Road Atlanta GT, Touring qualifyhing

BRASELTON, Ga. (October 4, 2001) -- RealTime Racing teammates Pierre Kleinubing, of Brazil, and Peter Cunningham, of W. Bend, Wis., captured the Superchips Pole positions for Sunday's SCCA Pro Racing Speedvision World Challenge Touring Car and GT Championship races, part of the Road Atlanta Petit Le Mans Weekend Presented by Audi, respectively, completing a team sweep of the four poles available in the doubleheader weekend. Driving the No. 1 RealTime Racing Acura Integra R Speedvision Touring Car, Kleinubing turned a fastest lap 1:41.293 (90.272 mph) in the session abbreviated by a first lap session stoppage when teammate Hugh Plumb lost a motor coming into turn 12, creating a dangerous situation in which a third RealTime teammate, Mike Fitzgerald, slid into the tire wall avoiding Steve Pfeffer, who spun into the gravel trap. Plumb earned the first Superchips Touring Car Pole of the weekend for Friday's Round Nine race, but will start 43rd on Sunday, one position ahead of defending race winner Fitzgerald. The pole for Sunday's race gave Kleinubing two more points toward the Championship, meaning he need only finish 13th in Friday's race to clinch his second-consecutive and third-career Touring Car Championship. "It was a good session, but a bad session as well," said Kleinubing, 26. "Hugh [Plumb] let me by and I was going to give him a draft like yesterday, so he could win the pole to help him finish second in the Championship. Then he had a problem and it took out Mike [Fitzgerald] as well. "[On his first pole since the fifth round] Power is not as important at this track as it used to be, because we've lost grip with the series' tire change. Our Integras are so much better through turns 11, 12 and one than the BMWs; we really pick up a lot of ground in that section. "I'm not going to change the way I approach the race even though I can clinch the Championship. I'm just going to go out and drive a clean, hard race." Jeff Altenburg, of Baltimore, Md., qualified second in the No. 51 ERT BMW 325is, subbing for regular driver Alfred duPont, who sustained broken ribs in an off-track accident less than two weeks ago. Teammate Neal Sapp, of Ellicott City, Md., was third. In the Speedvision GT class, Cunningham turned a fast lap of 1:34.276 (96.991 mph) in the No. 42 RealTime Racing Acura NSX SC, picking up one more point in his chase of Michael Galati's No. 9 Audi S4 Competition for the Championship. It was Cunningham's second Superchips Pole of the weekend, and the seventh of this season. The two poles on the weekend by Cunningham, and the one by Kleinubing, give them each 21 in their respective careers, tying Lou Gigliotti's career mark. "Pierre [Kleinubing] told me that the track was good, and it was for the first lap," said Cunningham. "There was some debris on the track on the third lap, and I spun in turn seven. That's the first time I've spun the car this year. After that, the track really went away, and it was tough to go faster." As was the case in qualifying for Friday's race, Galati was second quick in qualifying for Sunday's, with a fastest lap of 1:34.335 (96.931 mph). Teammate Derek Bell also repeated his performance, with a third-place effort. "It will be difficult in the race, because the all-wheel-drive Audis get a really good launch off the standing start," said Cunningham. "Overall, though, if the race stays green, my car is better suited for the long haul than the Audis." With just the two races this weekend remaining, Galati leads Cunningham by 12 points, 224 to 212. With Superchips Qualifying already decided for both contests, a total of 32 points are up for grabs in each race.

-SCCA/SCCA ProRacing-