Boardwalk Ferrari Supercar Life Racing's Scott Tucker began his quest for a Ferrari Challenge Series North American championship Thursday, qualifying in the second position during the Ferrari World Finals at Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia, Spain.
Tucker's time of 1:43.046 around the 2.517-mile, 14-turn road course, in his No. 55 F430 Ferrari, was topped by only Henri Richard, who won the North American pole position with a best lap of 1:42.530. With the North American and European cars on the track at the same time -- the design for Friday and Saturday's series finale races as well -- Tucker qualified ninth overall, while Richard was eighth.
Mark McKenzie, who is 75 points behind Tucker in the North American championship race, qualified third among North American drivers (1:43.172), followed by Harry Cheung (1:43.486) and Zak Brown (1:43.648). Friday's race is set for 11:30 a.m. local time, 5:30 a.m. ET.
"We're a bit disappointed by not getting P1 because we were prepared and we did everything we could," Tucker said. "Henri did a fantastic job and put down a spectacular lap time. The traffic was a little bit of a hindrance. Starting from the second position isn't too bad. We're confident, and we're ready to race."
The addition of the European cars during the qualifying run proved to be a bit of a challenge for Tucker and the Supercar Life Racing team.
"The biggest factor, obviously, was the traffic," said team personnel director Ed Zabinski. "Scott didn't drive a perfect lap, but it's not easy, this qualifying stuff, especially being mixed in with the group of Europeans. Everybody is fighting for clear tracks, and the courtesy is not really there because they're not familiar with us and we're not familiar with them. It's a little different mindset to have to deal with."
A pair of victories this weekend would greatly enhance the odds of Tucker winning his first Ferrari Challenge Series title. That, however, won't clinch it. Should McKenzie finish third and fourth in the two races or better, McKenzie will win the title.
Tucker has done everything to ensure a championship in 2009. He has won eight races this season.
"I've done the math, and the championship is a very complicated situation right now," Zabinski said. "We're going to continue to do what we do best, and that's try to win races. We'll see how it all plays out."
Tucker already has one championship trophy on his mantel this year, and would certainly like another. He also won the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) National Championship in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, in late September.
This is the first time the Ferrari World Finals has been held outside of Italy.
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