Daniels Fastest in MX-5 Cup Practice at Portland International Raceway
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Daniels Fastest in MX-5 Cup Practice at Portland International Raceway PORTLAND, Ore. (July 21, 2006) – Current SCCA Pro Racing SIRIUS Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by Hankook point leader Jim Daniels, of Germantown, Tenn., endured more than 100 degree heat to top the speed charts following the combined MX-5 Cup practice sessions, in preparation for Saturday’s Round Five race at Portland International Raceway. Pratt Cole, of Salt Lake City, and Jason Saini, of Fort Worth, Texas, were second and third, respectively. Driving the No. 76 saferacer.com/Team MER Mazda MX-5, Daniels set his fast lap time of 1:29.620 (78.893 mph) in the morning practice session when the track conditions were nearly 20 degrees cooler than the afternoon session. “My car was great,�?? Daniels said of his fast practice time. “It was good in the morning session and I needed to make some camber changes and we made them. [Then] the handling was great on it, but unfortunately we broke the third or fourth injector wire of the season. So, we are going to put a new harness on it. But, the Team MER/saferacer.com car did a great job today.�?? Daniels, who is coming off his second win of the season at Mid-Ohio, hopes to take the pole in Saturday’s qualifying which is set for 10:30 a.m. (PDT). Pratt Cole powered his No. 88 DEX/Western Companies Mazda MX-5 to the second fastest time with a lap of 1:28.754 (79.662 mph) around the 12-turn, 1.967-mile road course. Cole set his fast time in the morning session. Saini, who is coming off a second-place finish at Mid-Ohio, turned the third quickest lap of the day with a 1:29.142 (79.316 mph). Erik Stearns, of Van Buren, Ohio, and John Kuitwaard, of Wantagh, N.Y., were fourth and fifth, respectively. Round Five of the SCCA Pro Racing SIRIUS Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by Hankook starts at 2:15 p.m. (PDT) Saturday. To follow qualifying and race action from Portland International Raceway live via live timing, visit www.mx-5cup.com and click on the Portland event page link. For more information about the SCCA Pro Racing SIRIUS Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by Hankook, including schedule, entry list and event coverage, visit www.mx-5cup.com. Attached: Image of the No. 76 saferacer.com/Team MER Mazda MX-5 of Jim Daniels. Image may be reproduced with proper copyright information © 2006 SCCA/Lievonen. For higher resolution images, e-mail ahorn@scca.com. -30- PORTLAND, Ore. – Combined practice results for Saturday’s Round Five of the SCCA Pro Racing SIRIUS Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by Hankook at Portland International Raceway, with position, car number in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, fastest lap time, and speed in miles per hour. 1, (76), Jim Daniels, Germantown, Tenn., Mazda MX-5, 1:28.702, 79.709. 2, (88), Pratt Cole, Salt Lake City, Utah, Mazda MX-5, 1:28.754, 79.662. 3, (28), Jason Saini, Fort Worth, Texas, Mazda MX-5, 1:29.142, 79.316. 4, (97), Erik Stearns, Van Buren, Ohio, Mazda MX-5, 1:29.472, 79.023. 5, (09), John Kuitwaard, Wantagh, N.Y., Mazda MX-5, 1:29.813, 78.723. 6, (39), Brad McAllister, Portland, Ore., Mazda MX-5, 1:29.879, 78.665. 7, (23), Deborah Loth, Fort Worth, Texas, Mazda MX-5, 1:30.027, 78.536. 8, (59), Payton Wilson, Chantilly, Ga., Mazda MX-5, 1:30.073, 78.496. 9, (56), Todd Buras, Melbourne, Fla., Mazda MX-5, 1:30.133, 78.444. 10, (60), Carlos Garcia, Miami, Fla., Mazda MX-5, 1:30.199, 78.386. 11, (11), Ara Malkhassian, Houston, Texas, Mazda MX-5, 1:30.225, 78.364. 12, (43), Barry A. Fromberg, Plano, Texas, Mazda MX-5, 1:30.382, 78.228. 13, (8), Carlos Tesler-Mabe, Vancouver, British Columbia, Mazda MX-5, 1:30.502, 78.124. 14, (40), Ben Hohn, Easton, Conn., Mazda MX-5, 1:30.889, 77.791. 15, (2), Drew Staveley, Walnut, Calif., Mazda MX-5, 1:31.051, 77.653. 16, (55), Kim Wolfkill, Seattle, Wash., Mazda MX-5, 1:31.128, 77.587. 17, (19), Larry Webster, Ann Arbor, Mich., Mazda MX-5, 1:31.200, 77.526. 18, (67), Randy Hale, Haddam, Conn., Mazda MX-5, 1:31.825, 76.998.