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GRAND-AM
GRAND-AM: Qualifying Rained Out At Road America
Chip Ganassi Racing, AIM Autosport Team FXDD to start from pole following qualifying wash-out...
The Rolex Sports Car Series field will be set on points following a brief rain shower that washed out qualifying at Road America. (Photo: Brian Cleary/GRAND-AM)
For the second time this year, qualifying for the Rolex Sports Car Series has been rained out, with the field for Saturday's two-hour sprint at Road America being set on owner's points.
A patch of showers blanketed the four-mile Wisconsin circuit just moments before GT cars were given the green flag for its 15-minute session.
With the rain intensifying, GRAND-AM officials made the decision to abandon qualifying, not only for the production-based machinery, but also for the Daytona Prototypes, which didn't even take to the circuit.
Ironically, the rain had stopped and the sun resurfaced less than 15 minutes after the session's cancellation.
The wash-out resulted in the 26-car field being set by team points, with the championship-leading No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Riley-BMW of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas starting from the pole position for tomorrow's race. (12 p.m., Live! SPEED).
"I think this is the easiest pole we've ever got," Rojas said with a smile. "We were really excited to go qualify today because we felt that we had a pretty good car this weekend. But we're fine with pole.
"It's going to be a tough race tomorrow. We're not exactly sure how the competition will be... But overall we have a good race car and a top-three race car at least and we're leading the points. We just need to keep doing what we're doing to win our first race [of the season]."
The No. 8 Starworks Motorsport Riley-Ford of Ryan Dalziel and Enzo Potolicchio, which paced two of the three practice sessions this weekend, will line up second, ahead of the Terry Borcheller and David Donohue-driven No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP in third.
While the BMW and Ford-powered Rileys have showed improved pace, partially due to the latest Balance of Performance adjustment handed out by GRAND-AM, the Corvette DPs, winners in the last five rounds, are expected to be strong again.
That includes the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona machine of Richard Westbrook and Antonio Garcia, fresh off victory in the last round at Mid-Ohio, which will start fourth on Saturday, as well as the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Corvette of Ricky Taylor and Max Angelelli, which will be looking to end a streak of two DNFs.
In GT, the No. 69 AIM Autosport Team FXDD Ferrari F458 Italia Grand Am of Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato will start from the class pole, ahead of Robin Liddell and John Edwards in the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R in second.
Assentato was tasked with qualifying duties and completed an out-lap in his Prancing Horse until the GT session was called.
"Before I finished existing the Carousel, the rain was coming down quite hard," Assentato explained. "I could see rooster tails coming off the back of the car and I could see the [APR Audi] spinning in Canada Corner, so it looked kind of treacherous. We were really off the throttle and then I heard the black flag just as I entered the front straight.
"It's a good decision by GRAND-AM as it was pretty dangerous conditions."
Rolex 24 at Daytona winners Magnus Racing will roll off the GT grid in third.
The Rolex Sports Car Series 250 Driven by VisitFlorida.com will take the green flag, rain or dry, Saturday at 12 p.m. ET.
RESULTS: Starting Grid
PHOTOS: GRAND-AM At Road America
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
A patch of showers blanketed the four-mile Wisconsin circuit just moments before GT cars were given the green flag for its 15-minute session.
With the rain intensifying, GRAND-AM officials made the decision to abandon qualifying, not only for the production-based machinery, but also for the Daytona Prototypes, which didn't even take to the circuit.
Ironically, the rain had stopped and the sun resurfaced less than 15 minutes after the session's cancellation.
The wash-out resulted in the 26-car field being set by team points, with the championship-leading No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Riley-BMW of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas starting from the pole position for tomorrow's race. (12 p.m., Live! SPEED).
"I think this is the easiest pole we've ever got," Rojas said with a smile. "We were really excited to go qualify today because we felt that we had a pretty good car this weekend. But we're fine with pole.
"It's going to be a tough race tomorrow. We're not exactly sure how the competition will be... But overall we have a good race car and a top-three race car at least and we're leading the points. We just need to keep doing what we're doing to win our first race [of the season]."
The No. 8 Starworks Motorsport Riley-Ford of Ryan Dalziel and Enzo Potolicchio, which paced two of the three practice sessions this weekend, will line up second, ahead of the Terry Borcheller and David Donohue-driven No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP in third.
While the BMW and Ford-powered Rileys have showed improved pace, partially due to the latest Balance of Performance adjustment handed out by GRAND-AM, the Corvette DPs, winners in the last five rounds, are expected to be strong again.
That includes the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona machine of Richard Westbrook and Antonio Garcia, fresh off victory in the last round at Mid-Ohio, which will start fourth on Saturday, as well as the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Corvette of Ricky Taylor and Max Angelelli, which will be looking to end a streak of two DNFs.
In GT, the No. 69 AIM Autosport Team FXDD Ferrari F458 Italia Grand Am of Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato will start from the class pole, ahead of Robin Liddell and John Edwards in the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R in second.
Assentato was tasked with qualifying duties and completed an out-lap in his Prancing Horse until the GT session was called.
"Before I finished existing the Carousel, the rain was coming down quite hard," Assentato explained. "I could see rooster tails coming off the back of the car and I could see the [APR Audi] spinning in Canada Corner, so it looked kind of treacherous. We were really off the throttle and then I heard the black flag just as I entered the front straight.
"It's a good decision by GRAND-AM as it was pretty dangerous conditions."
Rolex 24 at Daytona winners Magnus Racing will roll off the GT grid in third.
The Rolex Sports Car Series 250 Driven by VisitFlorida.com will take the green flag, rain or dry, Saturday at 12 p.m. ET.
RESULTS: Starting Grid
PHOTOS: GRAND-AM At Road America
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
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