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BMW Team PTG Qualify 1-2-3 at Lime Rock

30 May 1999

BMW Team PTG notes:  qualifying, May 29
Lime Rock Park, 1999 Dodge Dealers Grand Prix
Race Two, United States Road Racing Championship

BMW Team PTG M3s swept the top three GT3 qualifying positions for Monday's USRRC race.  
Boris Said took the class pole position in the #10 M3 in 57.693 seconds at an average 
lap speed of 95.470 mph. Peter Cunningham was second-fastest in the #6 M3 (57.840 seconds, 
95.228 mph)  and Johannes van Overbeek was third in the #7 car (58.342 seconds, 94.408 mph).  
The Aspen Knolls privateer team's BMW M3, qualified by Shane Lewis, was fourth 
(58.587 seconds, 94.014).


Scott Doniger, motorsport manager, BMW North America, Inc.

"We haven't qualified one-two-three in a long time, so it feels really good.  
But you never know what can happen at Lime Rock.  With all the other races here, 
the course gets even trickier and even more slippery.  We have strength in numbers, 
but we're not taking anything for granted.  We want to give our employees a good
show on Monday, so hopefully it will be a one-two-three finish after a one-two-three start."


Boris Said, driver, #10 BMW M3

"This track is tough on traffic, especially in a GT3 car.  We have to worry about the slower 
[Can-Am] cars as well as the faster guys.  Hopefully, we'll have a good clean race."  
[team orders?]  [Owner Tom Milner] said something in a pretty harsh German tongue that I
didn't quite understand," he joked, "That if we touch each other, we're dead.  
We'll still race real hard, that's what we do.  The best car will win, and hopefully 
it will be me and Hans."


Peter Cunningham, driver, #6 BMW M3

"Qualifying went very well.  We set a time and we were going to cool off and take another shot.  
But at that point, we were already one-two-three.  That was pretty much as much fun as 
our boss wanted us to have right then, so that was the end of it.  What's really important 
is the race on Monday."


Johannes van Overbeek, driver, #7 BMW M3

"Qualifying was good, but a little disappointing.  I made a mistake on my quick lap, 
but the cars qualified one-two-three, which was what we wanted and expected.  I made the 
error coming down the hill, which is probably the biggest penalty here if you go off.  
I was trying to be a bit too agressive through the corner and carry too much speed and 
got pretty crossed-up coming down the hill, which is not a comfortable feeling."


Dolphin Aid

BMW Team PTG driver Hans Stuck has agreed to serve as anambassador for Dolphin Aid, 
initiated by fellow German Kiki Kuhnert.  The Miami-based organization helps children 
who have severe injuries and health conditions through two-week programs of swimming with 
the dolphins.  "I was overwhelmed with the dolphins' sensitivity and how they can help these 
children who are really in bad shape," Stuck said.  "You have to be a parent to
understand how important this type of program is."