ALMS
Detroit: Corvette Racing qualifying report
Magnussen Motors to GT1 Pole in Motown Drying Detroit Grand Prix Street Circuit Yields Quick Time for No. 3 Corvette on Final Qualifying Lap DETROIT, Aug. 29, 2008 -- Jan Magnussen reprised his pole-winning performance for Saturday's Detroit ...
Published: Aug 29, 2008, 9:11 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Magnussen Motors to GT1 Pole in Motown
Drying Detroit Grand Prix Street Circuit Yields Quick Time for No. 3 Corvette on Final Qualifying Lap
DETROIT, Aug. 29, 2008 -- Jan Magnussen reprised his pole-winning performance for Saturday's Detroit Sports Car Challenge, taking the top qualifying spot in the GT1 class for the second consecutive year. Summer showers soaked the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix's 2.096-mile temporary circuit in both practice sessions today, limiting the Corvettes to a handful of laps before the 20-minute qualifying session began. Magnussen turned his quickest time on his fifth and final flying lap at 1:24.477 (88.213 mph) in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R. Oliver Gavin was 1.024 seconds back at 1:25.501 (87.1587 mph) in the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R.
"The first dry lap I had all day was the first lap in qualifying," Magnussen said after claiming his second pole of the season on a street circuit. "The track was getting better and better, and we needed a few laps to get the Michelins up to operating temperature. The Corvette C6.R worked very well under the circumstances.
"It was very, very tough," the Dane added. "It was a matter of thinking about how I drove the track last year, remembering my braking points and so on. Everybody was trying to find the right line. I didn't get a clear lap, but I don't think anyone did. I'm happy with the result; this makes the race a little easier."
Both Corvettes deviated from their usual qualifying strategy in the changing conditions. They ran a single timed lap, then returned to the pits to wait for the track to dry. With 10 minutes remaining in the session, both returned to the track for five timed laps.
"The track was drying and it wasn't as good at the beginning of the session as it was at the end," said Corvette Racing team manager Gary Pratt. "We sent the drivers out to get a time and then brought them back in. If the drivers don't get a qualifying time and the session ends early because of a red flag, the cars would start at the back of the grid. Our strategy was to put a time down, let the track dry out, and then run when the conditions were better."
Magnussen's pole-winning time on the freshly scrubbed racing surface was more than three seconds slower than his qualifying time last year. Gavin also had to fight for traction, turning his fastest time on his fourth timed lap. He encountered traffic on his fifth lap as the session drew to a close.
"The circuit was very green and had very little grip," Gavin said. "We struggled throughout that session and just could not get the car working to my liking. We really had only one shot at it. The GT2 cars were very close in lap times, and some of them qualified in front of me, which is very unusual. I think that comes from running very few laps here in the dry."
-credit: gm racing
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Detroit: Practice 2 times
Next article Detroit: Audi qualifying report
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Jan Magnussen
Bourdais, Moss headline second batch of Sebring's 75 all-time greatest drivers
IMSA
IMSA
Bourdais, Moss headline second batch of Sebring's 75 all-time greatest drivers
Jan Magnussen to make Le Mans return in LMP2 class
WEC
WEC
Jan Magnussen to make Le Mans return in LMP2 class
Magnussen: "Hard to comprehend" extent of Le Mans bad luck
WEC
WEC
24 Hours of Le Mans
Magnussen: "Hard to comprehend" extent of Le Mans bad luck
More from
Corvette Racing
Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller locks in two-car GTD Pro lineup for 2027 IMSA campaign
IMSA
IMSA
Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller locks in two-car GTD Pro lineup for 2027 IMSA campaign
'Team Cadillac' strategy delivers dual IMSA manufacturer titles for General Motors
IMSA
IMSA
Petit Le Mans
'Team Cadillac' strategy delivers dual IMSA manufacturer titles for General Motors
Blockbuster GTD Pro Finale: Corvette and BMW headline wide-open title clash at Petit Le Mans
IMSA
IMSA
Petit Le Mans
Blockbuster GTD Pro Finale: Corvette and BMW headline wide-open title clash at Petit Le Mans
Latest news
Why it's now Oliver Bearman versus Rafael Camara for the next Ferrari vacancy
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
7 min
Why it's now Oliver Bearman versus Rafael Camara for the next Ferrari vacancy
MotoGP Australian GP: Marco Bezzecchi leads Aprilia 1-2-4-5 in Friday Practice
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Australian GP
2 h
MotoGP Australian GP: Marco Bezzecchi leads Aprilia 1-2-4-5 in Friday Practice
Max Verstappen slams “unacceptable” bumps at Austin F1 track: “It's out of control”
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
9 h
Max Verstappen slams “unacceptable” bumps at Austin F1 track: “It's out of control”
Kimi Antonelli ready to "finish the job" as first F1 title chance beckons at US GP
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
10 h
Kimi Antonelli ready to "finish the job" as first F1 title chance beckons at US GP
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe