Playboy Mazda MX-5 - Cooper Earns Second Career Pole At Lime Rock

LAKEVILLE, May 27, 2011: Mike Cooper, of Syosset, N.Y., started the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup Memorial Day Weekend Classic by going quickest in practice, and continued it by earning the pole on Friday afternoon for Saturday’s race one at Lime Rock Park.

Cooper, already the championship leader, earned five bonus points for turning the fastest qualifying time of 1:00.896 (90.449 mph) in the No. 6 Atlanta Motorsports Group Mazda MX-5. Cooper was 0.632-second faster than the next quickest time posted by Justin Hall.

The pole time was comfortably under the existing track record of 1:01.972 (88.878 mph) set in 2006 by Jim Daniels in the only other visit to Lime Rock Park by the MX-5 Cup. It’s the second career pole for Cooper.

Hall, Cooper’s AMG teammate, will start on the outside of row one during Saturday’s race after a time of 1:01.468 (89.607 mph) in the No. 4 Atlanta Motorsports Group MX-5.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be that easy [in the race],” Cooper said. “There’s going to be a big draft in the race, even though it’s a tight track and it’s going to be hard to get away. Justin’s on the front row with us and we’re going to work with him. I’ve been here once before in the car, we came here for a little practice and got the car dialed in. It’s working for me.”

Starting on the inside of row two will be Jeff Mosing in the No. 10 ALARA Racing MX-5. Mosing posted a best time of 1:01.584 (89.438 mph), placing him just ahead of Kevin Kopp in the No. 22 Piper Motorsports/Brimtek Motorsports MX-5. Kopp will start fourth following a best lap of 1:01.846 (89.060 mph) around the 1.53-mile classic configuration at Lime Rock.

Dean Copeland’s No. 7 Compeland Motorsports/Sync Speed Inc. MX-5 will start fifth after Copeland posted a best time of 1:01.869 (89.026 mph) during the 20-minute session.

Tyler Cooke, making his Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup debut this weekend, turned the third-quickest time of the session in the No. 8 ALARA Racing/Natural Difference Skin Care MX-5. The No. 8 machine was found to be under weight during post-qualifying technical inspection, and Cooke will start from the rear of the field on Saturday.

The SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup will practice and qualify again on Friday afternoon in preparation for Monday’s race two at Lime Rock. This weekend marks Rounds Three and Four of the MX-5 Cup season.