Brazilian Star Scores Team's 6th Pole Position in 7 2009 Events

ELKHART LAKE, August 16, 2009: Gil de Ferran’s retirement tour is becoming more impressive with every race.

The 41-year-old veteran driver, coming off a dominating pole position and race win at Mid-Ohio last weekend, recorded his second straight American Le Mans Series overall pole Saturday on the legendary 4-mile Road America road circuit for Sunday’s Time Warner Road Race Showcase feature, set for Sunday at 2 p.m. [CDT].

The 2003 Indianapolis 500 champion blistered the tarmac in his No. 66 XM Radio de Ferran Acura ARX-02a prototype sports car with a clocking of one minute, 48.216 seconds and an average speed of 134.664 miles per hour. De Ferran admitted he was driving to a sub-1:48 lap, but made a late-lap mistake that cost him a chance at a track record. The pole was de Ferran’s first at Road America in his final driving appearance at the famed track.

The pole position was the sixth overall in seven ALMS races this year for the de Ferran Motorsports team. Simon Pagenaud has three, de Ferran, two, and current IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon, one.

The de Ferran contingent will attempt to set another ALMS record Sunday with a fifth consecutive overall race win in the event airing Sunday on SPEED TV at 3 p.m. [EDT]. De Ferran and Pagenaud have captured four straight victories with wins at Long Beach, Utah, Lime Rock and Mid-Ohio.