SRO America

Audi Portland qualifying notes

Portland, Oregon -- Michael Galati drove his Champion Audi/Audi S4 Competition to pole position for Sunday's SCCA Pro Racing Speedvision World Challenge GT series race to be run at Portland International Raceway. On his third lap, Galati put in a ...

Edited: Apr 15, 2002, 11:45 PM

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Portland, Oregon -- Michael Galati drove his Champion Audi/Audi S4 Competition to pole position for Sunday's SCCA Pro Racing Speedvision World Challenge GT series race to be run at Portland International Raceway.

On his third lap, Galati put in a time of 1:23.964 and 83.3 mph to take the pole. Galati improved on his previous days practice time by more than a second. The North Olmstead, Ohio resident followed the fast Porsche from yesterday's practice and was able to jump to the top of the time sheet.

Teammate Derek Bell, driving the Legends of Motorsport/Audi S4 Competition, had an engine misfire, which hampered his qualifying run. Even with the engine problem the sportscar legend was able to put in a time of 1:24.646 good enough for a sixth place starting position. Like Galati, Bell managed to improve on his practice by more than a second.

Michael Galati, Champion Audi/Audi S4 Competition: "We have really found a good balance on the car for this track. Portland doesn't have the slow corners and hills like at Sears Point, so our weight disadvantage is not affecting us too much here. I purposefully followed the fast Porsche from practice and was able to pick up some time. The key for the race will be to stay in front and not let them out brake me, it is difficult to get a run and pass here."

Derek Bell, Legends of Motorsport/Audi S4 Competition: "The car developed an engine misfire on my second lap, which robbed me of some horsepower. I am happy to have improved my time by a second, but without the misfire I could have been a lot further up the grid."

Rod Bymaster, manager, Audi Sport North America: "A pole here is a nice boost for the team. After Sears it was a little disappointing, but to rebound with a pole by Michael is a great achievement. We will get Derek's car fixed and it will be exciting watching him come through the field on Sunday."

The Speedvision GT race from Portland will be televised on Friday, August 24, at 9:00 p.m. EDT on Speedvision.

-Audi

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