Hometown Hero Galati Takes SCCA Speed Gt Pole At Mid-Ohio

[idrivemyself]

Michael Galati, of nearby North Olmsted, Ohio, captured the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT pole position for Sunday’s Round Three race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Teammate Randy Pobst, of Gainesville, Ga., will start alongside.

Driving the No. 2 Audi Certified Pre-Owned Audi RS 6, Galati turned an electrifying lap of 1:27.956 (92.419 mph) around the 2.258-mile track he considers home to edge Pobst by 0.062-second. Galati’s lap shattered his own existing qualifying record of 1:34.373 set in 2002, albeit on street tires versus the Toyo Proxes RA-1 race tire.

“What can I say, I’m ecstatic,” Galati, who last won at Mid-Ohio in 2002, one week prior to his most recent win at Road America, said. “I know this track like the back of my hand—really well. I’m at home here. I put my head down from the very start and it was like ‘make it’ or go off. There was nothing else, not holding back.

“This is a place I love to come to. It’s a very tricky track. It’s got some fast corners, some technical corners, so it’s a mix. Maybe the experience here is quite a bit of help.”

Defending series champion Pobst, who celebrated his 47th birthday Saturday, did not get the present he’d hoped for from his teammate, but will start on the front row with a quick lap of 1:28.018 (92.353 mph).

Michael Culver, of Westport, Conn., led practice on Friday, qualified third in his No. 14 First Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with a lap of 1:28.306 (92.052 mph). Culver will share the second row with John Heinricy, of Holly, Mich., who competes in the new No. 12 Cadillac/Mobil 1/Motorola/Bose Cadillac CTS-V for the first time. Thomas Oates, of Chester Springs, Pa., will line up fifth in his Corvette, a career-best grid position.

SPEED GT Championship point leader Max Angelelli could fare no better than ninth in his No. 16 Cadillac/Mobil 1/Motorola/Bose Cadillac CTS-V. Teammate, and third in points, Andy Pilgrim will start 12th.

Sunday’s race will make its standing start at 10:10 a.m. (EDT), and will be broadcast later in the day on SPEED Channel at 1:00 p.m. (EDT). To follow SCCA Live Timing and Scoring Presented by Cadillac, please visit www.world-challenge.com.

Starting lineup for Sunday's 29-lap, 65.482-mile SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Round Three race, part of the American Le Mans at Mid-Ohio Weekend, with position, car number in parentheses, driver,


hometown, car, fastest lap time, and speed in miles per hour.

1,(2), Michael Galati, N. Olmsted, Ohio, Audi RS 6 Comp, 1:27.956, 92.419.
2,(1), Randy Pobst, Gainesville, Ga., Audi RS 6 Comp, 1:28.018, 92.353.
3,(14), Michael Culver, Westport, Conn., Porsche 911 Cup, 1:28.306, 92.052.
4,(12), John Heinricy, Holly, Mich., Cadillac CTS-V, 1:28.361, 91.995.
5,(99), Thomas Oates, Chester Springs, Pa., Corvette Z06, 1:28.644, 91.701.
6,(82), Mike McCann(R), Canton, Ohio, Viper CompCoupe, 1:28.737, 91.605.
7,(22), Tommy Archer, Duluth, Minn., Viper CompCoupe, 1:28.902, 91.435.
8,(13), Bob Woodhouse(R), Blair, Neb., Viper CompCoupe, 1:28.988, 91.347.
9,(16), Max Angelelli, Monte Carlo, Monaco, Cadillac CTS-V, 1:29.052, 91.281.
10,(28), Lou Gigliotti, Dallas, Texas, Corvette Z06, 1:29.124, 91.207.
11,(20), Jeff McMillin, Erie, Pa., BMW M3, 1:29.211, 91.118.
12,(8), Andy Pilgrim, Delray Beach, Fla., Cadillac CTS-V, 1:29.264, 91.064.
13,(73), Phil McClure, Floris, Iowa, Corvette Z06, 1:29.503, 90.821.
14,(83), Jim McCann(R), Canton, Ohio, Viper CompCoupe, 1:29.532, 90.792.
15,(34), Tony Gaples, Lake Forest, Ill., Corvette Z06, 1:29.600, 90.723.
16,(44), John Young, Woodside, Calif., Saleen SR, 1:29.798, 90.523.
17,(65), Jon Groom, Boonton, N.J., Porsche 911 Cup, 1:30.079, 90.240.
18,(92), Stan Wilson(R), Mt. Juliet, Tenn., Viper CompCoupe, 1:30.208, 90.111.
19,(6), Leighton Reese, Minnetonka, Minn., Corvette Z06, 1:30.249, 90.070.
20,(56), Rich Marziale(R), Tempe, Ariz., Dodge Viper GTS, 1:30.653, 89.669.
21,(33), Tim Wiens, Westminster, Colo., Viper CompCoupe, 1:30.678, 89.644.
22,(21), Jameson Riley, Wilton, Conn., BMW M3, 1:30.689, 89.633.
23,(81), Sonny Whelen(R), Old Saybrook, Conn., Dodge Viper, 1:31.053, 89.275.
24,(67), Kevin Chambers, Menlo Park, Calif., Corvette Z06, 1:31.119, 89.210.
25,(5), Stu Hayner, Yorba Linda, Calif., Pontiac GTO, 1:31.560, 88.781.
26,(31), Keith Videtto(R), San Ramon, Calif., Corvette Z06, 1:31.898, 88.454.
27,(51), Lenny Diller(R), Garden City, N.Y., Viper CompCoupe, 1:32.523, 87.857.
28,(53), Mike Hartley(R), Cherry Hill, N.J., Dodge Viper GTS, 1:32.924, 87.478.
29,(76), John Bourassa, Jupiter Island, Fla., Porsche 911 T, 1:33.087, 87.324.
30,(9), Adam Malmquist(R), Chicago, Ill., Corvette, 1:33.442, 86.993.
31,(03), Warren Diller(R), Garden City, N.Y., Dodge ViperComp, 1:33.541, 86.901.
32,(10), Carol Hollfelder, Covina, Calif., Ford Mustang, 1:34.441, 86.072.
33,(02), Adel Elsayed, Boonton, N.J., Viper CompCoupe, 1:34.576, 85.950.

*SpeedArena

[/\G]

another 1-2 Audi finish? I bet more "rule changes" are on the way

[RippleChip]

You would think so...how much this time

[idrivemyself]

look at it this way... the SCCA has imposed so many rules to the audi teams over the years in whatever series and event they enter you'd think that the next logical step would be either to ban audi or impose something so severe such as limiting the team to a three cylinder engine. or maybe a scooter. then again, if it has an engine, audi will most likely find a way to win with it no matter how limited the performance of the vehicle will be. no one is safe...

[Hutash]

Another 75 lbs extra weight for Galati. I hope he never misses a turn, he will have so much momentum his RS6 will go though the barriers, and stop in the next county.