Pikes Peak Press Notes 1-29, Friday

Press Notes 1-29, Friday

26 September, 1997

1. Good morning and welcome to the first official day of the Festival of Road Racing weekend at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Professional SportsCar Racing welcomes all members of the media.

2. On hand to serve you this weekend are:

Sid Priddle -- Vice-President, Communications Ed Nicholls -- Director of Communications Tom Leix, Bruce O'Neill, Betty Priddle, Patricia O'Neill -- SportsCar Press Assistants Steve Page - Public Relations Director, Pikes Peak International Raceway

3. The official schedule has been changed slightly. There are copies of the correct schedule on the tables with the media information.

4. GREEN FLAG drops at 8 am to start the practice session for the SPEEDVISION Cup for Stock Sports Cars...#88GS Toyota Supra Turbo was the fastest car on the 1.3-mile circuit with a time of 1:01.976=74.874 mph...#81S BMW 328is was fastest in class, 19th overall, with a time of 1:03.925=72.591 mph...#03Nissan 240SX was fastest in Touring class with a time of 1:05.577=70.762 mph...#23 Mazda Miata was first in Compact class, 40th overall, with a time of 1:07.300=68.950 mph...CHECKERED FLAG drops to end session five minutes early to move equipment.

5. ENTRY LIST CHANGES

EXXON WORLD SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP

CAR CLASS CHANGE 3 WSC SCRATCH entry 27 WSC ADD Fredy Leinhard/Erlen, Switzerland & DELETE Gianpiero Moretti 40 WSC SCRATCH entry 51 WSC DELETE Bruce Trenery & CHANGE entrant to Carol Kopf

62 WSC ADD John Mirro/Bath, Pa 63 WSC ADD Tim McAdam/Vail, CO 88 WSC ADD Alex Caffi/Monte Carlo, Monaco & DELETE Jeff Jones

EXXON SUPREME GT SERIES PRESENTED BY VIRGIN INTERACTIVE

CAR CLASS CHANGE 04 GTS-3 ADD Max Schmidt/Edwards, CO & Rusty Schmidt/Edwards, CO 9 GTS-3 ADD Boris Said/Carlsbad, CA & Derek Hill/Santa Monica, 56 GTS-2 ADD Kelly Collins/Corona del Mar/CA 66 GTS-1 DELETE Doc Bundy, Butch Leitzinger 96 GTS-1 DELETE Johnny O'Connell, Jeff Purner

SPEEDVISION CUP

CAR CLASS CHANGE 00 T ADD Darrin Law/Phoenix, AZ, DELETE Bob Mundo 03 T ADD John Norris/Los Angeles, CA, Craig Stanton, Los Angeles, CA, Mark Webster, Los Angeles, CA and Marc Jones, Long Beach, CA

SPEEDVISION CUP ENTRY LIST CHANGES (continued)

CAR CLASS CHANGE 07 T ADD John Norris/Los Angeles, CA, Craig Stanton, Los Angeles, CA, Mark Webster, Los Angeles, CA and Jones, Long Beach, CA 7 C CHANGE car number to #67 23 C ADD Lance Stewart/Palm Beach Gardens, FL 24 S ADD Don Kutschall/Buffalo, NY, Taz Harvey/Danville, CA, Jason Potter/Oxford, OH & Kris Skavnes/Rockaway, NJ 28 T SCRATCH entry 29 GS ADD Ross Thompson, Phoeniz, AZ, DELETE Chuck Cottrell

31 T ADD Terry Earwood, Sebring, FL and Paul Arnold,Franklin, TN 33 GS ADD Steve McDonald, Mike Carson 34 T ADD Mark Hillstead, Akron, OH and Barry Waddell, Evansville, IN 35 GS ADD Steve NcNeely, Pasadena, CA, Scott Harrington/Indianapolis, IN, John Henricy, Holly, MI & Stu Hayner, Yorba Linda, CA 48 C SCRATCH entry 49 C ADD Kris Skavnes/Rockaway, NJ/Dave Ahlheim/Mt View, CA, DELETE John Bourassa 53 T SCRATCH entry 54 GS ADD Javier Quiros/San Jose, Costa Rica, Bill Auberlen/Redondo Beach, CA, Scooter Gabel/Tampa, FL & Terry Borcheller/Phoenix, AZ 57 GS ADD Ty Moore/Redmond, WA, Bill Kilcullen/Bellevue, WA & Ed Zabinski/Kent WA and CHANGE car number to #6 61 GS ADD John Heinricy/Holly, MI 63 GS ADD Javier Quiros/San Jose, Costa Rica, Bill Auberlen, Redondo Beach, CA, Scooter Gabel, Tampa, FL & Terry Borcheller/Phoenix, AZ 67 S CHANGE car number to #7 72 GS Geoff Auberlen/Redondo Beach, CA, Chris Miller/Fullerton, CA, Bill Auberlen, Redondo Beach, CA & Scooter Gabel/Tampa, FA 74 GS ADD Jeff Lapcevich/Ontario, Canada, Matt Turner/Ann Arbor, MI, John Kohler/Bradford, PA & Gary Smith/Bradford, PA 75 C DELETE Ed Magner, David Daughtery 78 C SCRATCH entry 84 S ADD Jeremy Lightwine/Overland Park, KS 92 GS ADD Kelly Collins/Corona del Mar, CA, Dave Schardt/Dayton, OH 94 T ADD Karl Hulcher/Tulsa, OK, Steve Nowicki,/Canton, MI & Dave Ahlheim, Mt. View, CA, CHANGE class to Touring 95 C ADD Alan Himes/Falls Church, VA, Paul Moorcones/Highland, MD

BLACK MAGIC PRO SERIES

CAR CLASS CHANGE 05 BM CHANGE number from 06 4 BM SCRATCH entry 24 BM ADD John Warner/McLean, VA

6. GREEN FLAG drops at 10:10 am to start 30-minute qualifying session for Exxon World SportsCar Championship cars...#16 Goodyear/Bosch/Hella Ford R&S MK III spins between turns 4 & 5 into infield area...#30 Ferrari 333SP consistently fastest car on track with Andrea Montermini driving. His fastest time is 48:847=94.998 mph, followed by #27 Ferrari 333 SP of Didier Theys at 49.876=93.038 mph...third fastest is #1Danka/Toshiba Copiers & Fax Oldsmobile R&S MK III with Wayne Taylor and Eric van de Poele.

7. DRIVER QUOTES: Andrea Montermini: "It went very well. We were running under race conditions and we found out that the track is superior to yesterday. We did a good job, but we need some improvements and we are working very hard on them. It's my first time on the oval but it's quite nice and very enjoyable."

8. SPEEDVISION Cup for Stock Sports Cars drivers are finding that the high altitude at Pikes Peak presents some special -- but anticipated -- problems for the teams. The problem is simple -- a lack of air. In the SPEEDVISION Cup cars, normally-aspirated cars will see a 17% horsepower loss, the figure based on standard altitude engineering formulas.

"We can always push more fuel through the Pontiac V8 engine," says GM engineer John Heinricy, who also leads the Grand Sports Class points, "but we can't create air. There is nothing we can do to compensate for the altitude."

Jason Priestley, driver of the #98GS Ford Mustang Cobra R, adds: "You can feel the engine's power curve going flat here, compared to tracks closer to sea level."

Three cars in the SPEEDVISION Cup are turbocharged -- the Grand Sports class Toyota Supra and the Mazda RX-7, and the Touring class Audi A4. The Toyota and Massed are allowed 12 lb. p.s.i. turbo boost, the Audi, 15 lb. p.s.i. these numbers will not change much at this altitude, giving them almost full power.

"I only have a two-point lead over the Mazda, so their power advantage isn't too welcome," Heinricy said.

9. ANOTHER ALTITUDE-RELATED problem is engine cooling. Cars will run hotter at this altitude, and the SPEEDVISION Cup cars already routinely see 240 degrees water temperature at low-altitude tracks and, on occasion, 300 degrees. These numbers would be a serious problem for a highway motorist.

John Rice is the GM Motorsports engineer who handles the Motorsports Aurora V8 program for the WSC cars using that engine. Rice points out, "if the engine is turning 10,000 rpms, it doesn't know if the car is going 60 mph or 200 mph. But the cooling system does, and it's at 200 mph where you're getting maximum air into the radiator cooling.

"Unfortunately, this track is so slow that we're spending time generating heat, and not cooling. Horsepower automatically generates heat, and you have to get rid of it. At these speeds, that will be a problem."

10. GREEN FLAG drops at 10:50 am to start 30-minute practice session for Exxon Supreme GT Series Presented by Virgin Interactive...#46GS Lister Storm V12 with Julian Bailey driving, fastest car on track with a time of 51.827=89.54 mph, the first time the Lister, which joined the series last weekend, has been fastest car in a session...#61GTS-2 Porsche 911 Turbo with Nick Ham driving, fastest in class at 54.179= 85.649 mph, seventh overall...#10GTS-3 Yokohama/Valvoline BMW M3, Bill Auberlen driving, first in class with a time of 55.745=83.24 mph. CHECKERED FLAG drops at 11:20 am.

11. DRIVER QUOTES: Julian Bailey: "From the last race at Las Vegas, I think we should have had the pole position. We're struggling a bit here on this circuit but every session we're getting quicker and quicker. Hopefully, by qualifying we'll be in position to challenge for the pole. We finished third in Vegas and got on the podium. We came here to win and hopefully we can prove that here.

"Without a doubt this is a quick circuit. It's not something we're used to -- that type of quick corner in Europe. I think some of the guys here have an advantage, having been on ovals before but it's a steep learning curve and I'm getting used to it over time."

12. GREEN FLAG drops at 11:30 am to start 25-minute practice session for Black Magic Series cars...Mike Davies #83 fastest early in session with lap of 1:00.286=76.97 mph...CHECKERED FLAG drops to end session at 11:55 am...

13. DRIVER QUOTE: Mike Davies: "The session went well and I'm happy with the car setup and new transmission. The crew replaced the transmission following the Las Vegas race after I lost several gears in the race. This track is fun, but can be challenging. The asphalt surface is slippery so you try not to let your car slide at all. Also, if you don't turn into Turn 1 in the right place, then you can't drive it flat out. I'm looking forward to a good qualifying session tomorrow.

14. GREEN FLAG drops to start 25-minute practice session for SPEEDVISION Cup for Stock Sports Cars...#32GS Pontiac Firebird turns in fastest lap, 1:03.051=73.597 mph late in the session after #70 Mazda RX-7 Turbo had been quickest most of the session, finishes session second fastest at 1:03.350=73.250 mph...CHECKERED FLAG drops to end session...fastest car in Sports class is #86 Honda Prelude VTEC, 21st overall with time of 1:05.614=70.722 mph...#7 Mazda Miata leads Compact class with time of 1:05.708=70.621 mph...#00 Audi A4 leads Touring class with time of 1:05.844=70.475 mph, 23rd overall.

15. WEDDING BELLS rang for Craig Stanton, who shared last week's Touring class win with John Norris in the GTI Racing Nissan 240SX, at Las Vegas. Stanton got married at 4:30 am after the race. Mark Webber, our team owner, offered me $100 if I'd do it, and offered Joy (his fiancee) the same," Stanton said. "So we drove off, found a 24-hour chapel and did it!"

The happy couple has been together for 12 years and were planning on getting married on Oct. 11. Stanton is in a three-way tie for the Touring class points lead, along with Honda teammates Gary Blackman and Greg Loebel.

16. GREEN FLAG drops at 1 pm to start 20-minute practice session for Exxon World SportsCar practice session...#1Danka/Toshiba Copiers & Fax Oldsmobile R&K MK III was the fastest in the session with a time of 49.245=95.175 mph, followed by #20 Goodyear/Bandolero/Bosch/Hella Ford R&S MK III at 49.404=93.927 mph and the #27 MOMO Ferrari at 49.649=93.464 mph.

17. DRIVER QUOTE: Wayne Taylor, of the #1 Oldsmobile R&S MK III said: "the car was dialed in very well. There's no doubt the speed comes from the oval part of the track. I think we can still find a bit more speed.

18. GREEN FLAG drops at 4:02 pm to start 40-minute practice session for Exxon World SportsCar Championship cars...#16 Ford R&S MK III sets early quick pace with lap of 49.222=94.27 mph...Andrea Montermini, in #30 MOMO Ferrari 333SP lowers mark to 48.726=95.23 mph....at 10-minute mark, #30 MOMO Ferrari leads, with #16 Ford R&S MK III, second, #1 Oldsmobile R&S MK III third....#30 MOMO Ferrari 333SP lowers mark even more, with lap of 48.344=95.99 mph...CHECKERED FLAG drops to end session with Ferrari 333SP cars in top three places: #30 quickest at 48.344=95.99 mph.

19. DRIVER QUOTE: Wayne Taylor in the #1 Oldsmobile R&S MK III: "Traffic could be a problem in the race. There's fine line between good and a bad lap. You put yourself at risk on the oval but it's the only place where you can achieve top speed. It will be difficult, but not impossible. We are still fine tuning the infield, so we have a little more to find in the car."

Co-driver Eric van de Poele: " It is a very small track. An oval with corners is a very new experience for me. I really like it. It reminds me of my rally racing...lots of sliding around one corner, then the next. It's a lot of fun. The car is perfect. I would like to get another 10 laps to feel 100% confident, but the car is fantastic. Traffic is definitely going to be a big deal in the race. On the infield, you can get literally stopped and must wait behind the slower cars. If you were leading by five seconds, you could lose your whole lead if you get stuck in the infield."

20. GREEN FLAG drops at 4:45 pm to start 40-minute practice session for Exxon Supreme GT Series Presented by Virgin Interactive cars...fastest times change frequently in first 10 minutes with first #27GTS-1 Mustang Cobra posting fastest lap of 52.440=88.49 mph, followed by #01GTS-1 Porsche 911 GTR with best lap of 52.110=89.05 mph and then #46 GTS-1 Lister Storm V12 at 51.911=89.39 mph.

21. AT HALFWAY mark of session, #66 Ford Panoz GTR1 is fastest GTS-1 car with lap of 51.670=89.81 mph...#99 Porsche 911 Turbo is fastest in GTS-2 class with lap of 54.339=85.40 mph and #39 Porsche 911 is quickest in GTS-3 class with lap of 54.766=84.73 mph.

22. CHECKERED FLAG drops to end session at 5:25 pm. Top qualifiers in each class are: GTS-1 #66 Ford Panoz GTR 51.582=89.96 mph GTS-2 #61 Porsche 911 Turbo 53.614=86.55 mph GTS-3 # 39 Porsche 911 54.766=84.73 mph

23. GREEN FLAG drops at 6:12 pm to start 15-minute qualifying session for SPEEDVISION Cup Sports, Touring & Compact divisions...all three class leaders set their fastest lap early in the session as air temperatures continue to drop. CHECKERED FLAG drops at 6:27 pm to end session. Top qualifiers in each class are: SPORTS #7 Honda Prelude VTEC, Bob Endicott, 1:04.684=71.74 mph TOURING #00 Audi A4, Darren Law, 1:05.679=70.65 mph COMPACT #95 Mazda Miata, Paul Moorcones, 1:07.468=68.78 mph

24. GREEN FLAG drops at 6:32 pm to start 15-minute qualifying session for SPEEDVISION Cup Grand Sports division...#88 Toyota Supra Turbo sets fastest lap of session in first five minutes, then parks the car...#70 Mazda RX-7 Turbo is 0.713 seconds behind...CHECKERED FLAG drops at 6:47 to end session. Fastest qualifier is: GRAND SPORTS #88 Toyota Supra Turbo, Eric Van Cleef, 1:00.716=76.43 mph.

25. THE POLE position is the 13th consecutive front-row start for Van Cleef and eighth pole.

26. DRIVER QUOTES: Eric Van Cleef (GS): "We waited to go out until most of the field was gone and then did the pole lap on the second lap. We only ran four laps. We made some chassis changes after the first practice and they worked. It feels great."

27. BOB ENDICOTT (S): "I'm on the pole? Really? I've never been on the pole. We just laid back at the start, got a clean and perfect lap. I'm really on the pole?"

28. DARREN LAW: (T): "Scott Hartman, one of the regular drivers, owns Intrax Suspension Technologies, and is my BMW's sponsor in the Super Touring Series. He invited me to come here and drive. I love the car and I'm very excited about our prospects for the the race."

29. PAUL MOORCONES: "We've been building up our presence in the series with this car and now we've done it! This is my first professional racing pole. I learned today to be patient and that I can go faster in some places by being patient and going slower, but with more precision. For business, I own a tire store in Silver Springs, Maryland. I'm a Toyo dealer, too."