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Daytona 2003

Rolex

02/11/2003

01/11/2003

Auberlen Grabs Pole

Auberlen Grabs Pole For Champions Weekend Race

Bill Auberlen captured the pole for Saturday's Rolex Sports Car Series season finale, part of the Grand American Champions Weekend presented by Brumos Porsche at Daytona International Speedway. Auberlen turned a 1:48.667 lap in the Doran-Lista Racing No. 27 Toyota Doran JE4, setting the fastest qualifying lap by a Daytona Prototype to date at Daytona International Speedway.

Auberlen will be joined on the front row by Eric Curran, who led all GTS qualifiers with a lap of 1:49.770 in the No. 29 Gardeniron.com Ford Mustang, for the 250-mile race, that takes the green flag at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Forest Barber turned in the third fastest lap, 1:50.211, in the No. 54 Chevrolet Doran he shares with Daytona Prototypes points leader Terry Borcheller. Barber will be joined on the second row by Lyndon Amick, driver of the No. 50 Corvette, who was timed at 1:50.971 / 115.490 mph.

A pair of Daytona Prototypes will start on the third row for the race. Mike Borkowski was fifth quickest in the No. 58 Red Bull Porsche FABCAR, followed by Duncan Dayton in the new PAP Racing No. 7 BMW FABCAR.

Fastest GT qualifier was Johannes Van Overbeek, driver of the No. 83 Flying Lizard Racing Porsche, who ran a lap of 1:55.029.

Borcheller enters Saturday's race with a three-point lead over Borkowski and David Donohue in the Daytona Prototypes championship. Also in the running for the title are Hurley Haywood and JC France, with France qualifying ninth overall in Friday's qualifying session.

Overall pole winner and Daytona Prototype class pole winner Bill Auberlen, driver of the No. 27 Doran Lista Racing Toyota Doran. “The car feels great. From the first day we were here and the first practice, the car was not very good. Very quickly they adjusted the problems and fixed them and by this morning we’re looking really good.”

“Daytona is very unique, with the grip of the surface, to not burn off your rear tyres. So you need to make sure you get traction with the back (tyres) and you have to go about a whole different way of doing it.”

How many races the car has run?

“Its done four this year. It was basically on the pole at VIR (Virginia International Raceway) earlier this month. Toyota is always making improvements with the motor so that’s great. The chassis, they never stop in terms of improving the chassis. Every day they learn something, we implement it, and it goes quicker.”

What it's going to take to win on Saturday?

"It's so much hotter (this weekend) than during the Rolex 24 that the track is much more aggressive towards the back of your car - in terms of the rear tyre, rear grip, rear handling. To make it through an hour and 15 minute (driving stint) cleanly, you have to be a little conservative and try to maintain those tyres and run them until the end (of the driving stint). The people that burn those tyres off in 10 or 15 laps are going to be sitting ducks for the rest of the people to pick them off. You won't be looking to conserve your car, your motor or your drive train. That's not going to be an issue. You have to conserve your tyres and run as quick a pace as you can to make it through an hour and 15 minute driving stint and then you give it to your team mate and he takes it to the end.”