Watkins Glen Friday qualifying

Friday Qualifying at Watkins Glen

30 May, 1997

MONTERMINI PUTS FERRARI ON POLE AT WATKINS GLEN WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (May 30, 1997) -- Ferrari driver Andrea Montermini set a new Exxon World SportsCar Championship track record at Watkins Glen International on Friday en route to capturing the pole position for Sunday's First Union Six Hours of The Glen. Montermini, of Monte Carlo, Monaco, averaged 124.17 mph around the 3.4-mile circuit aboard his MOMO Ferrari 333SP. Joining Montermini on the front row is Wayne Taylor, of Altamonte Springs, Fla., who averaged 123.825 mph in his Danka/Toshiba Oldsmobile R&S MK III. Friday's qualifying set the top two positions for Sunday's race. The remainder of the field will be set in Saturday's final qualifying.

PILGRIM FASTEST QUALIFIER IN SPEEDVISION CUP Andy Pilgrim of Cooper City, Fla., and co-driver Jason Priestley, star of Beverly Hills 90210, will start from the pole in the three-hour SPEEDVISION Cup for Stock Sports Cars race at Watkins Glen International on Saturday. On a slightly wet track Pilgrim set a new qualifying record speed of 93.817 miles per hour. Priestley will start the Triple Caution Racing Ford Mustang Cobra R, which he owns, and will be relieved by Pilgrim after an hour or so of racing. Pilgrim and Priestley share the Grand Sports class points lead after three of nine races, and Pilgrim will be working to extend a Professional SportsCar Racing record of 94 consecutive races without failing to finish a race. His last DNF came here at Watkins Glen five years ago, when a BMW M3 assigned to him suffered a broken transmission; Pilgrim was not driving the car at the time. He also shares the points lead in the GTS-1 class of the Exxon Supreme GT Series Presented by Virgin Interactive, driving a Porsche 911 Turbo with owner Jochen Rohr of West Chester, Ohio. Should Pilgrim succeed in becoming a two-series champion, he will be the first in SportsCar racing since Tommy Kendall won both the Grand Sports class and the Camel GTU titles in 1986 at age 19.