MILLVILLE, N.J. - Bill Auberlen and Ian Baas were the fastest drivers in their respective Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series classes at Thunderbolt Raceway at New Jersey Motorsports Park, and look for their cars to run up front again in Saturday morning’s qualifying session. Auberlen set a lap of 1:27.540 (92.529 mph) late in the second session in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 to best 27 other Grand Sport (GS) competitors, while Baas’s time of 1:30.622 (89.382 mph) paced 40 Street Tuner (ST) competitors.
The teams will return to action Saturday for 15-minute qualifying sessions, beginning at 10:25 a. m.
Auberlen was also fast in his No. 23 Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team Porsche Riley, setting the second fastest time of the day, second only to co-driver Joey Hand. In GS, Auberlen drives with Matthew Alhadeff; the pair is still looking for their first victory of 2008.
“I like the track a lot,” Auberlen said. “We’ve been in our Daytona Prototype car, we’re quickest every session; GS car, quickest every session. That’s been rare that we’ve pulled a clean sweep like that - so far so good. Nobody knows how this place presents itself for a long race and that’s going to be the trick. A lot of these corners bend in, so it forces a car ahead of you to bend in before you get in; I see a lot of contact coming and I don’t know how to get out of that just yet. We’re trying to come up with a strategy and a plan to win the race.”
Auberlen said the 2.25-mile, 12-turn track was not conducive to running alone.
“There’s no running by yourself on this track,” Auberlen said. “You never ever get a clear lap. Every one of these laps that I’m doing is in traffic. In both Daytona Prototype and GS we have a great car. It’s just a coincidence that for some reason here we are with two great cars that do great things. I’m quite happy.”
Second was Andy Lally in the No. 80 Kinetic Motorsports BMW M3 (1:27.457; 92.617 mph), followed by Darren Law in the No. 21 Motorsport Technology Group Porsche 997 (1:27.956; 92.092 mph), Kris Wilson in the No. 25 C-MAX/Unitech Racing Porsche 997 (1:28.011; 92.034 mph) and Billy Johnson in the No. 18 Motorsport Technology Group BMW Z4 (1:28.180; 91.858 mph). Point co-leaders Jep Thornton and Jeff Segal were 14th in the No. 09 Automatic Racing BMW M3, one spot behind Bret Seafuse and James Gue in the No. 37 JBS Motorsports Trumansburg Shursave Ford Mustang GT. Thornton and Segal lead Seafuse and Gue by 10 points (190-180).
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