Goring and Saville topped the charts for the bulk of the first half of qualifying. The field is split into two for two 20-minute sessions in the hopes of alleviating crashes and encouraging clean laps. In the end Goring got the upper hand but Saville, of Oak Brook, Ill., was only five-tenths of a second behind him with a 2:01.999 (109.181 mph). The latter’s car is sponsored by New York Jewelers of Chicago; NVG Residential; Mac Marketing & Advertising Corp. and Chicago Indoor Racing.
Baker had a problem with his car’s gearshift linkage that caused him to spin, but he rebounded to post a 2:03.196 (108.120 mph) in the Andersen Racing No. 6 for his first qualifying session ever in the United States. He’s from Farnham Common, Buckinghamshire, England.
Fitzgerald had a qualifying time of 2:04.842 (106.695 mph). The driver from Newtown Square, Pa. is making his first Star Mazda start with support from a new sponsor, Blaser Swisslube, as well as Star CNC Machine Tools, LNS America, Lynex, Penske Racing Shocks and Fitze Engineers.
Quotes follow:
Ricardo Vassmer:
“My tires came in quickly and I was fast right away. I had one very good lap early, but then a slow car in Turn 16 killed that lap. The third lap was my qualifying lap. Then I came in and we lowered our tire pressure, and I went back out for one last shot. I was good in one, three, five and the Keyhole and 10, but then a yellow flag came out. If it hadn’t, that lap could have been even faster, because the car was really good.
“Overall I’m pleased. I have to thank the guys on the team for fixing the car from yesterday, when another driver hit my car in the rear in Turn 17. We were worried about how the engine would be after that, but the engine was fine. I have to thank the team for giving me a good car. “
Jonathan Goring:
“The car felt fairly well balanced. We had a little bit of oversteer. I’m slightly disappointed, but I think I’m doing well for my debut in this series. “
Phil Saville:
“We had a major improvement in our car’s set-up for qualifying, and we’ll make a few more changes for the race. The engine was fine; the gearbox was fine; we are just working on our set-up. The guys have worked really hard to get where we are now, and we have high hopes for the race. “
Jonny Baker:
“I had a problem with my gearshift linkage; something broke or something, and I spun in Turn 1. I’m not sure what happened, but I got to the pits, Roger and Glenn made repairs, and I just made the best of it. We’ll get it right for the race and go from there. “
Michael Fitzgerald:
“We’re getting faster every session, and we’re having fun. The key for me tomorrow will be survival. I’m not where I want to be time-wise this week, but I’ve never been in this series before and I haven’t been in a race car for eight months. I’m looking forward to doing more testing with the team. I’d also like to race at a circuit that I know well, like Mid-Ohio or Watkins Glen. ”
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