 SONOMA,
CA (July 17, 2004) -
The qualifying session for the Certified
Champion Racing Audi RS 6 team occurred just as the team and drivers
thought it would. The combination of today's hot temperatures, the
twist and turns of the 2.53 mile track, and the extra weight added to
both of the Audi RS 6 cars proved challenging for drivers Randy Pobst
and Michael Galati.
After dominating in the SPEED World Challenge GT
qualifying sessions during the last two races, the Audi RS 6 drivers
find themselves in an unusual position as neither Randy Pobst nor
Michael Galati will be starting from the front row. Instead Pobst will
start 9th on the grid and in front of him in 7th position will be
teammate Michael Galati.
 Audi's
quattro all-wheel-drive system will be put to the test this weekend as
Galati and Pobst hope to launch themselves from the standing start to
gain valuable track position early in the race. Then it will be a
grueling 50-minute battle for both Audi factory drivers as they do
their best to work against the odds at Infineon Raceway.
The SCCA SPEED World Challenge GT race at
Infineon Raceway, Round Four of the 2004 Championship, is scheduled to
begin at 8:55 a.m. (PDT) on Sunday, July 18. The race will be
broadcast the same day via tape-delay on SPEED Channel at 1 p.m.
(EDT).
Michael Galati (Olmstead, OH). "I was hoping
to get in the top 10 so to be in seventh position, I'm really quite
happy. I thought it was going to be worse considering all the weight
we're carrying. You can definitely feel the weight on this track. If
your car is heavy, you have a big handicap. Now all I have to do is
try and make these tires survive the race."
 Randy
Pobst (Gainesville, GA). "I was feeling relatively optimistic before
this session and I was turning what I thought was a good lap and when
I came into the last corner, turn 11, the car stumbled. I came in to
the pits and the team was able to fix the problem so I went back out
but I just couldn't find enough of a clean track to really get a good
qualifying lap. Frankly I'm just disappointed. I'm usually not this
far down on the grid so it's a little disappointing. It's going to be
a whole new race situation for me. I really thought I was going to get
into the top 5, I guess I'll have to do that in the race now."
Louis Milone (RS 6 Team Leader). "I'm pretty
happy with 7th and 9th position. I think our strategy with Michael
(Galati) paid off this morning. I think a lot of other teams went out
and used up a lot of tires and we didn't. We were able to hold Michael
and get it done in one lap and I think that's going to be a big factor
in winning this race tomorrow."
1) Phil McClure/Floris/IA Corvette
ZO6 1:40.444
2) Wolf Henzler/Nuertingen/GR
Porsche 911 Cup 1:40.444
3) Leighton Reese/Minnetonka/MN
Corvette ZO6 1:40.635
4) Andy Pilgrim/Delray Beach/FL
Cadillac CTS-V 1:41.145
5) Tommy Archer/Duluth/MN Viper
CompCoupe 1:41.505
6) Max Angelelli/Monte Carlo/MC
Cadillac CTS-V 1:41.783
7) Michael Galati/Olmsted/OH Audi
RS 6 1:41.864
8) Lou Gigliotti/Dallas/TX Corvette
Z06 1:41.993
9) Randy Pobst/Gainesville/GA
Audi RS 6 1:42:172 |
