Peugeot have the pole at Petit
Peugeot
Audi
Acura
Corvette
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Peugeot
The dying seconds of today's qualifying session for the Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta saw Frenchman Stephane Sarrazin snatch pole-position at the wheel of his Peugeot 908 HDi FAP to finish ahead of Audi, Porsche, Acura and the rest. The Peugeot 908 driver's fastest lap of the afternoon also establishes a new outright record for the track!
The week of testing which took place during the week leading up to the American classic saw 10 or so LMP1 and LMP2 prototypes lap within the same second, which pointed to an extremely close and exciting qualifying session. The instant the pit-lane light turned green, Stephane Sarrazin took to the track to mark the start of what turned out to be a thrilling clash between the Peugeot driver and McNish, with just thousandths of a second splitting the two men for much of the session. The N0x00b04 Audi set a 1m 6.327s on its fourth lap to establish a benchmark time, while Stephane Sarrazin -- who was in particularly incisive form -- closed to within 61 and then 32 thousandths of the Scot before pitting midway into the session to top up with fuel prior to one last effort to bag the best time. With just minutes of the session remaining, and with the Audi was parked up in its pits, the Peugeot driver posted a blistering 1m 6.242s to secure pole position for the French squad.
Stephane Sarrazin: "I was surprised by how little grip there was during the early part of the session and I went into some memorable slides. The grip improved for the second half of the session, though, and I decided to give it everything I had. I couldn't see myself returning to the Peugeot pits with only the second best time to show for everybody's efforts! Indeed, everyone at Peugeot Sport has done a remarkable job and the car has improved each time out round this particularly exacting track."
Michel Barge: "We are expecting the race to be very close and difficult from start to finish, with lots of traffic and probably a high number of safety car interventions if the number of times red flags were shown during the different practice sessions is anything to judge by! Our objective in coming here is to give everyone in the team more experience in race conditions to prepare for 2009. It is therefore important to go as far as possible with the single 908 HDi FAP we have entered for the race, and I have to say that our car has received a fantastic welcome here at Road Atlanta."
The Petit Le Mans starts at 11.15am on Saturday morning (October 4), local time. Nicolas Minassian will start from pole position for what promises to be an extremely difficult 1,000-mile race. There are essentially 10 or so LMP1 and LMP2 cars that stand a chance of winning, but absolutely anything can happen. The heat is likely to take its toll, the number of cars out on the track will guarantee plenty of traffic and this spectacular, hilly circuit pardons no mistakes, not to mention the fact there is very little in it between the different cars...
Audi
Ingolstadt/Road Atlanta -- Team Audi Sport North America's two Audi R10 TDI prototypes will go into Saturday's "Petit Le Mans" race at Road Atlanta (U.S. state of Georgia) from second and third positions on the starting grid. In a more than thrilling qualifying session, Allan McNish lost the battle for pole position by just 0.085 seconds.
Right from the start of the 25-minute session the Le Mans winner was setting the pace. From the first lap the number 1 Audi R10 TDI was topping the timing screens. McNish improved his lap-time to 1m 06.327s on his fourth flying lap, beating the track record from last year by 2.579 seconds.
Peugeot driver Stephane Sarrazin needed 16 laps to reach McNish's best time. Five minutes from the end of the qualifying session he narrowly demoted the Scotsman to second on the grid with his last flying lap.
Marco Werner, who had captured the pole positon last year at Road Atlanta, needed longer to bring temperature into the front tyres than McNish. He then ran into traffic. Despite that, the German was able to leave all LM P2 cars behind and get the third position on the grid for Audi.
The 11th annual running of the 1,000-mile or maximum 10-hour long "Petit Le Mans" race will start on Saturday at 11:15 a.m. local time (5:15 p.m. in Germany). Audi is undefeated and has the chance of a ninth consecutive outright "Petit Le Mans" victory on Saturday. Allan McNish will compete together with Dindo Capello and Emanuele Pirro. Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner will tackle the endurance race without a third driver.
Dindo Capello (Audi R10 TDI #1): "This was a very good job from Allan (McNish). It is a positive surprise that the gap to Peugeot is so close -- we did not expect this. The gap was already reduced at the LMS race at Silverstone compared to the previous races, but on this track here it is almost gone. Starting so close to Peugeot is a very good sign for the race."
Allan McNish (Audi R10 TDI #1): "The car was extremely good. We had a good balance and good grip from the tyres after one or two laps. I was able to push very hard and continue to improve. That says that we've got an extremely good race car. We are closer to Peugeot than we have ever been in the LMS Championship. This bodes well for tomorrow because we can always race faster than we can qualify. I think Peugeot will be very aware of that and very nervous right now."
Emanuele Pirro (Audi R10 TDI #1): "So far it has been very good for us. We are very happy with the balance of the car. Allan (McNish) drove very well in qualifying. Above all, yesterday we told each other we don't need another practice session because the car feels really good for the race. I think we are looking good."
Lucas Luhr (Audi R10 TDI #2): "It's no surprise that Peugeot is strong -- we've seen that already in Europe. But I'm a little bit surprised how small the gap is. I had expected Peugeot to be much further in front. Marco (Werner) could not use his tyres right in qualifying, that's why we are so far behind Allan (McNish). But we are on the inside of the second row. That's okay. In a 10-hour race, it is not really important where you start from."
Marco Werner (Audi R10 TDI #2): "I'm not quite as happy with my lap time. Last year, I drove a single lap which was good for pole position. This time, it took quite a while until the tyres had really good grip and then I ran into the traffic. But we are looking forward. We have a good race-setup. I think we will look good in the race. "
Dave Maraj (Team Director Audi Sport North America): "This was a very good qualifying effort. This is the closest we have been to Peugeot in qualifying anywhere and much closer than I expected. Good job from Allan (McNish), good job from the team. I am very happy with this performance."
Acura
BRASELTON, Ga. -- It was a dramatic Friday for Frenchman Franck Montagny and the Andretti Green Racing team.
The recent Detroit Belle Isle winners looked to be in position to capture the pole position for the prestigious Petit Le Mans sports car race at Road Atlanta on Saturday. But Montagny was forced to avoid a spinning car in Friday morning practice and the driver of the No. 26 XM Satellite Radio AGR Acura ARX-01b prototype car ended his run in the wall. The XM Acura team was forced into a major repair mode and a variety of spares was assembled on the No. 26 car for the afternoon qualifying run.
But Montagny didn't disappoint by becoming the fastest Acura in time trials with a speed of 135.495 miles per hour, securing the fourth position on the LMP2 grid. Montagny fought a difficult steering car in the 25-minute qualifying session, but the 24 Hours of Le Mans veteran was pleased with his team's performance in tough conditions. The car had not turned a wheel since the morning incident.
Ryan Briscoe captured the LMP2 pole with a 136.353 m.p.h. lap in the Penske Porsche.
Another Frenchman, Simon Pagenaud in the No. 66 Panasonic ELS de Ferran Motorsports Acura ARX-01b, took the fifth qualifying spot in LMP2 with a speed of 135.154 m.p.h., followed by Adrian Fernandez in the No. 15 Lowe's Fernandez Acura ARX-01b at 134.736 m.p.h. and David Brabham in the No. 9 Acura Patron Highcroft ARX-01b prototype at 134.344 m.p.h.
The Patron Highcroft team also worked hard to repair a damaged race car after a Thursday morning accident involving driver Scott Sharp. The Acura sustained major damage and a new suspension was built from the ground up. The remarkable effort by the Danbury, Conn.-based team saw Brabham roll out his mount in time for the qualifying effort. Earlier in the week, the de Ferran team had to perform similar repairs after a practice crash by Indy 500 champion Scott Dixon. All four Acuras are ready for Saturday's event, set to begin at 11:15 a.m. EDT.
FRANK MONTAGNY (#26 XM Satellite Radio AGR Acura ARX-01b): "The XM AGR team did a great job getting the car back together after this morning's crash. The car was not as good as I would have liked it. We had a brake problem and the car didn't turn really well. But it is a good race car. We have to be patient in the race, and we know it is a long race. We have a very good driver lineup with Tony [Kanaan] and Marco [Andretti]. I thought we could qualify a little higher. But we had to repair many things. This team is very strong and I expect us to be very competitive on Saturday."
SIMON PAGENAUD (#66 Panasonic ELS Surround Acura ARX-01b): "The car was getting better and better with each lap. We made an adjustment in the middle of qualifying that helped us. We are just missing a little bit of pure speed right now. I know we have a good car for the race. We had a sorted race car and we have a very good driver lineup. We need to get into a rhythm in the race, so we can click off strong and consistent laps. I really want to go now. I am excited and anxious to drive this Acura in the Petit. It is going to be a wild race. We just have to keep our heads together and race hard and fast."
ADRIAN FERNANDEZ (#15 Lowe's Fernandez Acura ARX-01b): "I spun twice and I was just trying a little bit too hard. We know we have a good race car. We tried to make the car better for qualifying. It wasn't bad, just not fast enough for a Top Three position. Overall, I am pleased with our Lowe's Acura for the race. We know it is a very long race. While this isn't Sebring, you have to use a similar strategy to get to the end. That is our goal. You can't win if you don't finish."
DAVID BRABHAM (#9 Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-01b): "This effort put in by the Patron Highcroft Racing team was unbelievable. It is was very big chore to repair the car overnight. I'm very proud of all of the guys. We knew we didn't have enough time to get a good qualifying setup. But the car was pretty good today. Now we'll have a couple of tweaks to improve it for the race."
Corvette
BRASELTON, Ga., Oct. 3, 2008 – Hometown hero Johnny O'Connell won the GT1 pole for Saturday's 10-hour/1,000 mile Petit Le Mans endurance race at Road Atlanta, the 10th round of the American Le Mans Series. The racer from nearby Flowery Branch put the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R at the head of the GT1 class with a record-breaking 1:16.542 (119.464 mph) time on his final qualifying lap on the roller coaster 2.54-mile, 12-turn road course. He edged teammate Olivier Beretta by .047 seconds to claim his third pole of the season, his third pole at Road Atlanta, and the fifth pole of his career.
"It doesn't get any closer than that," O'Connell said. "That just shows how equal these Corvettes are. I've never been one to get a lot of poles, so I have to thank the crew and my engineer, Ken Flory, because I've won more poles this year than I did previously in my entire career."
The two Corvette drivers traded fastest times throughout their six-lap qualifying runs. Beretta was quicker on the first three flying laps, but O'Connell took the point with a 1:16.917 lap on his fourth circuit. Beretta responded with a quicker 1:16.589 on his fifth timed lap, but O'Connell had the final word with a pole-winning 1:16.542 time on his last lap.
"Olivier has more poles than anybody in the series, so whenever you qualify ahead of him, you've had a good day," O'Connell noted. "Qualifying was something that I wanted to improve in my game this year, and I think I have."
O'Connell eclipsed the 1:16.627 (119.331 mph) track qualifying record set by Beretta in September 2005.
"Hats off to all the guys at Corvette Racing for their dedication to making these cars faster and faster," O'Connell said. "Some people think that because there are just two Corvettes racing in GT1 that we're standing still, but this team is constantly raising the bar. We're very excited as we look to the future of this program."
Beretta's run for his 23rd career pole was stymied by a slower GT2 car.
"I did a fast lap, and then the next lap could have been the one to go for the pole, but then I had traffic," Beretta said. "It was just a question of traffic. The track was good, my Corvette was very good, and I have no complaints."
Saturday's race will mark the final appearance by Corvette Racing's twin C6.R race cars in the GT1 class at Road Atlanta. The team will begin its transition to the GT2 category after next year's 24 Hours of Le Mans.
"I think this was the closest margin between the two Corvettes this season," said Doug Fehan, Corvette Racing program manager. "It's amazing when you think about how complex the race cars are that you can put two different drivers on a race track that's two and half miles long, and have them end up just 47 thousandths of a second apart. I've been doing this a long time, and it's still just remarkable to me. It's a testament to the quality of the cars and the quality of the drivers."
O'Connell's loyal fans cheered his success today at his home track.
"You always want to do well at your home track," O'Connell said. "If I didn't get the pole, would I have been upset? No. Am I happy that I got it? Yes!"