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Portland: Autosport Development qualifying notes

Hayner to Start the ...

Edited: Aug 1, 2005, 6:33 AM

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Hayner to Start the #5 GMAC Commercial Finance / Trenton Forging GTO 7th

Portland, Ore. July 30 After qualifying with a 1:17.260, Stu Hayner will start Round 8 of the SCCA Pro SPEED World Challenge GT race at Portland International Raceway from the 7th spot on the starting grid. Teammate, Steve MacDonald will start 18th. The Portland Grand Prix is being held in conjunction with the American Le Mans Series.

"The guys really hit the set-up this morning," said Stu. "I liked the car yesterday morning and I felt there was a little more I could get out of it. We made some minor changes in the afternoon session and I think we went the wrong way. We decided to get it back to where we were in the morning, get it ready for qualifying and go out and drive it. That was just what the doctor ordered. The car qualified very well and is very drive-able. This is a car we can go racing with."

"We've got some fast cars in front of us," continued Stu. "And, I think there are a few behind us that might not have qualified as well as they could. The important thing in this race is going to be staying out of trouble and not letting the car get you in over your head. The track appears fairly simple-- but it's very deceiving. We'll need to watch the traffic, keep the lead group in sight and be patient-- I think unless someone really breaks away from the field, the race will come to us."

Joining Stu this weekend and driving the #7 Autosport Development GTO for Envision Telephony is Steve MacDonald of Woodinville, Washington.

"I'm pretty pleased with my time," said Steve. "I have quite a bit of time on this track, though not in a car like this. My goal was to get down into the 18's and we did. These GT cars are unlike anything I've ever driven before."

"Earlier in the week, I found myself taking lines I'd never taken before," laughed Steve. "But I'm getting a better feel for the car now and paying more attention to where it works best. In some ways these cars tend to throttle steer and really rely on the power to be stable off the corners. It's a bit counter intuitive until you get used to it. It is addictive though. I'm having a ball with the car and with the team. I think we're going to have a good race."

Jim Osborn and Chili Pepper Racing for Remote Area Medical are slated to return to the #7 GTO for round 9 in Denver, August 12-14.

The SPEED World Challenge GT race will run on Sunday, July 31 at 2:25pm PDT and will air Sunday August 7th at 3pm EDT on SPEED. The Touring Car race ran Saturday at 1:00pm PDT and will air the Sunday, July 31 on SPEED at 3pm EDT.

-www.GoAutosport.com

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