Sears Point: Alex Job Racing qualifying report

Alex Job Racing qualified second and third in the GT class for Sunday's American Le Mans Series race at Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Jörg Bergmeister qualified the No. 22 McKenna Xybernaut Porsche second in one minute 38.399 seconds on the 2.53-mile road course, just shy of the class pole time of 1:37.742 set by Kevin Buckler of The Racer's Group, also in a Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Lucas Luhr was third-quickest in the No. 23 Porsche (1:38.528).

"I pushed very hard, but congratulations to Kevin, he did a very good job," said Bergmeister, who will share driving honors with Timo Bernhard. "I'm quite happy - third qualifying for me, second position is not too bad. It's the first time for me on this track, so I think some more experience would help."

Luhr, who has won at Sears Point, hopes for a stronger race performance. "We are third and the other two cars are quicker, so we have to work a little bit on that for the race," he said. "The track was really good and I had a good feeling, but unfortunately, the feeling was not correct." Luhr and Sascha Maassen will drive together.

Team owner Alex Job complimented Buckler for his performance. "Congratulations to Kevin Buckler and The Racer's Group," he said. "Kevin did a great job and qualified on the pole at his home track."

Get it in writing
Lucas Luhr and Sascha Maassen set their qualifying plans for the season during a dinner in Sebring, Fla., where the team won the GT class in the 12 Hours of Sebring season-opener. Maassen carries the official record of their agreement, written on a paper serviette.

Porsche power
The Sears Point race is close to home for team sponsor McKenna Porsche, based in Norwalk, Calif. In addition to its position as the 10th-biggest Porsche dealer in the western states, McKenna Porsche is now ranked 11th in the United States.

-ajr-