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Archive of Audi S4 Race Reports/News/Photos 2003

  
   
 

RS 6 2003  -  2004

  

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  2003 Speed GT World Challenge GT Series  
     
  Road Atlanta - Petit Le Mans  
 

Speed GT Race - Race Report

  

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17 Oct - BRASELTON, Ga.– Randy Pobst, of Gainesville, Ga., rocketed to the front at the start of Friday’s SCCA SPEED World Challenge GT Championship race at Road Atlanta, and held out for his first win of the season and the first win for the new Audi RS 6. Pobst also captured the Championship point lead with the race win, part of the Petit Le Mans weekend.

 

Driving the No. 2 Champion Racing entry, Pobst took advantage of a dry line from his second starting position and sped away at the start from polesitter Mike Fitzgerald’s No. 22 Coors Light/1st Interstate Inn/3R Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Fitzgerald, of Phoenix, Ariz., chased Pobst for much of the race, but a late-race caution for an incident involving the Dodge Viper of David Barr ended his charge as the race finished under caution.

Pobst averaged 84.776 mph over the course of the 27-lap, 68.58-mile event. Pobst’s teammate Michael Galati, of Olmsted, Ohio, finished third.

 While the event was one of celebration for the Champion Audi team, it was bitter disappointment for pre-event point leader Bill Auberlen and his BMW Team PTG group, which has been strong all season. Auberlen was comfortably in the top five, a spot crucial to maintain his point lead, when the gearbox on his M3 broke one lap shy of half way. Pobst’s win, and Auberlen’s DNF resulted in a reversal of the Drivers’ Championship lead going into the last round, next weekend in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“Our pleasure is BMW’s pain, they had a rough day and we had a great day,” Pobst said after taking his seventh-career win and first since 2002. “This team has been thrashing all year, really pulling rabbits out of the hat and putting out fires just to keep the cars on the track with the busy schedule. But to finally pull down a win is a wonderful feeling and a tribute to the hard work of the Champion Audi guys.”

Fitzgerald, who nabbed the pole in the last minute of qualifying, knew he was in trouble with the all-wheel-drive Audi next to him on the start, but a damp line in his lane made matters worse. Galati made a great jump on the standing start, moving into second, but slid wide in turn one and allowed Fitzgerald to take over second. The Porsche reeled in and hounded the Audi for the next 15 laps, learning where to make his move for the lead.

“I got alongside Randy [Pobst] once in turn one, but I ran out of space,” Fitzgerald, who won the Road Atlanta race in June of this year, said. “There were definitely places I was quicker. I had a plan, had it gone green all the way, but the caution ended that. We could have won.”

Two-time defending SPEED GT Champion Galati reached the podium for the second time in three races. He also received the Remus Power Move of the Race for his move at the start, going from sixth on the grid into second.

“We’ve been having a difficult season, with little problems with the car here and there,” Galati said. “I keep telling the guys to never give up, that the race doesn’t end until the checkered flag, and they’ve gotten a lot of things straightened out. Now we’re in a good position to win the [Manufacturers’] Championship, and Randy has a chance to be the Champion.”

With one race remaining, Pobst now leads the SCCA SPEED GT Drivers’ Championship by 12 points (221 to 209) over Auberlen. McClure is third (187 points), followed by Fitzgerald (186) and Hans Stuck (171).

Audi also gained on BMW in the Manufacturers’ Championship Presented by Racer Magazine. BMW now leads with 50 points, followed by Audi (49), Porsche (36) and Chevrolet (30).

The series concludes its 2003 season at San Juan, Puerto Rico Oct. 26. Today’s race will be broadcast on SPEED Channel Saturday, Nov. 8 at 5:00 p.m. (EST).

1, (2), Randy Pobst, Gainesville, Ga., Audi RS 6, 27.

2, (1), Mike Fitzgerald, Phoenix, Ariz., Porsche 911 Cup, 27, -.458.

3, (6), Michael Galati, Olmsted, Ohio, Audi RS 6, 27, -1.733.

4, (4), Phil McClure, Floris, Iowa, Corvette Z06, 27, -2.54.

5, (9), Michael McCann(R), Canton, Ohio, Dodge Viper, 27, -5.139.

6, (5), David Farmer, Albemarle, N.C., Corvette Z06, 27, -8.309.

7, (13), Justin Marks, Chico, Calif., BMW M3, 27, -9.736.

  
     
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