Kleinubing Tops Final SPEED TC Practice

MONTEREY, October 10, 2009: Pierre Kleinubing, of Coconut Creek, Fla., led the final SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Presented by Toyo Tires practice session of the day at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Peter Cunningham, of Milwaukee, Wis., and Patrick Lindsey, of Santa Barbara, Calif., were second and third fastest, respectively, in preparation for Sunday’s Applied Computer Solutions Monterey Sports Car Championships Presented by Bondurant. Lindsey’s fast lap in the earlier practice session stood as the fastest practice time on the day.

Kleinubing only turned five laps during the 45-minute practice session, combined with the World Challenge GT field, but his fourth lap around the 11-turn, 2.238-mile course was the fastest of the session. Driving the No. 42 Acura/RealTime/Red Line Oil Acura TSX, Kleinubing clocked a 1:38.358 (81.913 mph).

“The plan was just to do a few laps, bed the brakes, and save the car for tomorrow,” Kleinubing said. “I knew I had to go pretty quick, so that’s what I did. Hopefully, we’ll have the same run tomorrow, a little better even, and we should be alright for qualifying.

“I think the track got better [in the second session]. It got fast with more grip. It felt like there was more power because it got colder. My car didn’t really change much from the first session, but the time went down because of the temperature.”

Kleinubing’s teammate, Cunningham, was second fastest in the early evening session. The 2007 race winner at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca turned a 1:28.670 (81.654 mph) in the No. 1 Acura/RealTime/Red Line Oil Acura TSX.

Fastest in the first practice session of the day, Lindsey could not improve on his time in the cooler, end-of-the-day session, and instead entered a 1:38.761 (81.578 mph) in the No. 57 StreetUnit.com/Snapitt.com MAZDA6.

Kuno Wittmer, of Montreal, Quebec, was fourth in the No. 44 Acura/RealTime/Red Line Oil Acura TSX with a lap of 1:38.767 (81.573 mph).

Charles Espenlaub, of Lutz, Fla., was fifth, turning a 1:38.904 (81.460 mph) in the No. 73 MAZDASPEED/StopTech/ProParts MAZDA6.

Lindsey’s 1:38.118 (82.113 mph) lap, turned in the first practice session, stood as the fastest time of the day.

Chip Herr, of Lititz, Pa., turned a 1:38.344 (81.924 mph) in his No. 75 MAZDASPEED/StopTech/ProParts MAZDA6 in the morning session to finish second on the combined practice results.

Kleinubing’s quick time in practice two put him third on the day.

Current point leader and driver of the No. 74 MAZDASPEED/StopTech/ProParts MAZDA6, Jason Saini, of Fort Worth, Texas, set his fast lap, a 1:38.391 (81.885 mph) in the morning session. Saini ended the day in fourth.

Espenlaub’s fast lap of 1:38.434 (81.849 mph) was also in the first session and put him fifth on the day.

Cunningham and Wittmer were sixth and seventh, respectively, with their times from practice two.

BimmerWorld/GearWrench teammates James Clay, Seth Thomas and Nick Esayian each set their fastest times in the first session and finished the day eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively, in their BMW 328is.