Charles Espenlaub, of Lutz, Fla., earned his second-consecutive SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car pole position today, but will start fifth in this afternoon’s Road America Grand Prix Presented by StopTech after the coin toss inverted the Fast Five®. Kuno Wittmer, of Montreal, Que., will start first after the inversion.Driving the No. 73 MAZDASPEED/StopTech/ProParts MAZDA6, Espenlaub utilized a draft by, of all people, Wittmer to turn a fastest lap time of 2:28.475 (98.149 mph) around the 14-turn, four-mile circuit, topping Patrick Lindsey’s best lap by 0.395-second.”Obviously, with these long straight-aways at Road America, drafting is very important,” Espenlaub said. “We thought up a few different strategies for qualifying and the best one we came up with was to follow Kuno [Wittmer]. He’s been fast all weekend. We timed it just right. He gave me a tow and that was basically what did it for that lap. If it had been reversed, and he had been following me, I guarantee that he’d be on the pole.”The Tri-Point team is incredible. All three of us; myself, Jason [Saini] and Eric [Foss], are getting along great and trying to help each other out as much as we can. At Mid-Ohio, I had an engine problem during the race, so I fell back, but we were able to get Jason to the front. Tri-Point’s been busting their butts this weekend. My car has been giving them fits, so we finally put a new motor in it and got the car where it needs to be.”Following the qualifying session, Espenlaub flipped the ceremonial coin and called “heads.” When tails came up, the Fast Five was inverted.”I called heads at Mid-Ohio and it worked out,” Espenlaub said. “It’s heartbreaking to get up there in qualifying, but then to start fifth. Kuno has a great car and if he’d had been behind me, he would have had pole, so it’s nice to see him start up front. He’s a nice guy and I really enjoy racing with him.”It was Espenlaub’s fourth-career pole position, his second in-a-row after his run at Mid-Ohio last weekend and his second at Road America (2006).Lindsey, of Santa Barbara, Calif., put in an effort worthy of second quickest for the second-straight week in the No. 57 Horton Autosport/Sloan Securities MAZDA6, running a best time of 2:28.870 (97.889 mph). Making just his second start of 2009, Lindsay will start fourth with the inversion.Pierre Kleinubing, of Coconut Creek, Fla., qualified and will start third in the No. 42 Acura/RealTime/Red Line Oil Acura TSX, turning a fastest time of 2:29.008 (97.798 mph).Point leader Jason Saini, of Fort Worth, Texas, qualified fourth in his No. 74 MAZDASPEED/StopTech/ProParts MAZDA6, with a fastest lap time of 2:29.181 (97.685 mph). He will start the race second.A winner at Mosport and pulling double-duty in both World Challenge Touring Car and GT this weekend, Wittmer will line up first for the race in his No. 44 Acura/RealTime/Red Line Oil Acura TSX after turning the fifth-fastest time of 2:29.212 (97.665 mph). Wittmer qualified first and lost the coin toss earlier this year at New Jersey Motorsports Park.”Hats off to Charles,” Wittmer said. “He really benefited from the draft. Losing the pole to a coin toss is heartbreaking. I know, I had the same thing happen in New Jersey. But I also know it’s not going to take long for him to be right there, back on my bumper.”Eric Foss (MAZDA6), Peter Cunningham (Acura TSX), defending race winner James Clay (BMW 328i), Nick Esayian (BMW 328i) and Seth Thomas (BMW 328i) completed the top 10.Saturday evening’s World Challenge Road America Grand Prix Presented by StopTech, Round Eight of the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Championship, will make its standing start at 5:45 p.m. (CDT) Saturday. Follow live notes, timing and streaming audio at http://www.world-challenge.com. Today’s race will be broadcast Sept. 11 at 2 p.m. (EDT) on SPEED.Follow World Challenge on Twitter @SPEEDWC.
Image of Charles Espenlaub following Kuno Wittmer during qualifying by Mark Weber.
The 26 drivers competing in Round Six of the SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup put in a long day today at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Action began bright and early with qualifying at 8 am followed by the race at 7 pm. When the checkered flag flew, the weekend belonged to Timmy Megenbier who led each session. The Melrose Park, Ill.-native began Saturday’s action by winning his second pole position of the season after suffering a tire puncture early in the session. Even though he spent a good portion of the qualifying session in the pits, he was able to post the top lap time of the weekend, a 2:38.921 (91.698 mph), just as the clock was running out. Megenbier continued his dominance during the race which featured two full-course cautions that limited the action to nine laps. The first caution came on lap four when Devin Cates’ car ventured off course dramatically in Turn 12 and ended up on top of the tire barrier. The second caution flag flew on lap seven when guest driver Levi LaVallee took an overly aggressive line into a turn and ended up in the tire barrier. Both drivers walked away from the incidents. There also was a lot of action on the track during green conditions, which saw many of the title-contending drivers jockeying for position. Megenbier led all but one lap during the race, only once relinquishing his lead to eventual fourth-place finisher, Andy Lee. The podium also included AJ Nealey (second) and Joey Atterbury (third) who gained seven positions during the race. The win is Megenbier’s series-leading third victory of the season. However, after the race, series officials penalized him 30 points for blocking Andy Lee on the last lap of the race. Despite this penalty, Megenbier walks away from this weekend with 218 points and a 20-point lead in the Championship battle. Lee was also penalized five points for on-track actions during the race. Lee (193) and Joey Atterbury (193) are tied for second in the points standings following the race. “Today was a really crazy day with my problems during qualifying and all of the action during the race,” Megenbier said. “At the start, I got a really good jump and was able to pull away a bit, but then the caution came out and brought them up to me. Andy Lee and I had a great battle after the second caution, and he was able to get around me at one point. But thankfully, I was able to keep my head and get him back just before the final lap. Obviously, I’m disappointed with the penalty decision, but I still have the lead in the Championship and that’s what’s important. I’ll try to make up the points I lost today when we get to Mosport.”The three guest drivers who joined the series for this weekend’s race lived the full Jetta TDI Cup experience during their two days at Road America. When the checkered flag flew, it was VWvortex.com founder, Jaime Vondruska, who finished highest in the guest category at 22nd. iRacing.com online racer, John Prather finished 23rd, while professional snocross racer and freestyle snowmobile rider, Levi LaVallee came in 24th after his on-track incident. “This is one of the coolest opportunities that I’ve ever had,” said LaVallee who ran as high at 19th before his crash. “I have a lot of experience racing on the snow, but this is my first time racing a car on a track, so I’m really happy with how well I was able to run up until the point of my off-road adventure. The cars were awesome to drive, and all I’m thinking about now is when I can get behind the wheel again. Hopefully, it will be soon.”The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series returns to action August 29-30 at Mosport for Round 7 of the season.
Pierre Kleinubing, of Coconut Creek, Fla., captured his first SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car win in 16 races Saturday, taking the World Challenge Road America Grand Prix Presented by StopTech. Charles Espenlaub, of Lutz, Fla., and Patrick Lindsey, of Santa Barbara, Calif., completed the top three in the Round Eight race, part of the Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase at Elkhart Lake’s Road America.
Starting third in the No. 42 Acura/RealTime/Red Line Oil Acura TSX, Kleinubing followed teammate and first-starting Kuno Wittmer into Turn One to take second. The two battled for several laps before Kleinubing demoted Wittmer’s No. 44 Acura/RealTime/Red Line Oil Acura TSX to second for good on the front straight. From there, Kleinubing sped away to his 28th-career victory.
Wittmer’s day got worse after his teammate went by, as the car experienced a mechanical issue and he had to report to the pits, promoting Espenlaub’s No. 73 MAZDASPEED/StopTech/ProParts MAZDA6 to second. Kleinubing won by 1.535 seconds, averaging 96.065 mph.
“This is a big weight off my shoulders,” Kleinubing said. “I’m glad I still can do it. I was a little worried that [team owner] Peter [Cunningham] was going to fire me after this season. Hopefully, he’ll keep on for a few more.”
Kleinubing’s drive to victory also earned him the AutoWeek Move of the Race.
“Patrick [Lindsey] made a good charge in Turn One, Three and Five, but I was just a little stronger under braking in Turn Five and I was able to hold onto the position. Kuno and I just put our heads down and started talking on the radio. We talked about not making any mistakes and just going for it, but Kuno made a mistake in Turn Eight and that’s how I got around him. He came back and passed me in Turn One and I passed him back and then we got back on the radio and talked about working together for awhile. Then, Kuno’s car shut off and I thought, 20there goes my partner, there goes my race.’
“I had a strong car through Turn Seven, Eight, the Carousel and the Kink and it was enough to build a gap through there every lap, soI was able to hold the position.”
The four-time series Champion even survived a brief trip off course in Turn Seven on lap 13.
“I usually run pretty hard on that curb,” Kleinubing said. “At that point, I was thinking 20I’ll just take it easy through here,’ but then the car bounced off the curb in a weird way and put me off. I just kept my foot in it and it saved me.”
Espenlaub won the pole earlier today, but started fifth on the grid after losing the coin toss and the top five was inverted. Espenlaub got a good start and ran fourth for much of the race behind the pair of Acuras and Lindsey’s No. 57 Horton Autosport/Sloan Securities MAZDA6. On lap 10, Lindsey went wide in Turn Seven, allowing Espenlaub through. It was Espenlaub’s third runner-up finish of the season.
“I had a pretty good launch, so we got up there, but then the lead pack started to take off a little bit,” Espenlaub said. “When Pierre and Kuno started running together, I thought 20let’s save the tires and maybe when I get to them I’ll have some tire left,’ but they kept going harder and harder. I finally had to pick it up and try and run with them.
“Tri-Point gave me a great MAZDA6 today. It absolutely could have won had the coin toss gone another way. I probably could have caught Pierre eventually, but catching Pierre and passing Pierre are two different things. I definitely had a car to lead the race.”
Espenlaub ran the Debaufre Fastest Lap of the Race on lap three, turning a 2:30.509 (96.823 mph). He also took the Sunoco Hard Charger award after advancing three positions from start to finish.
Lindsey qualified second, but started fourth with the inversion. Like Kleinubing, he moved past the No. 74 MAZDASPEED/StopTech/ProParts MAZDA6 of second-starting Jason Saini on the start and gave chase to Wittmer and Kleinubing. His eventual third-place finish was a career-best.
“Maybe in the beginning I could have caught [Kleinubing], but I think I drove a little too hard trying to catch those guys, and I had to starting settling down and managing my tires better,” Lindsey said. “The car was set up really well. Horton Autosport did a great job, just not quite enough to catch Charles and Pierre today.”
He might have had a runner-up finish, but for a mishap in Turn Seven.
“I got caught up in the dirt a bit in Turn Seven,” Lindsey said. “I couldn’t hold onto it and put two or four tires off I think. Charles had a good run on me. I fought him a little bit for it, but he had such a good run that it was his for the taking.”
Saini held off a late charge from teammate and fellow Fort Worth, Texas resident Eric Foss to finish fourth. Foss finished fifth in the No. 75 MAZDASPEED/StopTech/ProParts MAZDA6. Foss has clinched the 2009 Rookie of the Year honor.
Milwaukee’s Peter Cunningham finished sixth in his Acura TSX. The RealTime Racing team owner celebrated the team’s first win on home soil since Michael Galati won in 1996. He had a stellar mid-race battle with James Clay, who
James Sofronas only needed one perfect lap around Road America to earn his second SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT pole of the season. Kuno Wittmer, of Montreal, Quebec, will start second for Sunday’s Round Eight Race, the Road America Grand Prix Presented by StopTech, part of the Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase weekend.Leading the field onto the 14-turn, four-mile course for a 20-minute qualifying session, Sofronas could quickly tell that he had a pole-worthy car underneath him.”I was up front, so it was nice and peaceful,” Sofronas said. “I just led the parade out and did my own pace. I tried to keep the tires really cool, because they can heat up quick over this long track. Then, I started getting heat in them in the Carousel and I thought 20wow, this car is really sticking,’ so the confidence started to build. “I nailed the last corner and realized I was shifting a lot earlier than I was yesterday and I thought 20this is it.’ Then I noticed Tony Rivera shut the gap on me by about five car lengths and I got a little discouraged for a second. Going into Turn Five, I broke at the three marker, which is the first time I’ve done that all weekend. I could tell the StopTech brakes were going to be there and they just stuck. From there, I totally pulled away from Tony. In the Kink, I tracked out totally to the outside edge and again I was thinking, 20wow, we’re on a good lap here.'”In the No. 14 Global Motorsports Group Porsche 911 GT3, Sofronas stopped the clock with a 2:15.860 (107.263 mph) to earn his second pole of the season. “When I came through, I wasn’t expecting that time,” Sofronas said. “It’s amazing how important the corners are here for getting a good run onto the straights. The Porsches have good traction, so that definitely helped. It was a perfect lap, so I just parked it, because I’d never be able to do that lap again”In the post-qualifying coin toss, Sofronas correctly called heads to prevent the top five on the grid from inverting. The Long Beach race winner is relying on a strong start and consistent laps to collect his second win of 2009 in Sunday morning’s 50-minute race.”The Porsche launches pretty good,” Sofronas said. “If I can get a good start and establish a position, hopefully the Viper [of second-starting Kuno Wittmer] will be really wide behind me. If he’s faster than me, we’ll let it play out during the race. Kuno [Wittmer] is a great driver. He’s proven himself in the Touring Car ranks and now he’s proving himself in GT. It’ll take a hell of a launch and me pulling some perfect laps to establish a performance level in the race and get a nice rhythm. You can’t make any mistakes at Road America in the Porsche. If you lose any momentum, you’re a dead duck on the straighaway, so that’ll be the key here.”Making his World Challenge GT debut this weekend, Touring Car ace Wittmer qualified the No. 13 Woodhouse Performance Dodge Viper second with a lap of 2:16.051 (107.112 mph). Piloting the No. 97 Tax Masters/Brass Monkey Racing Porsche 911 GT3, Tony Rivera, of Missouri City, Texas, turned an identical time to Wittmer in qualifying. Per the SCCA Pro Racing rules, Wittmer was awarded the second spot for having a quicker second-fastest lap. Rivera will start third.Brandon Davis, of Huntington Beach, Calif., will start fourth in the No. 10 Applied Computer Solutions/Sun Microsystems Ford Mustang Cobra. The current point leader entered a qualifying time of 2:16.378 (106.856 mph).Eric Curran, of Easthampton, Mass., completed the top five. Curran turned a 2:17.070 (106.316 mph) in the No. 30 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Corvette.Dino Crescentini (Porsche 911 GT3) qualified sixth followed by the Volvo S60s of Randy Pobst and Andy Pilgrim.Mike Borkowski (Dodge Viper) and Gunter Schaldach (Porsche 911 GT3) completed the top 10.The GT portion of the Road America Grand Prix Presented by StopTech will launch from a standing start, Sunday, Aug. 16, at 9:35 a.m. (CDT). Live timing, lap notes and streaming audio are available at http://www.world-challenge.com. The series is also on Twitter @ SPEEDWC.
Competing in his first season of the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup, Justin Piscitell, of Patterson, N.Y., claimed his first pole position for Sunday’s Round Seven race, part of the Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase at Road America. Todd Lamb, of Atlanta, Ga., who had qualified on the pole for the previous five MX-5 Cup races, will start second.Piloting the No. 89 ALARA Racing/DAMG Racing/MAZDASPEED MX-5 on the long 14-turn, four-mile course, Piscitell timed the draft just right to turn a pole time of 2:39.596.”We went out with a decent strategy, but then I went off track and fell back a little bit,” Piscitell said. “Then, I realized I had four cars in front of me and said 20okay, I guess the next lap’s the one,’ and I put it on top. We didn’t make any adjustments during the session, the car was great the whole time. It’s all about putting one good lap together and we got a great draft.”Piscitell recognizes how important the draft will be for Sunday’s race as well, and is hoping to hook up with some savy draft partners.”The pole isn’t so much of an advantage here,” Piscitell added. “Hopefully we’ll get a nice [draft] rotation going every lap and it’ll come down to a matter of strategy on who gets the rotation right on the last lap.”Winner of the MAZDASPEED MX-5 Cup shootout and currently third in the Drivers’ Championship, Piscitell was all smiles about his first pole position. This is the 20-year old’s first season of professional sports car racing and only his second visit to Road America.”This feels awesome,” beamed Piscitell. “We’ve been working really hard this weekend and have the DAMG Racing/ALARA MX-5 Miata running awesome. I’ve got to thank my driver coach for practice and testing; Grant Maimen really helped me get my head in the right spot in the right places.”By winning the pole, Piscitell broke Lamb’s recording-breaking run of five-straight MX-5 Cup pole positions. Lamb led the majority of the 30-minute qualifying session in his No. 84 AMG Racing/Traqmate/Luna-C Racing MX-5 with a 2:40.074 (91.037 mph). In the end, the time would only be quick enough for second on the grid.MX-5 Cup point leader Marc Miller, of Holland, Mich., qualified third. The driver of the No. 28 Team MER/MOCA/RaceNowforAutism MX-5 entered a 2:40.107 (91.019 mph).Stan Wilson, of Mt. Juliet, Tenn., turned in a career-high qualifying performance in his No. 92 Hale Motorsports/NetEvidence/Alliance 1 MX-5. Clocking a 2:40.170 (90.983 mph), Wilson ended the session in fourth.Nick Mancuso, of Mettawa, Ill., completed the top five in his No. 29 Team MER/LakeForestSportsCars/Tire Lyna MX-5. Mancuso entered a 2:40.347 (90.882 mph) late in the session to claim the fifth spot on the grid.Newcomers Jamie Slone and Dennis Trebing qualified sixth and seventh, respectively. Lyonel Kent, Jeff Mosing and Zach Ply completed the top 10. Round Seven of the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup will go green at 5:15 p.m. (CDT) Sunday. Live timing and notes are available at http://www.mx-5cup.com.The series is also on Twitter @ MazdaMX5Cup.
