BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada -
FOR RELEASE: August 17, 2002Fellows GTS Pole Streak Ends at Six
Both Cadillacs Start in Top FiveQUALIFYING REPORT
ENTRY: LMP900 8 - LMP675 6 - GTS 6 - GT 8 = 28 TOTAL
WEATHER: Cloudy and overcast TEMPERATURE AIR 84 TRACK 94
BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada - Ron Fellows and his No. 3 GM Goodwrench Corvette crew made a decision to qualify on a harder compound Goodyear tire for the race rather than a softer "quali". The decision may have cost Fellows his seventh straight ALMS pole position but it was the right decision for tomorrow's 2-hour 45-minute road race at Mosport International Raceway.
Throughout the twenty-minute qualifying session Fellows topped the GTS time sheets with a time of 1:16.818/115.239 mph. Terry Borcheller, on a last-lap flyer in his Saleen S7R knocked Fellows off the pole position with a lap of 1:15.966.
"It was the right decision," said a disappointed Fellows. "We chose a harder tire that will go a full tank of fuel comfortably before pitting. We know these Goodyear tires will go for a full tank… I'm not so sure the other guys can. It would have been fun to have the seventh pole and set a record but we're here to win the race. This is the one pole I would have enjoyed getting the most and the extra point for pole position was important, too. But as I said, we here to win the race." Fellows will start 13th overall and second in GTS. Pilgrim will start 15th and third in GTS.
Teammate Andy Pilgrim in the No. 4 Corvette agreed. "I think we could have gone a little quicker but it's ok. The Goodyear tire we are using is harder than what we would have chosen for qualifying alone. The crew and I felt we had to use it for qualifying because you have to start the race on the tire you qualify on . So we are right for tomorrow.
The two Cadillac Northstar LMPs spent two days testing last week before official practice began yesterday. JJ Lehto, Eric Bernard and their Team Cadillac crews made good use of the testing information as Lehto topped the practice charts yesterday although turning in a time slower that the fastest test time. He qualified fourth overall with a 1:08.483/129.264 mph. Bernard qualified fifth overall at 1:08.822. Pole time went to Audi with a 1:07.793.
"It was a bit of a shame that we couldn't find all the grip we had when we were testing," said Lehto. "I was expecting to do much better so it is a big disappointment. This will be a long race and we have the right set up and the right tire for the race."
Corvette Racing will be attempting to maintain a perfect record of six wins in six races held so far in the ten race ALMS road racing series this year. Fellows and team mate Johnny O'Connell have four wins. Pilgrim and partner Kelly Collins have two wins. Going into tomorrow's race Chevrolet, Corvette Racing and the four drivers lead in the three important year-end categories…. Manufacturer, Team and Driver Championships.
Team Cadillac will be driving to match or exceed a best finish ever of third place in the LMP900 here at Mosport last year. The brand new Cadillac LMP 02 is a new from the ground up designed and first introduced at Sebring in the Spring. This will be just the third ALMS race for the car with three more to follow Mosport.