Grand-Am

Long Beach: Doran Racing qualifying report

Brix Qualifies 12th at Long Beach Friday In the Feeds the Need/Doran Racing Kodak EasyShare DORAN JE4 Ford No. 77 LONG BEACH, Calif., April 7 - Harrison Brix saved the best for last during Rolex Series qualifying Friday afternoon at the Toyota ...

Published: Apr 8, 2006, 4:49 AM

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Brix Qualifies 12th at Long Beach Friday In the Feeds the Need/Doran Racing Kodak EasyShare DORAN JE4 Ford No. 77

LONG BEACH, Calif., April 7 - Harrison Brix saved the best for last during Rolex Series qualifying Friday afternoon at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Brix, of San Jose, Calif., set his fastest lap on his 16th and final trip around the 1.968-mile street course in the qualifying session to earn the 12th starting spot for tomorrow's Crown Royal Grand American Challenge of Long Beach Rolex Series race. The 90-minute race is the Rolex Series' first street-course event ever.

The 26-car field of Daytona Prototypes was split into two groups for quals. The Feeds the Need Racing/Doran Racing Kodak EasyShare/Amp'd Mobile/SIRIUS DORAN JE4 Ford No. 77 was put into the second group. Brix's fastest lap was timed in 1:21.883 for an average speed of 86.523 miles per hour around the 11-turn course. He'll start on the outside of row six when the race gets the green flag at 4 p.m. local time. Luis Diaz got the pole in the CompUSA No. 01 with a 1:19.891 (88.681 mph).

There is very little practice time at this event. The first laps the cars turned here occurred this morning. Despite the time crunch, Brix said the Lebanon, Ohio-based team has done a great job to prepare and set up the car for the challenge.

"The car is significantly improved from this morning's practice session," he noted. "It is good. It had a little bit of oversteer and a little bit of corner-entry understeer, but really it's good. The track was also better now than it was this morning too, but certain parts still need to rubber in."

Brix didn't pit at all during his qualifying session, but he said he did two slower laps in order to get some clear track in front of him prior to his flyer. He came from 15th spot to 12th at the very end of the session.

Brix and co-driver Terry Borcheller of Vero Beach, Fla., will go over the computer data generated from both practice and qualifying and compare their braking and acceleration points in preparation for tomorrow's race. Both are making their first starts at this particular event this weekend, and it's Brix's first street-course race ever.

There were a couple of off-track incidents during qualifying, but Brix said he wasn't close to any of them. "I saw them though," he said with a smile.

Both Brix and Borcheller will do their best to stay out of trouble tomorrow, but they both predicted that the race will be a street fight. "It's a fast track, and when you need your brakes, you need them right now," Brix said, emphasizing the last two words.

-dr

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