5/13/2011
Bill Lester
Bill Qualifies 6th at Viriginia International Raceway
Autohaus Motorsports VIR Qualifying Report
Under dry but overcast conditions yesterday, GT competitors took to the track to qualify for the Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway in round four of the GRAND-AM Rolex Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16. Bill Lester qualified the No. 88 Autohaus Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro GT.R in 6th place for Saturday’s race at the magnificent 3.27 mile, 17-turn road course at VIR. Bill’s fast lap of a 1:55.273 came on his third lap of qualifying, earning the team a third row start in the GT class.
“The car has been very good here since it came off the truck,” explains Lester. “It felt good from the beginning and Jordan managed to hold P1 for the morning practice session. This is my first time in a GT car at VIR and it is taking some getting used to; it’s quite different from a prototype. I was not here for pre-season testing so that put me at a bit of a disadvantage, but the car is set up well and I improved quite a bit from morning practice sessions to my qualifying run. I did my fast lap early on, and brought the car in to the pits to save the tires in case we need that set during the race. There are a lot of changes here this weekend, but I feel really good about our chances for a podium.”
All the GRAND-AM Rolex teams are facing the challenges that come with rule changes. Following the event at Barber all teams were notified of a reduction in the size of the fuel cell. This change will affect pit stop strategies, most likely forcing an additional pit stop for all the teams. In addition, the GT competitors have tire restrictions for the first time, adapting a rule that the DP cars have been racing under since the beginning of the season. Limiting the number of sets of tires the GT teams can use in a weekend to 6 changes race strategy as well. Drivers will have to drive a smart race to conserve their tires if they want to be running up front at the checkered flag.
This morning’s practice session saw General Motors factory driver Jordan Taylor in the No. 88 Autohaus Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro back on top of the GT leaderboard with a 1:54.589. VIR has traditionally been a strong track for the Pratt & Miller chassis. That was confirmed here this weekend with the pole being captured by fellow Team Chevy Racing driver Jan Magnussen in the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, running a 1:53.727 in yesterday’s qualifying. Jordan Taylor, who just celebrated his 20th birthday this past week, has a good history at VIR as well. Jordan won his first career GT pole at VIR last season and is looking forward to the race later today.
“The car feels really good this weekend,” said Taylor. “The team has been working really hard and that shows. The setup has been good from the beginning, and we have been able to make it even better with each practice session. Our key today will be to drive clean, and save the tires for the end of the race. I think this is the best the 88 has felt this season, and I like our chances for a podium finish.”
Autohaus Motorsports would like to acknowledge the support of their partners, General Motors, Pratt & Miller Engineering and Katech Engines, and thank their sponsors for continued support, Kirland Aviation, a specialist in Jetstream 41 aircraft renovation and sales, and Pfadt Race Engineering, specializing in suspension upgrades for Camaros and Corvettes.
The green flag flies for the Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway today at 3:00 PM ET. The race will be broadcast on SPEED Channel on a tape delay beginning today at 5:00 PM ET.
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Submitted By: Philip Hampton
