World Challenge - Poles Go To Skeen, Crosland, And Povoledo

BOWMANVILLE, May 22, 2011: Fast Pirelli World Challenge Championships qualifiers on Sunday at Mosport International Raceway will look familiar to Saturday’s successful drivers at the Pirelli Grand Prix of Mosport Victoria Day Speedfest Presented by Optima Batteries.

Saturday polesitter and race winner Mike Skeen, from Charlotte, N.C., earned the GT pole, race winner Ben Crosland, from Salt Lake City, Utah, earned the GTS pole, and Saturday polesitter Aaron Povoledo, from nearby Toronto, earned the Touring Car pole again on Sunday with some overtime work for the afternoon’s Round Six race.

Skeen, who led start to finish in the No. 2 CRP/Cragar Wheels Chevrolet Corvette during the first race of the weekend doubleheader, will start on point again later on Sunday afternoon after a fast lap of 1:19.474 (111.387 mph) in the morning qualifying.

The pole time was just short of the lap record of 1:19.310 (111.617 mph) that Skeen set on Saturday at the 10-turn, 2.459-mile circuit.

Starting alongside Skeen on the front row on Sunday will be Patrick Long in the No. 45 Privacy Star Porsche 911 GT3. Long, who finished sixth on Saturday, posted a best time of 1:19.666 (111.119 mph) to fall just short of the pole.

Just like Saturday, Cadillacs comprise the second row on the grid. Johnny O’Connell again qualified third in the No. 3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V Coupe, posting a time of 1:20.021 (110.626 mph). On the outside of row two is teammate Andy Pilgrim in the No. 8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V Coupe after a best time of 1:20.173 (110.416 mph). O’Connell finished second and Pilgrim fifth in Saturday’s race.

Championship leader James Sofronas qualified fifth in the No. 14 GMG Porsche 911 GT3 with a best time of 1:20.221 (110.350 mph).

Crosland continues a successful weekend that saw him earn his first career Pirelli World Challenge win on Saturday in the No. 25 Interbank FX/RacewithRP.com Ford Mustang FR500S. Crosland earned his first career World Challenge pole on Sunday afternoon with a best time of 1:27.231 (101.482 mph).

Saturday polesitter Paul Brown fell just short of his second pole in as many days in the No. 50 Lucas Oil/K&N Filters Ford Mustang Boss 302S, trailing Crosland by 0.027-second after a best time of 1:27.258 (101.451 mph) during the session. Brown will start on the outside of the first row for Sunday afternoon’s race.

Two more Mustangs comprise the second row of the GTS field, with rookie Chris DeSalvo qualifying third in the No. 37 Rehagen Racing/Hawk/BBS Ford Mustang GT. DeSalvo’s time of 1:27.400 (101.286 mph) was only 0.169-second off of pole position. Just 0.117-second behind DeSalvo is GTS point leader Eric Foss, who posted a best time of 1:27.517 (101.151 mph) in the No. 73 Traxxas/St. Jude Hospital/SPX Ford Mustang FR500S.

Lawson Aschenbach posted a time of 1:32.200 (96.013 mph) in the Compass360 Racing Honda Civic Si just before the checkered flag came out that appeared to be good enough for the top spot in Touring Car.

Povoledo had other ideas, however, and was on a flying lap in the No. 88 K-Pax Racing Volvo C30 as time expired. Povoledo completed that lap in 1:32.150 (96.065 mph), edging Aschenbach by just 0.050-second for the pole.

Anthony Rapone will start third after a best lap of 1:32.303 (95.905 mph) in the No. 81 Durabond Honda Civic Si, falling just 0.153-second off of the pole in his Pirelli World Challenge Championships debut weekend.

Tristan Herbert will start on the outside of row two on Sunday afternoon in the No. 33 Brimtek Motorsports Volkswagen GTI after a time of 1:32.783 (95.409 mph) was good for fourth in the Touring Car class.

A 36-car field will take the standing start on Sunday afternoon for the second of the weekend’s doubleheader, Round Six on the season, at 2:15 p.m. EDT.