Mosport: GT qualifying notes

CANADA (May 17, 2003) -- Bill Auberlen, of Hermosa Beach, Calif., scored BMW Team PTG's first-ever pole position in SCCA Speed GT competition today, shattering the track record at Mosport International Raceway, as part of the Ontario More To ...

CANADA (May 17, 2003) -- Bill Auberlen, of Hermosa Beach, Calif., scored BMW Team PTG's first-ever pole position in SCCA Speed GT competition today, shattering the track record at Mosport International Raceway, as part of the Ontario More To Discover Trans-Am Series weekend. Randy Pobst, of Gainesville, Ga., and Boris Said, of Carlsbad, Calif., completed the top three.

Driving the No. 7 BMW Team PTG/BMW M3, Auberlen was able to put in a quick time of 1:24.928 [104.234 mph] on his first flying lap in qualifying. The time was good enough to top the previous track record of 1:28.457 [100.075 mph] set by defending series Champion Michael Galati, of N. Olmstead, Ohio, last season.

With only four minutes on the clock, Jon Groom, originally from England but now residing in Boontoon, N.J., made heavy contact in Turn One, requiring an extensive clean-up that ended the 20-minute session prematurely. With the incident, Pobst's No. 2 Champion Audi Racing/Audi RS 6 and Auberlen's BMW Team PTG teammate Boris Said, were not able to challenge Auberlen for the pole. Groom was uninjured in the incident.

"I ran the Speed Touring Car qualifying session just before the GT session so I had to start from the back of the field," said Auberlen, who sat on the Speed Touring Car pole at Sebring in March. "I waited until everyone left the pits and got a clear track. I stood on it and was able to get the pole on my first flying lap."

Galati and Justin Marks, of Woodside, Calif., completed the top five for Sunday's SCCA Speed GT Championship race, scheduled to take the standing start at 10:45 a.m. eastern. For more information, including live timing, please visit www.world-challenge.com.