Speed reigned supreme at Watkins Glen International today, as the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series returned to New York for the second time this season.
Supercar Life Racing team owner Scott Tucker and co-driver Christophe Bouchut ran strong in Thursday's practice sessions, posting times within fractions of seconds of each other. After Tucker qualified in twelfth for Friday's race, Bouchut went on to rip a flyer in practice four. Posting a fastest lap time 01:06.488, Bouchut beat TELMEX Chip Ganassi's entry by a mere six-one thousandth of a second, earning position one.
It was a thrilling end to an exciting day. In a well-strategized move, the team had brought out their backup car to use as a setup and practice tool, effectively doubling the data and time on the track for the drivers. The No. 55 Supercar Life BMW-Riley Daytona Prototype held second position for most of the morning's practice session. Then, during one of the last runs before qualifying, Tucker not only bested his fastest time of the day on well-worn tires, he found himself less than a second behind the fastest practice lap record of the day, held by the Michael Shank Racing team (01:05.338).
During qualifying Tucker clocked the twelfth fastest lap time (01:06.894) out of the 32-car field at The Glen's 2.45-mile track and claimed a sixth row starting position for Friday's Crown Royal 200, the ninth round in the Series' schedule.
Pole-winners Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney of the GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing team, who posted a time of 01:05.069. The teams of TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (01:05.315), SunTrust Racing (01:05.326), AIM Autosport (01:05.336) and Spirit of Daytona Racing (01:05.712) followed, rounding out the Top Five on the grid.
Looking ahead to tomorrow's main event, the Supercar Life Racing team is well prepared for the grueling two hour and 45-minute race to the finish line. Just two weeks ago, Tucker dominated the Ferrari Challenge Series, sweeping races nine and ten at Quebec's Circuit Mont-Tremblant. With only three races left in the 2009 Rolex season, the Supercar Life Racing team is still aiming for their ultimate goal: their first victory in the No. 55 DP car. This weekend's return to the New York track could give them that chance.
The No. 55 DP led its first race of the year for two laps during June's Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen-and has continued to post Top 10 finishes in every race since.
"As a team, you need to build a strong foundation before you can win; we've already established that," Bouchut said. "Scott and I are confident in our abilities as drivers, so given a competitive car I know we can deliver the results our team and our fans are looking for. Driving to first during the Sahlen's Six Hours event was incredible. I only hope we can build on that progress this weekend and maintain that kind of position all the way to the checkered flag."
It's a reachable goal, especially after Bouchut's nail-biting finish in Thursday's final practice. For live coverage of the Crown Royal 200 tune into SPEED TV Friday night, August 7, at 8:00 p.m. EST.
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