American Le Mans Series

Detroit Sports Car Challenge Qualifying Report

© American Le Mans Series

In yet another exciting qualifying session David Brabham took pole position for tomorrow’s Detroit Sports Car Challenge Presented by Bosch, round nine of the 2008 American Le Mans Series championship. The Patrón Highcroft Racing Acura driver managed to improve his fastest lap as the checkered flag came out and secured the pole ahead of the De Ferran Acura.

Just after 3:35 PM ET the GT qualifying session got underway. The sun was shining and the track was drying, with only some puddles outside the racing line. The two Corvettes only did one flying lap and then returned to the pit lane. Jaime Melo (#62 Risi Ferrari) then went out and took provisional pole being the first GT2 to go into the 1:26s.

At the half way point it was however Dirk Müller in the #71 Tafel Racing Ferrari 430 GT2 that had posted the fastest lap time, beating Magnussen’s time by seven tenths of a second. Wolf Henzler (#45 Lizards Porsche) was third fatest with Melo having dropped to fourth.

Thirteen minutes into the session Magnussen restored the order by setting the provisional pole time again in 1:25.651. Close behind him Jaime Melo set the fastest GT2 time, only a tenth of a second behind. Jim Tafel went straight at turn 8, losing valuable dry tack time. A few minutes later team mate Dirk Müller did exactly the same and went straight, only just missing the barriers.

Just over two minutes remained in the session when Oliver Gavin set the second fastest lap, making it a Corvette 1-2 again. But only seconds later Jaime Melo spoilt the Corvette 1-2 again as he took second place, Gavin was quickly pushed back even more when first Wolf Henzler improved and then Dirk Müller improved.

As the checkered flag came out it looked like Magnussen would clinch the GT1 pole and Jaime Melo would be the quickest in GT2, but Wolf Henzler did the unexpected and managed an even quicker time in his final lap, 0.037s quicker than Melo, giving the Flying Lizard Motorsports team the GT2 pole.

The LMP qualifying session got underway at 4:05 pm and the first out on the Belle Islecircuit were the Audi R10s. Patrick Long (#6 Penske Porsche) was the first to hit trouble as he went straight at turn 7, fortunately there was no damage and the American was back on track soon after.

As Lucas Luhr (#2 Audi) and Franck Montagny (#26 AGR Acura) kept swapping provisional pole it was Timo Bernhard (#7 Penske Porsche) who came into the pit lane, the Penske team immediately took off the engine cover and started to work on the car.

At the front the LMP2 cars kept improving and while the Audi’s dropped outside the top five the Acura’s kept improving. Seven minutes into the session Montagny went to a 1:14.6 but his time was soon beaten by fellow Frenchman Simon Pagenaud (#66 De Ferran Acura). The battle was far from over as the #15 Fernandez Acura and #16 Dyson Porsche also joined the fight for pole.

Ten minutes into the session Pagenaud had set a 1:13.660, just three tenths slower than the pole record set in 2007. Guy Smith (#16 Dyson Porsche) was half a second behind and Fernandez in third. With the times dropping whenever a car passed the line this would not be the final result.

David Brabham (#9 Highcroft Acura) improved the provisional pole time to 1:13.575 before going into the pit lane. Out on the track Timo Bernhard kept having problems in the Penske Porsche. Once again the German did not finish his lap and got back into the pit lane with just over six minutes to go.

When the timer showed there were five minutes remainig most cars were out on the track trying to get the pole position for the Detroit Sports Car Challenge Presented by Bosch. Brabham went into the pit lane after completing his out lap and with two and a half minute to go there were more problems out on the circuit. First Marco Werner (#2 Audi) went straight and a few moments later Guy Smith also ran wide.

All cars were out with just over two minutes remaining and while some cars improved their time there was no change in positions yet. The checkered flag came out at 4:25 pm and half a minute later it was Brabham on his final flying lap crossing the line in 1:13.483. Simon Pagenaud was the only one still on a flying lap but the French driver pulled into the pit at the end of his lap. With noone else improving lap times it meant that the Patrón Highcroft Racing Acura ARX01-B took the overall pole position! Pagenaud put the De Ferran Motorsports Acura on second place, completing an Acura front row. Guy Smith was third fastest. The Audi’s ended the session in eighth and ninth.