-
Home
-
Latest Headlines
-
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
-
Latest Headlines: NASCAR
-
-
Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
-
Latest Headlines: Moto-Racing
-
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Games
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
- Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
- Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
GRAND-AM
GRAND-AM: Tagliani Tops Practice 2 At Montreal
Starworks Motorsport quickest again in Montreal as GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series teams gear up for Saturday's two-hour sprint...
Daytona Prototype debutant Alex Tagliani led the way in Practice 2 at Montreal. (Photo: Brian Cleary/GRAND-AM)
With a championship on the line and the team’s two-race win streak to keep in mind, the decision to play host for Alex Tagliani’s Daytona Prototype debut wasn’t necessarily a predictable one for Starworks Motorsport.
But that decision could well prove to be a masterstroke, as the intense French-Canadian put his extensive track knowledge and natural speed on display on Thursday, setting the fastest lap of the day with a quick time of 1:33.518 seconds on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The effort, set in the second practice session, marked an impressive first day behind the wheel for Tagliani, who had never driven a DP before Thursday.
“There is some adaptation but it's quite nice to work with this team because they have a lot of experience and it was nice to work with Ryan (Dalziel) because he was very open and helped me out to get used to the car and everything,” said Tagliani, who has raced in both the Rolex Series GT ranks as well as making select starts in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.
“The car is fairly competitive at the moment. I think we ended up P1 so it was good and we're going to work on the No. 8 car tonight and get it closer to where it needs to be for Ryan and I.
"It was really nice. I think those guys out there have their stuff right and as a driver the only thing you can ask is to jump into a competitive car and we had that so it was good to be on the pace right away with very limited track time.”
While the car was unfamiliar for Tagliani--he was at least used to looking to match his own expectations.
“It's an amazing learning curve,” said Tagliani, who will also be in NASCAR Nationwide action this weekend. “Going from one car to another when you are not a regular. Those (GRAND-AM) guys have their stuff together - spot on.
"I was pleased that I wasn't lacking speed because I was afraid coming into a championship contending team and to not be competitive, I was a bit nervous! Everybody wants to race here in Montreal, and it was great that I was able to put a deal together and race for a competitive team.”
The defending pole and race winners GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing showed they are not to be counted out, as the No. 99 Corvette set a time that was less than .02 of a second off of Tagliani’s for Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty. Qualifying is slated to take place on Friday afternoon.
The GT sheets saw the No. 59 Brumos Racing Porsche 911 of Leh Keen and Andrew Davis set the pace, with Keen netting a 1:40.251-second lap to edge the No. 57 Camaro GT.R of Robin Liddell and John Edwards and the No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche of John Potter and Andy Lally.
“We came off the truck really strong, but our biggest problem in the first practice was we kind of missed the gears a little bit,” said Keen. “The track is a lot quicker with this year’s Continental Tire compared to what we ran last year so we were carrying a lot more speed through the corners and we ended up being short on gears.
"We ended the first session early, got back, and the guys did a really good job putting different gears in it and now it seems to be just perfect.
“The track is going to change in the next couple of days so we're going to have to stay on our toes and keep working on it but if it was me I could go race this car right now! But we've had a lot of good races in a row we've had a quick car the last couple races.
"We've had two podiums in a row all the Brumos guys have been doing an awesome job., but we are really looking for that win now.”
There was one significant player missing in the second session time sheets, as SunTrust Racing did not return to the track.
The No. 10 SunTrust entry led 24 laps in the 2011 Montreal event on the way to second place, but Ricky Taylor (@rickytaylor10) Tweeted that brake issues kept the team from participating in the second session of the day, with the team expecting to be ready to go on Friday.
RESULTS: Practice 2
With experience at Skip Barber Racing School, Lime Rock Park, and several IndyCar teams, Matt Cleary has covered open wheel and sports car racing for over a decade. Working for Sunday Group Management, Cleary also provides strategic motorsports consulting for a range of clients in the sport. You can follow him on Twitter @sundaygroup
But that decision could well prove to be a masterstroke, as the intense French-Canadian put his extensive track knowledge and natural speed on display on Thursday, setting the fastest lap of the day with a quick time of 1:33.518 seconds on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The effort, set in the second practice session, marked an impressive first day behind the wheel for Tagliani, who had never driven a DP before Thursday.
“There is some adaptation but it's quite nice to work with this team because they have a lot of experience and it was nice to work with Ryan (Dalziel) because he was very open and helped me out to get used to the car and everything,” said Tagliani, who has raced in both the Rolex Series GT ranks as well as making select starts in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.
“The car is fairly competitive at the moment. I think we ended up P1 so it was good and we're going to work on the No. 8 car tonight and get it closer to where it needs to be for Ryan and I.
"It was really nice. I think those guys out there have their stuff right and as a driver the only thing you can ask is to jump into a competitive car and we had that so it was good to be on the pace right away with very limited track time.”
While the car was unfamiliar for Tagliani--he was at least used to looking to match his own expectations.
“It's an amazing learning curve,” said Tagliani, who will also be in NASCAR Nationwide action this weekend. “Going from one car to another when you are not a regular. Those (GRAND-AM) guys have their stuff together - spot on.
"I was pleased that I wasn't lacking speed because I was afraid coming into a championship contending team and to not be competitive, I was a bit nervous! Everybody wants to race here in Montreal, and it was great that I was able to put a deal together and race for a competitive team.”
The defending pole and race winners GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing showed they are not to be counted out, as the No. 99 Corvette set a time that was less than .02 of a second off of Tagliani’s for Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty. Qualifying is slated to take place on Friday afternoon.
The GT sheets saw the No. 59 Brumos Racing Porsche 911 of Leh Keen and Andrew Davis set the pace, with Keen netting a 1:40.251-second lap to edge the No. 57 Camaro GT.R of Robin Liddell and John Edwards and the No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche of John Potter and Andy Lally.
“We came off the truck really strong, but our biggest problem in the first practice was we kind of missed the gears a little bit,” said Keen. “The track is a lot quicker with this year’s Continental Tire compared to what we ran last year so we were carrying a lot more speed through the corners and we ended up being short on gears.
"We ended the first session early, got back, and the guys did a really good job putting different gears in it and now it seems to be just perfect.
“The track is going to change in the next couple of days so we're going to have to stay on our toes and keep working on it but if it was me I could go race this car right now! But we've had a lot of good races in a row we've had a quick car the last couple races.
"We've had two podiums in a row all the Brumos guys have been doing an awesome job., but we are really looking for that win now.”
There was one significant player missing in the second session time sheets, as SunTrust Racing did not return to the track.
The No. 10 SunTrust entry led 24 laps in the 2011 Montreal event on the way to second place, but Ricky Taylor (@rickytaylor10) Tweeted that brake issues kept the team from participating in the second session of the day, with the team expecting to be ready to go on Friday.
RESULTS: Practice 2
With experience at Skip Barber Racing School, Lime Rock Park, and several IndyCar teams, Matt Cleary has covered open wheel and sports car racing for over a decade. Working for Sunday Group Management, Cleary also provides strategic motorsports consulting for a range of clients in the sport. You can follow him on Twitter @sundaygroup
Road Atlanta
LATEST HEADLINES: AUTO-RACING
-
PHOTOS: Indy 500 Carb Day 2013
Enjoy a selection of photos from Indy 500 Carb Day, including the… -
VIDEO: Amazing 4-Wide Finish To Indy Lights Freedom 100
Ireland's Peter Dempsey came from fourth at Turn 3 on the last lap… -
INDYCAR: Pagenaud Leads Indy 500 Carb Day Practice
After getting whooped in qualifying, Honda turns up the wick for… -
INDYCAR: Miller's Mailbag, 5.24
It's time for SPEED.com's weekly IndyCar Q&A with Robin Miller's… -
USAC: Honda To Sponsor National Midget Championship
Honda announced it would be the title sponsor for USAC’s National… -
GRAND-AM: Valiante Joins 8Star For Mid-Ohio
Daytona Prototype ace to sub for Stephane Sarrazin in next month's… -
MILLER: My Annual Indy 500 Quiz
It’s time for Robin Miller's annual Indy 500 quiz. - More News
