Miami Practice and Qualifying

Pole Position for ADT/Champion Audi at home event
 

26 Sep - (First Practice) Johnny Herbert set the fastest time in the opening practice session for the Grand Prix Americas in Miami today (FRI).  Under an overcast and threatening sky, the 39-year-old Briton swept his ADT Champion Audi R8 to a quickest time of 50.731secs, an average speed of 81.607mph, around the tight and narrow 1.2-mile temporary street course.

 Herbert ended the delayed 45-minute session just 0.017secs faster than the similar Joest-run Audi R8 of series leaders Frank Biela and Marco Werner.  A second and final prctice session is staged prior to a 20-minute qualifying session for the 37-car field later this afternoon.

(Second Practice Times)
1 Marco Werner (Joest Audi R8) 49.231secs
2 JJ Lehto (ADT Champion Audi R8) 51.149secs
 3 Jon Field (Lola MG) 51.418secs
4 Butch Leitzinger (Lola MG) 51.719secs

(Qualifying Report) - The Team ADT Champion Racing Audi R8 of Johnny Herbert and JJ Lehto starts the Grand Prix Americas from pole-position on the 37-car grid in Downtown Miami.  Lehto stopped the clock at 47.848secs in the shortened qualifying session around the 1.15-mile temporary street circuit.

Champion Racing and Lehto lie second and third in the Teams’ and Driver’s standings respectively with just one race remaining after the 165-minute Miami race in the nine-event North American sportscar endurance series.  Lehto set the “pole” time on his very last flying lap before the time trial was curtailed early when Jon Field crashed the Intersport Lola-MG

heavily.  JJ’s time was a mere 0.039secs faster than the similar Audi R8 of Marco Werner but earns the Champion squad its first overall pole of the season.

 

For Team ADT Champion Racing, the Miami race is very much a “home” event, the Pompano Beach outfit based less than 40-miles north up the I-95.  The Florida team, which finished third in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, is bidding to score its third American Le Mans Series race victory of the season.

 

JJ Lehto:

“I’m delighted to have rewarded the team with its first ALMS pole of the year – especially considering it’s Champion’s home race.  We’ve got ourselves a good car for the race but it will be very tough – lapping the backmarkers will be incredible on such a tight track for almost three hours.  Last year’s Miami race was my best ALMS event of the year finishing second.  I’m hoping to go one better this time for Team ADT Champion Racing especially after getting this pole.”