Pobst, Cunningham and Wittmer Lead Opening World Challenge Practice

TORONTO, July 16, 2010: The GT and GTS Drivers’ Championship leaders Randy Pobst, of Gainesville, Ga., and Peter Cunningham, of Milwaukee, Wis., topped their respective classes in the opening practice session at the Acura Sports Car Challenge of Toronto, part of the Honda Indy Toronto weekend in Toronto’s Exhibition Place. Montreal’s Nick Wittmer led the Touring Car time sheets on Friday morning.

Pobst was one of three drivers in the GT class to take a turn at the top of the standings during the 25-minute session at the 11-turn, 1.755-mile temporary street circuit along the shores of Lake Ontario. At the completion of the session, the No. 6 K-Pax Racing Volvo S60 fast time of 1:15.956 (83.179 mph) bested the field during the session with a 0.682-second gap to second place.

The championship leader, Pobst has sat on pole for five of six races, won at St. Petersburg and Mosport, and finished on the podium in the last three rounds of the championship. Pobst won the only previous appearance by the World Challenge GT class at Toronto, in 2007.

Patrick Lindsey, of Santa Barbara, Calif., followed Pobst in the morning practice with a time of 1:16.638 (82.439 mph) in the No. 57 Horton/Sloan Securities Porsche 911 GT3. Lindsey took a turn at the top of the practice before being knocked out by Pobst with about four minutes remaining.

K-Pax racing teammate Andy Pilgrim, of Boca Raton, Fla., was third in the session behind the wheel of the No. 8 K-Pax Racing Volvo S60 with a best time of 1:16.821 (82.243 mph).

Montreal’s Kuno Wittmer, older brother of Touring Car’s fast driver Nick, was fourth with a best time of 1:16.895 (82.164 mph). The elder Wittmer, who led the session early, currently sits second in the GT Drivers’ Championship and has a win on a street circuit (Long Beach) already this season.

James Sofronas was the second Porsche in the top five with a best lap of 1:17.488 (81.535 mph) in the No. 14 GMG Porsche 911 GT3.

Cunningham, who won the Touring Car race in Toronto in the Series’ last visit to Exhibition Place, topped the GTS practice with a lap of 1:22.536 (76.548 mph) in the No. 43 Acura/RealTime Racing Acura TSX.

He was followed by teammate Nick Esayian, of San Diego, Calif., in the No. 34 Acura/RealTime Racing Acura TSX. Esayian turned a best time of 1:23.681 (75.501 mph) in the session.

Ernie Jakubowski, of nearby Oakville, Ontario, was third in the GTS class with a best time of 1:23.921 (75.285 mph) in the No. 91 Fuchs/CDOC/Forgeline Porsche Cayman S.

In Touring Car, Nick Wittmer’s RealTime Racing-prepped No. 93 HPD/HondaRacingline/RealTime/HPD Honda Civic Si topped the session with a best circuit of 1:25.933 (73.522 mph). The No. 93 machine is the same one that Wittmer used to sit on pole earlier this season at Long Beach in his only other 2010 World Challenge appearance.

Just 0.339-second behind Wittmer is Eric Meyer, of Indianapolis, Ind. The Round Six polesitter posted a best time of 1:26.272 (73.233 mph) in the No. 32 XOWii/Samaritan’s Feet/Delvira Mazda RX-8.

Championship leader Robert Stout, of Brownsburg, Ind., was third with a best time of 1:26.632 (72.929 mph) in the No. 18 DG-Spec/Scion/TRD/Lucas Oil Scion tC. Stout has won three of the last four Touring Car races entering Toronto.

Brett Sandberg, of Allendale, N.J., was fourth with a best time of 1:27.197 (72.456 mph) in the No. 28 Whitehall Stable Acura TSX.

Michael Pettiford, who raced the early rounds of the season in the GTS class, was fifth in Touring Car in the No. 41 Go 4 It Racing Schools/Hawk Volkswagen Jetta GLI with a time of 1:28.951 (71.027 mph).