Audi S4  2001  -  2002 

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19 June 2001, Detroit - Michael Galati held on despite a broken transmission to finish 4th in Sunday's Detroit Grand Prix Speedvision GT contest. Partnering Galati at Detroit was Hurley Haywood, quite appropriately subbing for Derek Bell in the #8 Speedvision Legends of Motorsport Audi S4 Competition. Not only a Legend of Motorsport himself, Haywood's appearance in an Audi reminded us of those great Audi 90 Quattro's that dominated the IMSA GTO wars in the late-80's. At Detroit Hurley finished 11th in the 24-lap, 56.304-mile contest for Speedvision GT's.

Hurley had tested Champion's S4 several weeks ago at Moroso, prior to the last roadtrip to Mosport and Lime Rock, and so was somewhat familiar with the latest Quattro prior to the brief practice and qualifying sessions at Detroit, where the weather was dry but very hot all weekend. Every session he drove Hurley got faster and more comfortable in the S4, and after qualifying 12th he said he felt he would be right with the leaders given another hour's experience with the car. And we believe it. At one point in qualifying he was running so close to the wall that he just barely "skinned" the driver's door mirror, neatly sanding through the layers of paint at its outer edge, leaving the rest of the car's body undamaged. The Detroit race fans were happy Hurley was there as well, and hundreds took the opportunity to collect an autograph from one of the Legends.

In Qualifying RealTime's Peter Cunningham put his supercharged Acura NSX on Pole at 1:43.351 around the 2.346-mile Belle Isle street circuit, which appears to have many slow corners, but is in fact a deceptively fast track. Mike Galati 's best time of 1:43.708 was good for second on the grid, with Hurley turning a 1:46.402 to start 12th. Galati carried 130 pounds of "Rewards" ballast at Detroit, having swapped tonnage figures with Cunningham, who now carried 90lbs of lead after his Lime Rock DNF removed 40lbs from the NSX and Galati took the LRP win and earned that same 40lbs.

In Sunday's race, Galati swept by Pole-sitter Cunningham at the start (shades of Lime Rock), and the Acura fell back to third. The sheer power of the supercharged NSX came into its own on the fast Detroit circuit, and by lap six Galati was overtaken by Cunningham, who would not give up the lead again. Galati fell back to a steady third behind Johannes van Overbeek's Porsche, and would have finished there but for the failure of a transmission component in the last corner of the last lap, within sight of the Checkers. Jeff McMillin, whose BMW had been lurking in fourth place directly behind Galati, quickly took advantage as the Audi stumbled and got by to claim the third Podium spot at the Detroit race. Galati held on for fourth, with Haywood's steady race putting him 11th in the final standings.

With his 4th place in Detroit, Galati maintains a slim 11-point lead as the Speedvision GT Championship takes a month off before starting a series of races run alongside American Le Mans events, beginning at Sears Point on July 22nd. Make sure you're with us!