Rain dictates provisional grid for 12 Hours of Sebring
March 17, 2005
ADT Champion Audi R8
ALMS
Due to inclement weather
Thursday, a provisional grid has been set for the 53rd running of the
Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the first American Le Mans Series event
of 2005.
The grid was set by combining the best practice times from Wednesday's two
practice sessions and Thursday morning's session. The Thursday afternoon
qualifying period was changed to an open practice, but no teams took part.
A combined practice session is scheduled for 10:25 to 11:25 a.m. Friday
for all classes.
The grid was set by combining the best practice times from the two
practice sessions Wednesday (Practice Session #1 and Practice Session #2)
and Thursday morning’s session (Practice #3). The Thursday afternoon time
period allotted for qualifying will be used as an open practice session.
This evening’s practice is still scheduled, weather permitting.
The starting grid does not become official until one hour after Saturday
morning’s warm-up session scheduled to end at 8:40 pm.
Based on the combined
practice times, the overall pole was awarded to the No. 1 ADT Champion
Audi R8, with JJ Lehto, Marco Werner and Tom Kristensen behind the wheel,
trying for its first Sebring victory. Lehto and Werner placed second in
2004, teaming with Emanuele Pirro.
Last year, Lehto posted the fastest qualifying time and quickest race lap
but still finished five laps behind the winning No. 28 Canon/Infiniti Audi
R8.
"The Audi R8 could have been a bit faster," Lehto said. "We weren't really
pushing. We were expecting to have qualifying (Thursday). The track was
very bad. It was very dirty and sandy."
In LMP2, the No. 37 Telesis Intersport Racing Lola B05/40 AER will start
on the class pole and fifth overall. The privateer team of Jon Field,
Duncan Dayton and Gregor Fisken was almost a full three seconds faster
than the second-quickest car in class.
"The new Lola seems to be a good car so far," Field said. "We've just
scratched the surface, and Sebring is a rough track to see what it can do.
This car is built more like a prototype should be. It's real rugged and
not as flimsy. We ordered the car late, but Lola did a great job putting
it together so precisely."
As expected, Corvette Racing's two new C6-Rs set the pace in GT1. The No.
4 entry of Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Jan Magnussen barely edged
its sister car, the No. 3 with Ron Fellows, Johnny O'Connell and Max Papis
by about 0.30 seconds.
Corvette C6R
ALMS
The No. 4 trio will
start eighth on the grid overall.
"This is an important year for the C6," Gavin said. "There is going to be
a lot of competition, not only here at Sebring, but all season. The Saleen
should do well here, the Aston-Martins are quick, and the Maserati is a
bit of an unknown. The competition from our sister car is going to be very
tough."
Another privateer entry, the No. 31 Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning
Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, was fastest among GT2 cars. Jorg Bergmeister,
Patrick Long and Lucas Luhr will start 20th overall.
Thursday's poor weather wasn't anything new to Luhr.
"We were prepared to qualify in the wet," he said. "Jorg and myself are
Germans, so we are used to the rain. Some of the American drivers do not
like it so much. It is a 12-hour race, so you won't win the race in
qualifying on the pole or even the first corner. But it's always nice to
start in the front of the class."
The starting grid does not become official until one hour after Saturday
morning's warm-up session, scheduled to end at 8:40 a.m.
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