,” Edwards said. “There is not a huge amount we can adjust on the GTC cars so it is just about putting a lap together. (Managing traffic) is going to be tough. You are going to see quite a battle out there. And with the traffic of 64 cars, it is going to be tough. You’ve got to keep your nose clean. Stay out of trouble in the first 10 hours and then see where you are.”
The 2012 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón begins with the 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring today, Saturday, March 17. The race, set for 10:30 a.m. ET, will be broadcast at noon March 18 on ABC and shown live on ESPN3.
For more info, visit ALMS.com.
American Le Mans Series
Sebring International Raceway – Sebring, FL
Twelve Hours of Sebring Qualifying – March 16,2012
1. Andre Lotterer, Duisburg, DE (DE); Benoit Treluyer, Alencon, FR (FR); Marcel Fassler, Switzerland (SWI); Audi R18 (P1), 1:45.820, 125.874
Further, if you have any more doubts regarding respitecaresa.org cialis no prescription, tons of information is available on all the leading medicine stores and this anti-impotency can also be somewhat painful. Just alike the genuine one, it works effectively to enhance the men’s ability. It is a must course for you before respitecaresa.org cialis 20 mg you start a driving school. These must not be consumed in excess quantity wherein the intake must be as per the instructions of the health professional which must be in the form of 100mg & this is easily accessible in the nearby drug stores & in the online medicinal stores at affordable rates by the patient. 2. Allan McNish, Scotland (SCO); Tom Kristensen, Denmark (DEN); Dindo Capello, Italy (ITA); Audi R18 (P1), 1:46.215, 125.406
3. Timo Bernhard, Germany (GER); Romain Dumas, France (FRA); Loic Duval, France (FR); Audi R18 (P1), 1:46.935, 124.562
4. Lucas Luhr, Germany (GER); Klaus Graf, Germany (GER); Simon Pagenaud, France (FRA); HPD ARX-03a (P1), 1:47.536, 123.865
5. Guillaume Moreau, FRA (FRA); Bertrand Baguette, BEL (BEL); Dominik Kraihamer, AUT (AUT); Oak Pescarolo Judd (P1), 1:48.319, 122.970
6. David Brabham, Australia (AUS); Karun Chandhok, IND (IND); Peter Dumbreck, Scotland (SCO); HPD ARX-03a Honda (P1), 1:48.439, 122.834
7. Nick Leventis, GBR (GBR); Danny Watts, UK (UK); Jonny Kane, Ireland (IRE); HPD ARX-03a Honda (P1), 1:48.590, 122.663
8. Nicolas Prost (FR); Neel Jani (FR); Nick Heidfeld (DEU); Lola B12/60 Coupe Toyota (P1), 1:48.630, 122.618
9. Andrea Belicchi, Itally (IT); Harold Primat, Switzerland (SWI); Joeren Bleekemolen, Netherlands (NED); Lola B12/60 Coupe Toyota (P1), 1:48.956, 122.251
10. Emmanuel Collard, France (FRA); Jean-Christophe Boullion, Plaisir, France (FRA); Julien Jousse, FRA (FRA); Pescarolo Judd (P1), 1:50.200, 120.871
11. Jacques Nicolet, Paris, France (FRA); Mattieu Lahaye (FRA); Olivier Pla (FRA); Morgan/Judd (P2), 1:50.467, 120.579
12. Vicente Potolicchio (VEN); Ryan Dalziel (SCO); Stephane Sarrazin (FRA); HPD ARX-03b Honda (P2), 1:50.823, 120.192
13. Christian Zugel (DEU); Ricardo Gonzalez (MEX); Elton Julian, Los Angeles, CA (USA); Zytek Z11SN-Nissan (P2), 1:51.809, 119.132
14. Jordan Tresson, FRA (FRA); Franck Mailleux (FRA); Olivier Lombard, Poissy, France (FRA); Oreca 03 Nissan (P2), 1:52.084, 118.839
15. John Martin (AUS); Tor Graves (GBR); Robbie Kerr (GBR); Oreca 03 Nissan (P2), 1:52.113, 118.809
16. Scott Tucker (US); Christophe Bouchut, France (FRA); Joao Barbosa, Portugal (POR); HPD ARX-03b (P2), 1:52.129, 118.792
17. Martin Plowman, Indianapolis, IN (USA); David Heinemeier Hansson (USA); Francesco Dracone, Alba, Italy (ITA); Morgan/Judd (P2), 1:52.493, 118.407
18. Scott Tucker (US); Luis Diaz, Mexico (MEX); Ryan Hunter-Reay, Boca Raton (USA); HPD ARX-03b (P2), 1:52.659, 118.233
19. Luis Companc (ARG); Pierre Kaffer (GER); Soheil Ayari, Aix-les-Bains, Savoie (FRA); Oreca/Nissan (P2), 1:52.763, 118.124
20. Thomas Holzer (DEU); Mirco Schultis (DEU); Luca Moro (ITA); Lola B12/80 Coupe Lotus (P2), 1:53.080, 117.793
21. Bruno Junqueira (BRA); Tomy Drissi, Hollywood, CA (USA); Roberto Gonzalez (MEX); Oreca FLM09 (PC), 1:54.510, 116.322
22. Alex Papow (VEN); E.J. Viso (VEN); Burt Frisselle, Kihei, HI (USA); Oreca FLM09 (PC), 1:54.555, 116.276
23. Chris Dyson, Pleasant Valley, NY (USA); Guy Smith, Beverley, UK (ENG); Steven Kane, Newtownards, IRE (IRE); Lola B12/60 Mazda (P1), 1:54.593, 116.237
24. Henri Richard (FRA); Duncan Ende, Los Angeles (USA); Dane Cameron, Sonom, CA (US); Oreca FLM09 (PC), 1:54.628, 116.202
25. Chapman Ducote, Miami, FL (USA); Javier Echeverria (MEX); Pablo Sanchez (MEX); Oreca FLM09 (PC), 1:55.160, 115.665
26. Jon Bennett (USA); Colin Braun, Ovalo, TX (USA); Eric Lux, Jacksonville, FL (USA); Oreca FLM09 (PC), 1:55.208, 115.617
27. Michael Guasch, Palo Alto, CA (USA); Memo Gidley, San Rafael, CA (USA); Roger Wills, Timaru, New Zealand (NZL); Oreca FLM09 (PC), 1:55.420, 115.405
28. Butch Leitzinger, State College, PA (USA); Ken Dobson, Carmel Valley, CA (US); Rudy Junco Jr. (MEX); Oreca FLM09 (PC), 1:55.460, 115.365
29. Kyle Marcelli (CAN); Lucas Downs, North Mankoto, MN (USA); Dean Stirling (GBR); Oreca FLM09 (PC), 1:55.654, 115.171
30. Anthony Nicolosi, Brooklyn, NY (US); Ricardo Vera (PR); Raphael Matos (BRA); Oreca FLM09 (PC), 1:55.848, 114.978
31. Giancarlo Fisichella , Rome, Italy (ITA); Gianmaria Bruni (ITA); Toni Vilander (FIN); Ferrari F458 GT (GT), 1:58.427, 112.474
32. Frederic Makowiecki (FRA); Jaime Melo (BRA); Jean-Karl Vernay (FRA); Ferrari F458 Italia (GT), 1:58.723, 112.194
33. Jan Magnussen (DEN); Antonio Garcia (ESP); Jordan Taylor, Apopka, FL (USA); Corvette C6-ZR1 (GT), 1:58.996, 111.937
34. Oliver Gavin (GBR); Tom Milner, Leesburg, VA (USA); Richard Westbrook (GBR); Corvette C6-ZR1 (GT), 1:59.007, 111.926
35. Andrea Bertolini (ITA); Olivier Beretta (MON); Marco Cioci (ITA); Ferrari F458 Italia (GT), 1:59.084, 111.854
36. Joey Hand, Sacramento, CA (USA); Dirk Mueller (DEU); Jonathon Summerton (USA); BMW E92 M3 (GT), 1:59.776, 111.208
37. Scott Sharp, Jupiter, FL (USA); Johannes van Overbeek, San Francisco, CA (USA); Guy Cosmo, Long Island, NY; Ferrari F458 Italia (GT), 2:00.094, 110.913
38. Jorg Bergmeister (DEU); Patrick Long, Oak Park, CA (USA); Marco Holzer (AUT); Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT), 2:00.119, 110.890
39. Stefan Mucke (DEU); Adrian Fernandez (MEX); Darren Turner (GBR); Aston Martin Vantage V8 (GT), 2:00.174, 110.839
40. Pierre Ehret, Santa Rosa, CA (DEU); Dominik Farnbacher, Germany (DEU); Francois Jakubowski (FRA); Ferrari F458 Italia (GTE-AM), 2:00.184, 110.830
41. Richard Lietz (AUT); Marc Lieb (DEU); Patrick Pilet (FRA); Porsche 911 RSR 997 (GT), 2:00.256, 110.764
42. Jorg Muller, Germany (DUE); Bill Auberlen, Hermosa Beach, CA (USA); Uwe Alzen, Germany (DUE); BMW E92 M3 (GT), 2:00.337, 110.689
43. Ed Brown, Las Vegas, NV (USA); Jeff Segal, Miami, FL (USA); Anthony Lazzaro, Acworth, GA (USA); Ferrari F458 Italia (GT), 2:00.344, 110.683
44. Tracy Krohn, Houston, TX (USA); Nic Jonsson (SWE); Michele Rugulo (ITA); Ferrari F458 Italia (GTE-AM), 2:00.929, 110.147
45. Wolf Henzler (DEU); Bryan Sellers, Centerville, OH (USA); Martin Ragginger (AUT); Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT), 2:01.632, 109.511
46. Patrick Bornhauser (FRA); Julien Canal, Le Mans, France (FRA); Pedro Lamy, Lisbon Portugal (POR); Corvette C6-ZR1 (GTE-AM), 2:01.640, 109.503
47. Christian Ried, Schoeneburg, Germany (DEU); Gianluca Roda, Como, Italy (ITA); Paolo Ruberti (ITA); Porsche 911 RSR 997 (GTE-AM), 2:01.787, 109.371
48. Bryce Miller, Hoboken, NJ (USA); Sascha Maassen (DEU); Robert Bell (GBR); Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT), 2:02.150, 109.046
49. Christophe Bourret (FRA); Pascal Gibon (FRA); Jean-Philippe Belloc (FRA); Corvette C6-ZR1 (GTE-AM), 2:02.732, 108.529
50. Robert Kauffman (USA); Michael Waltrip, Owensboro, KY (USA); Rui Aguas (PRT); Ferrari F458 Italia (GTE-AM), 2:03.331, 108.002
51. William Binnie, Portsmouth, NH (USA); Markus Palttala (FIN); Joel Camathias, Switzerland (CHE); Porsche 911 RSR 997 (GTE-AM), 2:04.342, 107.124
52. Henrique Cisneros, Miami, FL (USA); Sean Edwards (GBR); Carlos Kauffmann, Miami, FL (USA); Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 2:06.674, 105.152
53. Peter Lesaffre, Rye, NH (USA); Damien Faulkner (IRE); Sebastiaan Bleekemolen (NED); Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 2:06.697, 105.133
54. Cooper MacNeil (USA); Leh Keen, Dublin, GA (USA); LP Dumoulin (CAN); Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 2:06.711, 105.121
55. Bill Sweedler, Westport, CT (USA); Townsend Bell, Santa Monica, CA (USA); Dion von Moltke, Coral Gables, FL (USA); Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 2:07.016, 104.869
56. Chris Cumming, Vancouver, BC (CAN); Mark Bullitt, Miami, FL (USA); Kevin Estre (FRA); Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 2:07.264, 104.664
57. Darren Law, Phoenix, AZ (USA); Seth Neiman, Burlingame, CA (USA); Andy Lally, New York, NY (USA); Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT), 2:07.354, 104.590
58. Angel Andres Benitez, Jr (VEN); Angel Raphael Benitez, Sr (VEN); Nicki Thiim (DEN); Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 2:07.434, 104.525
59. Spencer Pumpelly, Mason Neck, VA (USA); Emilio Di Guida (VEN); Marc Bunting, Monkton, MD (USA); Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 2:07.550, 104.430
60. James Sofronas, Newport Beach, CA (USA); Alex Welch (USA); Rene Villeneuve (USA); Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 2:08.607, 103.571
61. Bob Faieta, Tujunga, CA (USA); Michael Aventatti (USA); Cort Wagner, Pacific Palisades, CA (USA); Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 2:08.792, 103.423
62. Tim Pappas, Boston, MA (USA); Brett Curtis, Valencia, CA (USA); Jon Fogarty, Los Gatos, CA (USA); Lola B11/80 HPD (P2), 2:35.156, 85.849
63. Frederic Fatien (CIV); Keiko Ihara (JPN); Jean-Denis Deletraz (CHE); Lola B12/80 Coupe Nissan (P2), 14:43.720, 15.073
64. Maxime Jousse (FRA); Fabien Giroix, Saint-Maur, France (FRA); Stefan Johansson (SWE); Lola B12/80 Coupe Nissan (P2).
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.