{"id":3478,"date":"2010-03-19T18:42:12","date_gmt":"2010-03-19T22:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/?p=3478"},"modified":"2010-03-20T10:19:49","modified_gmt":"2010-03-20T14:19:49","slug":"marc-gene-takes-sebring-pole-position-on-first-try","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/alms\/marc-gene-takes-sebring-pole-position-on-first-try\/","title":{"rendered":"MARC GENE TAKES SEBRING POLE POSITION ON FIRST TRY"},"content":{"rendered":"
1-2 start to 2010 season for reigning Le Mans, Petit Le Mans winners and class pole positions Franchitti, Jeannette, Muller and Keen<\/span><\/h5>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Marc Gene\u2019s first trip to Sebring International Raceway has been a productive one already. The Spanish star qualified on pole position for the 58th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida with a lap of 1:45.214 (126.599 mph) for Team Peugeot Total, beating out teammate Nic Minassian by 0.627 seconds.<\/p>\n

The two diesel-powered factory Peugeot 908 HDI FAPs will start from the front row for the opening round of the 2010 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patr\u00f3n. A victory in Saturday will mean the French manufacturer holds current championships in all three of the world\u2019s endurance classics<\/p>\n

Gene will drive with fellow reigning Le Mans 24 Hours winner Alexander Wurz and Anthony Davidson. Only Davidson has competed in the 12 Hours while the trio of Minassian, Sebastien Bourdais and Pedro Lamy in the sister car have 18 starts between them.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cI was very worried before coming here because I had heard so much about it,\u201d Gene said. \u201cThere were the bumps, the fast curves. I tried to play it on video games but I had to play it so much! Then I moved on to videos and Nic helped me a lot. If it weren\u2019t for him, I probably wouldn\u2019t have won pole position.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two Peugeots have been utterly dominant this week with the two fastest times in each session. That continued Friday with the 908s locking fellow LMP1 competitors Aston Martin Racing and Drayson Racing out of the front row.<\/p>\n

Stefan M\u00fccke qualified third for Aston Martin with a lap of 1:46.079 (125.567 mph). He is driving the Lola B09\/60-Aston Martin with Adrian Fernandez and Harold Primat.<\/p>\n

Such gaps aren\u2019t lulling the Lions to sleep, however. As Gene can attest \u2013 even in his limited experience here \u2013 Sebring can bite back in a hard way.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have lost speed on the straight due to the rules. For sure the Aston Martin will be very tough,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are a couple of very dangerous corners,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are no corners like 1 and 17 in Europe. I just came from Bahrain and some of the F1 drivers there would come here and (pull their hair out).\u201d<\/p>\n

Marino Franchitti won his second career Sebring LMP2 pole for Patr\u00f3n Highcroft Racing and Honda Performance Development. The popular Scot qualified the Patr\u00f3n Highcroft HPD ARX-01c with a time of 1:47.684 (123.695 mph). He will drive with 2009 Series LMP1 champion \u2013 and reigning Le Mans overall winner \u2013 David Brabham and Simon Pagenaud.<\/p>\n

\"\"You could throw a net over the three fastest drivers in class. Franchitti was only 0.054 seconds better than Klaus Graf in the Muscle Milk Team CytoSport Porsche RS Spyder; he will drive with team owner Greg Pickett and Sascha Maassen.<\/p>\n

Guy Smith qualified Dyson Racing\u2019s isobutanol-powered Lola B09\/86-Mazda at 1:47.882 (123.468 mph). He will team with Chris Dyson and Andy Meyrick.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was certainly very close but we thought our competition didn\u2019t show everything they had before qualifying,\u201d said Franchitti, who also claimed the LMP2 pole at Sebring in 2004. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have the best setup but it was good enough. I obviously have two talented and terrific teammates in David and Simon. We have a new big sponsor in GE and it\u2019s great to welcome them with a pole. Hopefully we can do that with a win tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Patr\u00f3n Highcroft entry is an updated version of the ARX-01 lineup that debuted during the 2007 season. Franchitti drove the 01a model for Andretti Green Racing that year and loves the updates the car has received since then.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are certainly significant changes that were in the pipeline that didn\u2019t come online when I was with Andretti Green,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was nice for me to get back into a car I know and have everything be better. It\u2019s been great. The Highcroft guys have won a lot of races but this is the one race that\u2019s eluded them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gunnar Jeannette will go down in the history books as the first pole-winner in the new Le Mans Prototype Challenge class. He won out in a terrific qualifying battle with a lap of 1:55.279 (115.546 mph) driving the Green Earth Team Gunnar ORECA FLM09. The former Panoz factory pilot outpaced Ryan Hunter-Reay in the first of Level 5 Motorsports\u2019 two FLM09s by just 0.118 seconds.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cIt was really exciting,\u201d said Jeannette, who will drive with Christian Zugel and Elton Julian. \u201cIt\u2019s an honor to have the first class for a new car in the series. Our G-Oil car was really hooked up. We skipped the morning practice to do race prep. We were comfortable with our qualifying setup.\u201d<\/p>\n

The competition between the top three cars in the class has been as tight as any other during the week. The top three qualifiers were within 0.822 seconds; Christophe Bouchut ended the session third in the second Level 5 entry at 1:56.101 (114.728 mph).<\/p>\n

Jeannette admitted there is some uncertainly about debuting a new car and new class at America\u2019s most grueling race.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though the basis of the car is an endurance racing machine, there are some bits that aren\u2019t race-tested,\u201d he said. \u201cI think we\u2019re all going to aim to get to the finish. Christian did about a stint-and-a-half at the test so we know Michelin has given us a good multiple tire so we\u2019ll be doing double- and triple-stints hopefully we can keep doing it lap after lap.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flying Lizard Motorsports J\u00f6rg Bergmeister qualified on pole for GT2. He originally placed second before Dirk M\u00fcller\u2019s pole-winning BMW M3 was excluded from qualifying after failing a post-session stall test in technical inspections.<\/p>\n

Bergmeister\u2019s best lap was a 2:01.150 (109.946 mph) pass in the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR that he will drive with fellow factory pilots Patrick Long and Marc Lieb.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cWe made a really aggressive tire choice today but we were surprised that the competition wasn\u2019t as fast as they were earlier in the week,\u201d Bergmeister said. \u201cWe\u2019re pleased to be on the front of the grid but we know it\u2019s a long race.\u201d<\/p>\n

M\u00fcller had set a lap of 2:00.782.<\/p>\n

Porsches held the top two spots with an impressive performance for Team Falken Tire. Factory driver Wolf Henzler set a lap of 2:01.201 (109.900 mph) in the car he will drive with Bryan Sellers and Porsche works driver Patrick Pilet. The team is competing in its first full season in the Series for 2010.<\/p>\n

Risi Competizione\u2019s Jaime Melo qualified third with a lap of 2:01.236 (109.868 mph) in the Ferrari F430 GT that he will drive with Gimmi Bruni and Pierre Kaffer. Risi hasn\u2019t lost an endurance round since Sebring 2008.<\/p>\n

The top seven cars were under the 2:01 mark, and eight entries \u2013 not counting M\u00fcller\u2019s time \u2013 broke the class qualifying record.<\/p>\n

Alex Job Racing entries swept the top three positions in GT Challenge with Leh Keen turning a best lap of 2:05.959 (105.749 mph) in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car he will share with Butch Leitzinger and Juan Gonzalez. Keen, whose only other start was at Petit Le Mans in 2005, bested Patrick Kelly by 1.159 seconds.<\/p>\n

Kelly will drive with Ricardo Gonzalez and last year\u2019s LMP2 co-champion Luis Diaz.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never done this race before and only have done Petit Le Mans a few years ago,\u201d Keen said. \u201cThe class of drivers here is very high. Now that we can run the GTC class, it brings a few more cars in. My laps were pretty clean. Our guys set up the car really well. The car is going to have more of a race setup now. It\u2019s like a 24-hour race squished down into 12.\u201d<\/p>\n

AJR is a six-time winner at Sebring in GT classes and obviously knows how to get around at Sebring. But there are some new dynamics such as the new car and new class running 12 hours on such a demanding circuit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one that has the cleanest race will have the best chance,\u201d Keen said. \u201cWe were setting up the car and had a little bit of a push early this week. Turn 17 and 1 are pretty bumpy and that\u2019s just the way the track is. Some of the understeer in 14 and 15 was bad. I think we\u2019re close to getting something we\u2019re comfortable with and can drive for the full race.\u201d<\/p>\n

Romeo Kapudija qualified the AJR Porsche he will share with Bill Sweedler and Jan Dirk-Lueders third with a lap of 2:07.205 (104.713 mph).<\/p>\n

The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida, the opening round of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patr\u00f3n and America\u2019s greatest sports car race, starts at 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday. The green flag will fall at 10:30 a.m. ET with live coverage on SPEED starting at 10 a.m. ET. Live coverage also will be available on American Le Mans Radio, as well as Sirius Channel 127 and XM Channel 245.Visit the Series\u2019 schedule page<\/a> for ticket and accommodation information. Live Timing and Scoring, track schedule, entry list and much, much more will be available on Racehub at americanlemans.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can follow the Series on Twitter<\/a> (almsnotes) and on our Facebook page<\/a> and the official YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

58th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida
\nSebring International Raceway, Sebring, Fla.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s lineup<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Marc Gene, Spain; Anthony Davidson, England; Alexander Wurz; Peugeot 908 HDI FAP (P1), 1:45.214, 126.599
\n2. Pedro Lamy, Lisbon Portugal; Sebastien Bourdais, France; Nicolas Minassian, England; Peugeot 908 HDI FAP (P1), 1:45.841, 125.849
\n3. Stefan M\u00fccke, Germany; Harold Primat, Switzerland; Adrian Fernandez, Mexico; Lola B09 60\/Aston Martin (P1), 1:46.079, 125.567
\n4. Paul Drayson, London, UK; Jonny Cocker, UK; Emanuele Pirro, Italy; Lola B09 60\/Judd (P1), 1:46.460, 125.117
\n5. David Brabham, Australia; Simon Pagenaud, France; Marino Franchitti, Scotland; HPD ARX-01c (P2), 1:47.684, 123.695
\n6. Greg Pickett, Alamo, CA; Klaus Graf, Germany; Sascha Maassen, Germany; Porsche RS Spyder (P2), 1:47.738, 123.633
\n7. Chris Dyson, Pleasant Valley, NY; Guy Smith, England; Andy Meyrick; Lola B09 86\/Mazda (P2), 1:47.882, 123.468
\n8. Bryan Willman, Kirkland, WA; Tony Burgess, Canada; Pierre Ehret, Santa Rosa, CA; Lola B06 10\/AER (P1), 1:54.441, 116.392
\n9. Christian Zugel; Gunnar Jeannette, Palm Beach Gardens, FL; Elton Julian, Los Angeles, CA; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:55.279, 115.546
\n10. Scott Tucker; James Gue, Athens, GA; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:55.397, 115.428
\n11. 12. Scott Tucker; Christophe Bouchut, France; Mark Wilkins, Canada; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:56.101, 114.728
\n12. Mitch Pagery, Deerfield Beach, FL; Brian Wong; David Ducote; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:59.580, 111.390
\n13. J\u00f6rg Bergmeister, Germany; Patrick Long, Oak Park, CA; Marc Lieb, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT2), 2:01.150, 109.946
\n14. Bryan Sellers, Centerville, OH; Wolf Henzler, Germany; Patrick Pilet, France; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT2), 2:01.201, 109.900
\n15. Jaime Melo, Brazil; Gianmaria Bruni, Italy; Pierre Kaffer, Germany; Ferrari 430 GT (GT2), 2:01.236, 109.868
\n16. Jan Magnussen, Denmark; Johnny O’Connell, Flowery Branch, GA; Antonio Garcia, Spain; Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (GT2), 2:01.358, 109.758
\n17. Olivier Beretta, Monaco; Oliver Gavin, England; Emmanuel Collard, France; Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (GT2), 2:01.628, 109.514
\n18. Scott Sharp, Jupiter; Johannes van Overbeek, San Francisco, CA; Dominik Farnbacher, Germany; Ferrari 430 GT (GT2), 2:01.914, 109.257
\n19. Bill Auberlen, Hermosa Beach, CA; Tom Milner, Leesburg, VA; Dirk Werner, Germany; BMW E92 M3 (GT2), 2:01.922, 109.250
\n20. Ed Brown, Las Vegas, NV; Guy Cosmo, Long Island, NY; Joao Barbosa, Portugal; Ferrari 430 GT (GT2), 2:02.242, 108.964
\n21. Andrea Robertson, Ray, MI; David Robertson, Ray, MI; David Murry, Cumming, GA; Doran Design Ford GT (GT2), 2:03.622, 107.748
\n22. Butch Leitzinger, State College, PA; Leh Keen, Dublin, GA; Juan Gonzalez, Mexico; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 2:05.959, 105.749
\n23. Tracy Krohn, Houston, TX; Nic Jonsson, Sweden; Eric van de Poele, Belgium; Ferrari 430 GT (GT2), 2:06.680, 105.147
\n24. Ricardo Gonzalez, Mexico; Luis Diaz, Mexico; Patrick Kelly, Minnestrista, MN; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 2:07.018, 104.867
\n25. Bill Sweedler, Westport, CT; Romeo Kapudija, Lincolnwood, IL; Jan-Dirk Lueders; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 2:07.205, 104.713
\n26. Shane Lewis, Jupiter, FL; Gerry Vento, Palm Beach, FL; Lawson Aschenbach, West Palm Beach, FL; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 2:07.412, 104.543
\n27. Brett Curtis, Valencia, CA; James Sofronas, Newport Beach, CA; Andy Pilgrim, Del Ray Beach, FL; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 2:07.751, 104.265
\n28. Darren Law, Phoenix, AZ; Seth Neiman, Burlingame, CA; Richard Lietz, Austria; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT2), 2:07.874, 104.165
\n29. Richard, Henri, Los Altos Hills; Lally, Andy, New York, NY; Duncan Ende, Los Angeles, CA; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 2:11.371, 101.392
\n30. Joel Feinberg, Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Kyle Marcelli; Tom Weickardt, Whitefish Bay, WI; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 0, 0
\n31. Paul Gentilozzi, Lansing, MI; Marc Goosens, Belgium; Ryan Dalziel, Scotland; Jaguar XKRS (GT2), 2:04.804, 106.727
\n32. Robert Rodriquez, Zephyr Cove, NV; Galen Bieker, Burbank, CA; Cory Friedman; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 2:10.312, 102.216
\n33. Andy Wallace, England; Tom Sutherland, Los Gatos, CA; JR Hildebrand; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:55.579, 115.246
\n34. Dirk Mueller, Germany; Joey Hand, Sacramento, CA; Andy Priaulx, Germany; BMW E92 M3 (GT2), 2:00.782, 110.281<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Courtesy ALMS \u00a9 RIF<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1-2 start to 2010 season for reigning Le Mans, Petit Le Mans winners and class pole positions Franchitti, Jeannette, Muller and Keen \u00a0 Marc Gene\u2019s first trip to Sebring International Raceway has been a productive one already.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[9],"tags":[833,5264,5334,516,834,755,1011],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3478"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3478"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3496,"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3478\/revisions\/3496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}