No 61 Ford Riley has pole lap stripped
Brian Frisselle will have to charge back from second last row
Sonora, California (08.22.2008) Brian Frisselle was on a mission this afternoon
and by the end of qualifying, it seemed to be 'mission accomplished' after recording
a lap of 1:25.659 (103.806 mph) in the Exchange Traded Gold No. 61 Ford Riley.
Brian had the No. 61 Ford Riley at the top of the charts most of the session
but late in the going, the 10-car recorded a very quick lap at 1:25.957.
"Honestly, after I heard (Valiante's) time, I didn't know if
I was going to beat it," admitted Frisselle. "It was a really
good time, 1:25.9. I didn't think we would be in the 25 (second range)
in qualifying. So I cooled down my tires and got a gap as I caught
the (Michael Shank Racing) car. I was looking for a clear, solid lap
to see if I could get a good time. It was definitely hairy out there.
I was borderline being out of control. But I was able to finish the
lap. And by the time I was able to get that lap I had pretty much toasted
my tires and I knew I couldn't top that and that I had gotten the most
out of the car."
This would appear to be have been AIM Autosport's second consecutive
pole - and third of the season, in the Rolex Sports Car Series presented
by Crown Royal Cask No. 16. The team went on to win the last race at
Watkins Glen from the pole position leading 79 of 82 laps.
"We won the last race on pure pace," commented Brian, "and we had the chance
to repeat here at Infineon where track position is so important. But not it appears
that we will need to look to the race at Montreal for inspiration and fight from
the back."
In post-qualifying technical inspection, the No. 61 Ford Riley was
judged to be out of compliance with regulations regarding front-end
width. With Brian's fast time being tossed out, the No. 61 was moved
back to the fifteenth starting position. The 76 car which qualified
three positions back of Brian was also found to be out of compliance
and will start behind the Exchange Traded Gold Ford Riley as will the
No. 16 Crown Royal car which did not record a qualifying time.
AIM Autosport principal Ian Willis had this to say after Grand Am handed down
their decision: "I feel very disappointed for Brian who put in a terrific effort
to record a pole lap, but I am also disappointed that we did not comply with
the body-width rule. Ultimately, it is the team's responsibility to present
a car that complies with all the rules. After qualifying it was found that
the front dive planes were too wide and we accept Grand Am's decision as the
rule is quite clear." Willis continued, "What I find most frustrating however,
is that the car was presented for technical inspection prior to qualifying
and it was judged to be legal. But it is only the post qualifying inspection
that matters and as stated previously, 'it is the team's responsibility to
comply.' It just makes it somewhat difficult to fathom that it was, in our
opinion, measured incorrectly prior to qualifying and an outstanding effort
by Brian was lost. This just makes all of us a bit more determined to put in
a strong effort in the race."
"The car was great all day," said Mark Wilkins. "The crew made some
changes overnight that had us at near the top of morning practice and
we knew we had a car to compete. Putting it on the front row was what
we had hoped for but now we have our work cut out for us." He continued "Ian
and Jim will come up with the right strategy for the race and the crew
is working extra hard to make sure we'll be competitive and capable
of making a charge from the back."
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