SCCA: Cunningham takes third straight pole to lead field at Detroit race

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

June 17, 2001

DETROIT -- Peter Cunningham, of W. Bend, Wis., earned his third-consecutive Superchips Pole, and will start first in Sunday's SCCA Pro Racing Speedvision World Challenge GT Round Five race, part of the Tenneco Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit. Michael Galati, of N. Olmstead, Ohio, will start second, with Johannes vanOverbeek, of Danville, Calif., third.

Driving the neon orange and white No. 42 RealTime Racing Acura NSX, Cunningham turned a lap of 1:43.351 (81.718 mph) around the 2.346-mile Belle Isle street circuit to earn his fourth pole of the season--the 18th of his career.

"The track changed quite a bit from the practice sessions yesterday due to last night's rain," said Cunningham. "I think my knowledge of the course played a part in the run. I drove here in the 1997 Super Touring Series.

"We had 40 pounds of REWARDS weight taken off for this weekend after the DNF at Lime Rock, and I could really feel a difference. Hopefully I can get a good launch at the standing start and hold off Michael Galati's all-wheel-drive Audi."

Galati put the No. 9 Champion Audi S4 Competition second on the grid for the second-consecutive race with a fastest lap of 1:43.351 (81.717 mph). Galati was able to get the jump on the Lime Rock start and lead flag-to-flag.

Van Overbeek will start third in the Flextronics/Intel Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, followed by defending series champion Jeff McMillin in the JJ's Snacks/John Hancock BMW M3.

David Schardt, of Dayton, Ohio, qualified fifth, but may not make Sunday's race after a crash late in the session in the Wheel Source Porsche. Schardt was uninjured in the incident, which caused a premature end to the session.

Text provided by Eric Prill

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