Rookies

In the B Main the Ford Mustangs of Grenier and Dimeler were strong but it didn’t stop Paolini from taking an early lead.  Her new chassis wasn’t disappointing but as she approached lap traffic she had difficulty allowing Arndt and Dresser to quickly catch up.

So with a great deal of satisfaction, Tom Dresser made his pole position count.  He duked it out with Arndt half way through the race and kindly took 1^st after Arndt sprung a fuel leak and dropped out of the race.  “I am extremely happy with this week.  The team had faith in me and I knew the car was fast, so winning is all about preparation meeting opportunity right?”  Said Dresser as he stepped off the podium.

The buzz in the pits was that Dimeler was visited by WADA just 30 minutes before race start and had to give a vial of blood for a drug test.  “Totally uncalled for.”  Grenier said.  “They have no business pulling these stunts before an event.  True, Chris has been doing extremely well over the past week but she would be the last person that would be doping.  It’s a witch hunt.  You don’t see Santamarina, Hester or Yutaka being tested now do you?”

 
Pros

With Barnes, Schaub, Romack and Morrison in the B Main the tension was high to win the final spot on the A Main grid.  Schaub got off to a fantastic start but blew a tire 10 laps into the race.  His pit crew responded quickly enough and he lost little ground to Morrison’s Ferrari.  However with only 4 laps to go he lost another tire and that did him in, dropping him to 5^th place.  “I did my best, but all I could do was watch the field pass me by one after another.”  Said the Schaub.

That allowed Morrison to advance to the A Main and join his teammates Santamarina and Thompson for a Constructors Cup showdown between McLaren and Ferrari.  Unfortunately that meant a point gap between Romack and Morrison.  “I am very happy with this week’s team performance", said Morrison.

Right from the word “go” McLaren took charge with Hester jumping to an early lead with Yutaka in tow.  Santamarina battled it out with Stephenson but eventually succumbed to the McLaren horsepower.  “We all drove very well, but McLaren is a tough team to beat on this track.”  Admitted 4^th place finisher Santamarina.  Morrison's valiant attempt to spoil the McLaren party ended when the "ENFORCER" himself was T-boned by series veteran and 3rd place finisher Stephenson.  The collision left the Ferrari limping on three wheels. For his part Stephenson is rumored to have said,  "if you're going to play rough, then be sure to bring the right wheels to the party!"  

This week's win catapults Yutaka back into the Championship lead, leaving his teammates still searching for that top spot on the podium.

With some questionable scoring, rumors were flying around claiming fraud and corruption of championship committee members.  “Those allegations are totally false.  This week’s Pro A race was scored fairly.”  Said the Commissar.  “This was some fantastic racing this week and we can’t take anything away from that, but we assure the teams that we will do everything within our power to avoid these circumstances in the future.  The results are final.”

Qualifying
In an unexpected announcement, race organizers have decided to modify the qualifying format for this week only.  "In the spirit of the holidays, we are going old style!", said rules committee chairman.  In an effort to promote raw horsepower, qualifying positions will be determined by the single fastest lap.

Arndt was absent from qualifying and teammate Hardy failed to put in even a single lap due suspension issues.  "We did a lot of work on the car last week.  We installed a new AWD system and it just didn't pan out, and it appears that we damaged something in the process of putting the front end back together."  Said Hardy.

That didn't stop the Ford team as Dimeler established the fastest lap early on, but Grenier was rushing around the pits because of an ECU problem and was only able to put in one lap during "happy hour."  Paolini was sporting a new chassis but couldn't get it under control.  "The new car handles much more differently than the old one.  I like it, it will be faster but I need more practice."  Said Lara.

The real story was Tom Dresser.  He dominated the Rookie qualifying with some incredibly smooth driving which left Jack Thompson (the previous Acura driver) reminiscing.  "I loved driving that car.  It is so responsive its Tom's race to loose."

As expected the new power plants in the McLarens put them 1, 2 and 3 on the grid with Yutaka and Hester setting (and tyeing) a new track record at 8.27s!!  "We said it before, this is our track and our new motors are insane."  Said Yutaka.  Ferrari wouldn't go down without a fight with Santamarina and Thompson filling out the rest of the A Main with Schaub's GT40 taking up the rear.

A sight for sore eyes as Reggie Barnes and Bill Perry return in force.  Perry put in a modest attempt in his qualifying heat.  "This is definitely a growth season for me.  I am really learning how the Pro circuit runs and I am not setting my expectations too high, but I do have my eyes set on beating Tim Dutton in a race or two if possible."  Commented new Pro driver Perry as he climbed out of his C5 Corvette.

As for Barnes, well everyone knows he can do better.  With a drive shaft failure yesterday during practice Barnes knew that his return to racing will not be easy, and his competition isn't pulling punches.  "How does honey taste Reggie?  Cause you are in the Bee Main!"  Yelled long time rival Gary Stephenson from across pit lane.

With Dresser in good form, Paolini in a new chassis and McLaren dominating the Pro ranks, tomorrow's race will be a nail-biter.