Pobst Wins SPEED GT Pole at Road Atlanta

BRASELTON, Sept. 25, 2009: K-PAX Racing teammates Randy Pobst, of Gainesville, Ga., and Andy Pilgrim, of Boca Raton, Fla., continued their assault on Road Atlanta during SPEED World Challenge GT qualifying today. Driving a pair of Volvo S60s, Pobst and Pilgrim claimed the top two spots, respectively, in preparation for Friday’s Toyo Tires Road Atlanta Grand Prix Presented by Dish Network.

Driving the No. 1 K-PAX Racing Volvo S60, Pobst grabbed the pole in his first flying lap with a 1:26.521 (105.685 mph). This was Pobst’s third-career SPEED GT pole at Road Atlanta. The other two came in 2002 and 2007 both in a Porsche 911.

“It is a sign of the Volvo’s stability with all-wheel drive,” Post said after qualifying. “I’ve never driven a car that was so good in Turn 12. I’ve always said there are two keys to Road Atlanta. One is being fast in Turn 12 and dropping into the Esses and that comes from stability. And, the other, I am not going to say because that is my own deep dark secret. But, the guys who run here all the time – they know [it]. Will Moody is a brilliant engineer and Dax Raub, who built this Volvo, did a great job. I’ve never entered a corner [Turn 12] so fast in my life and made it.

“My sister Judy is here. She does not get to come to too many races. She helped and crewed for me early in my career. I just want to say I got this pole for my sister Judy Pobst.”

Although Pobst was excited about winning the pole with his sister in attendance, his excitement was short-lived following the post-qualifying coin flip. Pobst called heads and lost. As a result, the top-five qualifiers will be inverted for tomorrow’s race. Fifth-place qualifier and Championship point leader Brandon Davis, of Huntington Beach, Calif., will start from the pole.

Davis, who is the defending race winner, turned the fifth fastest qualifying time with a 1:27.675 (104.294 mph). Driving the No. 10 Applied Computer Solutions/Sun Microsystems Ford Mustang GT, Davis is sporting the newest Mustang body style.

“We ran what I thought was a good lap,” Davis said. “But, apparently not. They came over the radio and told me I was fifth. It was kind of a disappointing result there [fifth]. But, to have the luck we just did [with the coin flip], it feels nice especially after getting bit in to other races.”

Davis has won three poles this season and has had to relinquish two of them due to the coin flip.

Pilgrim’s best time was a 1:27.052 (105.040 mph) in the No. 8 K-PAX Racing Volvo S60. Under normal circumstances he would start second, but, as a result of the coin flip, he will start fourth. Pilgrim’s lone SPEED GT win at Road Atlanta came in 2006, when he drove a Cadillac CTS-V to victory circle.

Unaffected by the coin flip results, James Sofronas, of Newport Beach, Calif., qualified third and will start third. He recorded a time of 1:27.362 (104.668 mph) in the No. 14 Global Motorsports Group Porsche 911 GT3.

Eric Curran, of East Hampton, Mass., qualified fourth in the No. 30 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Corvette, with a time of 1:27.401 (104.621 mph), but will start second on the grid.

Tony Rivera (Porsche 911 GT3), Spencer Pumpelly (Mercedes-Benz SLR 722 GT), Boris Said (Mustang Cobra), Sonny Whelen (Chevrolet Corvette), and Gunter Schaldach (Porsche 911 GT3) completed the top-10, respectively.

Round Nine of the SPEED World Challenge GT Championships is set for 4:15 p.m. (EDT) Friday, Sept. 25. Streaming audio, live timing and lap notes for both sessions are available at www.world-challenge.com.