SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - It’s been a learning season for Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 rookie Ricardo Zonta, racing on unfamiliar circuits while his team developed a new Daytona Prototype chassis. Friday, it all came together on the final lap of qualifying, as the Brazilian Formula One veteran captured the pole for the 2008 season finale in the No. 76 Krohn Racing Pontiac Lola.
Zonta ran a Miller Motorsports Park track record lap of 2:35.664 (103.747 mph) in drying conditions on the mammoth 4.486-mile, 23-turn circuit, earning his first career pole - and the first for the Lola - in qualifying for the SunRichGourmet.com 1000 presented by The Grand and Little America Hotels.
“My last lap was perfect - no mistakes - and the car was really good,” said Zonta, who will co-drive with Nic Jonsson. “We had a perfect car for that moment.”
“This is a long track to do a lap without making a mistake,” added Zonta, who has a pair of third-place finishes this year. “You have to be very focused here. It helps to have a very good car, and the team has improved a lot since the race at Barber in July.”
Zonta’s last lap knocked Scott Pruett off the pole. Pruett and co-driver Memo Rojas need to each run 30 minutes in the No. 01 TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Lexus Riley in the 139 to share the 2008 Daytona Prototype championship. Pruett help the top spot up until the final moments of qualifying with a lap of 2:35.819 (103.643 mph).
David Donohue will start third in the No. 58 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley he co-drives with Darren Law and Buddy Rice, 2:35.823 (103.641 mph), while Max Angelelli ran a lap of 2:36.011 (103.522 mph) in the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Pontiac Riley co-driven by Michael Valiante to start fourth. Donohue and Valiante end the season tied atop the 2008 leaders with three poles apiece.
Fastest in practice, Joey Hand ran a lap of 2:36.131 (103.436 mph) in the No. 23 Ruby Tuesday Porsche Riley co-driven by Bill Auberlen to start fifth. Rounding out the top 10 qualifiers were Antonio Garcia, Alex Gurney, Ian James, Mark Wilkins and Matt Plumb.
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