Autosport Development Portland Qualifying Report
Hayner to Start the #5 GMAC Commercial Finance / Trenton Forging GTO 7th Portland, Ore. July 30 After qualifying with a 1:17.260, Stu Hayner will start Round 8 of the SCCA Pro SPEED World Challenge GT race at Portland International Raceway from the 7th spot on the starting grid. Teammate, Steve MacDonald will start 18th. The Portland Grand Prix is being held in conjunction with the American Le Mans Series. “The guys really hit the set-up this morning,” said Stu. “I liked the car yesterday morning and I felt there was a little more I could get out of it. We made some minor changes in the afternoon session and I think we went the wrong way. We decided to get it back to where we were in the morning, get it ready for qualifying and go out and drive it. That was just what the doctor ordered. The car qualified very well and is very drive-able. This is a car we can go racing with.” “We’ve got some fast cars in front of us,” continued Stu. “And, I think there are a few behind us that might not have qualified as well as they could. The important thing in this race is going to be staying out of trouble and not letting the car get you in over your head. The track appears fairly simple… but it’s very deceiving. We’ll need to watch the traffic, keep the lead group in sight and be patient… I think unless someone really breaks away from the field, the race will come to us.” Joining Stu this weekend and driving the #7 Autosport Development GTO for Envision Telephony is Steve MacDonald of Woodinville, Washington. “I’m pretty pleased with my time,” said Steve. “I have quite a bit of time on this track, though not in a car like this. My goal was to get down into the 18’s and we did. These GT cars are unlike anything I’ve ever driven before.” “Earlier in the week, I found myself taking lines I’d never taken before,” laughed Steve. “But I’m getting a better feel for the car now and paying more attention to where it works best. In some ways these cars tend to throttle steer and really rely on the power to be stable off the corners. It’s a bit counter intuitive until you get used to it. It is addictive though. I’m having a ball with the car and with the team. I think we’re going to have a good race.” Jim Osborn and Chili Pepper Racing for Remote Area Medical are slated to return to the #7 GTO for round 9 in Denver, August 12-14. The SPEED World Challenge GT race will run on Sunday, July 31 at 2:25pm PDT and will air Sunday August 7th at 3pm EDT on PEE. The Touring Car race ran Saturday at 1:00pm PDT and will air the Sunday, July 31 on PEE at 3pm EDT. Autosport Development competes as part of the SPEED World Challenge GT Series. All events are nationally televised on PEE channel (formerly Speedvision). In 2005 the SPEED World Challenge Series schedule will include street races in Denver and St. Petersburg, and make the traditional stops around the country at great tracks like Sebring, Road Atlanta, Lime Rock Park, Infineon, Mosport, Cleveland, Portland, Road America, Mid-Ohio and Laguna Seca. GMAC Commercial Finance, considered a leader in its segment of the financial services market, provides accounts receivable management and financing, asset-based lending, equipment finance/leasing, retail financing, structured financing, and supply chain management services to a wide variety of clients in diverse industries. Loan facilities are in the $2 million to $200 million range. With locations in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, the Company is positioned to provide lending services worldwide. Trenton Forging Company from Trenton Michigan is a leading producer of custom impression die forgings to a wide variety of industries. They have a strong reputation as a supplier of choice to many Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive/light truck suppliers. Trenton produces multiple cavity die forgings to meet customers exacting specifications and offers a wide range of high quality custom forging products with exceptional customer service. Envision Telephony provides business intelligence and analytical software tools designed to help businesses understand their customers better. Envision's Business Intelligence Portal helps users collect and analyze data on customer transactions, preferences, and how they perceive the company. Its Performance Suite provides workforce management and monitoring tools for helping contact centers train and retain top-notch call center agents. Envision's customers include Southwest Airlines and Time Warner Cable. For more information about Autosport Development visit www.GoAutosport.com For more information about Trenton Forging, visit www.trentonforging.com For more information about GMAC Commercial Finance, visit www.gmaccf.com For more information about SCCA SPEED World Challenge, visit www.world-challenge.com