Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

USA

SCC: Homestead: Series qualifying report

FOSTER, GUE GRAB FRONT ROW STARTING POSITIONS FOR SATURDAY'S HOMESTEAD 200 AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY Cattaneo, Lutz Take Front Row in Street Tuner Class As Records Fall DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 5, 2010) - The last two times Joe ...

FOSTER, GUE GRAB FRONT ROW STARTING POSITIONS FOR SATURDAY'S HOMESTEAD 200 AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY
Cattaneo, Lutz Take Front Row in Street Tuner Class As Records Fall

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 5, 2010) - The last two times Joe Foster started from the pole position in a GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Grand Sport (GS) race, he and Scott Maxwell went on to win.

The pair will look toward another such accomplishment Saturday when Foster leads the 37-car GS starting field to the green flag at 1:05 p.m. ET at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Homestead 200. Foster was awarded the pole position following post-qualifying technical inspection, his fifth career pole and first since 2008.

Original fast qualifier Jack Roush Jr., seeking his first pole position, had his time for the No. 61 ROUSH Performance Products Ford Mustang GT disallowed after officials found an unapproved part on the car. Ian Baas, who qualified third in the No. 01 APR/BBS Audi S4, also had his time disallowed for ride height. Roush's co-driver Billy Johnson won last year's GS race, the fourth closest in series history - 0.133 seconds.

Foster won pole positions in 2008 at Mosport International Raceway and Barber Motorsports Park, and Maxwell took the checkered flag first both times en route to winning the GS championship. Foster's No. 15 Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang Boss 302R toured the 2.3-mile, 11-turn stadium road course in a time of 1:26.555 (95.661 mph).

"It was exciting at the beginning," said Foster, who is looking for his fourth career series victory. "It's was great to have so many cars out there. It's a great thing for the series and sponsor, Continental Tire. The Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge has a great gird in ST and GS."

Moving to second was James Gue, who normally finishes races for regular starter Bret Seafuse. Instead, Gue, who will pull double duty with Saturday's Grand Prix of Miami for the Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16, in the No. 37 Trumansburg ShurSave Ford Mustang Boss 302R, turned in a time of 1:26.781 (95.413 mph).

Third was Steve Cameron in the No. 57 Uncle Joe's Ford Mustang GT, with a time of 1:26.801 (95.391 mph); he'll share the car with nephew Dane Cameron and longtime co-driver Rob Finlay.

Fourth was Foster's teammate, Frankie Montecalvo, in the No. 16 Bayshore Recycling/Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang Boss 302R he shares with Gunnar Jeannette; he earned a time of 1:26.871 (95.314 mph). Fifth was Charles Putman in the No. 48 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3, who shares the car with Charles Espenlaub, with a time of 1:26.899 (95.283 mph).

In the Street Tuner (ST) class, Sarah Cattaneo led an abbreviated session and will lead 33 cars to the green flag for that race.

Cattaneo drove the No. 197 Cruise America/Four Winds RV Mini Cooper S to a time of 1:31.810 (90.186 mph). Her time came midway through the session, which ended prematurely when Gunter Schmidt - driving the No. 22 Sick Kids Foundation/C&P Cross Border Chevrolet Cobalt SS - hit the wall in Turn 1, causing severe front end damage to the car. Schmidt was not seriously injured in the incident.

Cattaneo, who is in her first full season with RSR Motorsports, becomes the first female driver since Valerie Limoges to win a pole position in the series since 2007. Limoges also accomplished her feat at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Cattaneo's co-driver is VJ Mirzayan, and the duo's car was among the fastest in morning practice.

"RSR Motorsports put together a great car for me," Cattaneo said. "I got a great tow off of one of the Jettas. He took me all the way through three and four. That's basically how I got my fast lap."

Joining Cattaneo on the front row is Zach Lutz at 1:32.314 (89.694 mph), who made his series debut in the Fresh From Florida 200 in January, in the No. 75 Skunk2/HPD Honda Civic Si. Compass360 Racing, Lutz's team, won the race last season, and Lutz - teaming with co-driver Ryan Eversley - was expecting another strong performance after he and Eversley finished fifth in the Fresh From Florida 200.

"Compass360 Racing puts together a great car for us," Lutz said. "Everybody helps out so much. I put together a really good flyer. I had David Thilenius in front of me, and with him, put together a great lap."

Third was Lutz's teammate, David Thilenius, in the defending race-winning No. 74 Skunk2/HPD Honda Civic Si, with a time of 1:32.668 (89.351 mph). Fourth was Fresh From Florida 200 polesitter Derek Whitis in the No. 25 Mazda/Aventura Technologies Mazda MX-5 at a time of 1:32.767 (89.256 mph), while Gene Sigal was fifth in the No. 86 Royal Purple Porsche Boxster with a time of 1:32.839 (89.187 mph).

A final 30-minute practice session for the series is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. ET. The two-and-a-half hour Homestead 200 is scheduled to start at 1:05 p.m. ET Saturday.

-source: grand-am

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Homestead: Michael Shank Racing qualifying report
Next article Homestead: Starting grid

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

USA