Klaus Graf again put the Muscle Milk Pickett Racing Honda on the pole at Road America. [John Wiedemann Photo]

Muscle Milk Tops ALMS Qualifying At Road America

by John Wiedemann
8/17/2012


Elkhart Lake, WI - Klaus Graf and Muscle Milk Pickett Racing are continuing where they left off last year at Road America. Graf and co-driver Lucas Luhr captured the pole and the win in 2011 and are on their way to doing the same again this year.

The Honda powered team owned both practices at Road America on Friday and Graf backed them up by winning the pole for the 2012 Road Race Showcase ALMS race at Road America.

Running only three laps in the session, Graf set the fastest lap at 1 minute 50.191 seconds which was over three seconds faster than the next quickest qualifier, Eric Lux in the Lola.

Marco Holzer in the Flying Lizards Porsche scored the class pole in GT after a fierce battle with teammate Jorg Bergmeister. The class pole is the first for Holzer in his ALMS career.

ALMS Qualifying Results
P1 class- #6 Klaus Graf HPD ARX-03a 1:50.191
P2 class - #37 Martin Plowman Morgan 1:54.218
PC class - #8 Kyle Marcelli Oreca FLM09 1:57.172
GT class - #44 Marco Holzer Porsche 911 GT3 RSR 2:04.415
GTC class - #22 Jeroen Bleekemolen Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 2:12.773

The 2012 Road Race Showcase ALMS event, round seven on the ALMS schedule, is scheduled to get underway at 2:30pm CST Saturday, August 18. The race will be broadcast on ESPN2 on Sunday, August 19 at 3pm EST.


IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama Race 1
Pole sitter and series rookie Sean Johnston led every lap of the race followed by Wright Motorsports teammate Madison Snow. D. Bryce Miller passed another Wright Motorsports driver Fernando Pena for third on the final lap.

Six cars were involved and knocked out of the race in incidents on the opening lap in turns one and three. During the resulting cleanup the race was run under caution for first fifteen minutes of the forty-five minute event.

Following the caution period, Johnston separated himself from the field to take the win by 6 seconds over his teammate. The win was the third of the season in GT3 competition for Johnston, along with the third pole position as well.

Results
1 GT3P Sean Johnston
2 GT3P Madison Snow
3 GT3P D. Bryce Miller
4 GT3P Fernando Pena
5 GT3P Kasey Kuhlman
6 GT3P Miles Maroney
7 GT3P Paul Barnhart Jr.
8 GT3P Seth Davidow
9 GT3P Angel Rafael Benitez
10 GT3P Steve Goldman


Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Championship Race 1
Performance Tech Motorsports driver Tristan Nunez captured his seventh victory of the season at Road America to increase his points lead in the L1 class. Scott Tucker of Level 5 Motorsports captured the L2 class victory.

Sixteen-year-old Nunez , who set a new qualifying record in his run to the pole, led every lap of the race on his way to the victory. Pulling away to a twenty second margin of victory, Nunez also scored a new record race lap in the thirty-minute race.

Results
1 Tristan Nunez     Performance Tech
2 Mikhail Goikhberg     JDC Motorsports
3 Jon Brownson     Eurosport Racing
4 Richard Fant     Ferrari of Houston
5 Ryan Booth     Performance Tech
6 Daniel Goldburg     Performance Tech
7 Darryl Shoff     Comprent Motor Sport
8 Owen Kratz     Ferrari of Houston
9 Scott Tucker     Level 5 Motorsports
10 Jim Garrett     Eurosport Racing


USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda Race 1
Matthew Brabham passed Cape Motorsports teammate Spencer Pigot for the lead halfway through the USF2000 opening race and sped away to take the victory at Road America.

Following a caution period brought out by a multi-car incident in turn three. Brabham was able to draft by his teammate to take the lead. Pigot had the point, followed by Brabham and Matthew Di Leo, but when Brabham sped past Pigot had to hold off Di Leo which allowed Brabham to get away and take the victory by a margin of 5.146 seconds over Di Leo.

Results
1 Matthew Brabham     Cape Motorsports w/Wayne Taylor Racing
2 Matthew Di Leo     MDL Racing
3 Scott Anderson     Belardi Auto Racing
4 Trent Hindman     Cape Motorsports w/Wayne Taylor Racing
5 Neil Alberico     JDC MotorSports
6 Luigi Biangardi     ArmsUp Motorsports
7 Roman Lagudi     Belardi Auto Racing
8 Scott Hargrove     JDC MotorSports
9 Colin Thompson     Belardi Auto Racing
10 Dalton Kellett     Pabst Racing Services


USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda Race 2
Matthew Brabham won again at Road America in the second USF2000 race of the day.

This time Brabham started on the pole and led every lap. But it wasn't just a walk in the "National Park of Speed" for Brabham as Scott Anderson would not let him get away. Pacing the winner of the opening race, outside front-row starter Anderson had the speed to run with the leader but just couldn't make a pass.

In the end, the result was the same as race number one with Brabham again at the top of the podium.

Results
1 1 CHP 83 Matthew Brabham Cape Motorsports w/Wayne Taylor Racing
2 2 CHP 14 Scott Anderson Belardi Auto Racing
3 3 CHP 2 Spencer Pigot Cape Motorsports w/Wayne Taylor Racing
4 4 CHP 56 Matthew Di Leo MDL Racing
5 5 CHP 19 Neil Alberico JDC MotorSports
6 6 CHP 3 Trent Hindman Cape Motorsports w/Wayne Taylor Racing
7 7 CHP 15 Luigi Biangardi ArmsUp Motorsports
8 8 CHP 8 Shelby Blackstock Andretti Autosport
9 9 CHP 4 Roman Lagudi Belardi Auto Racing
10 10 CHP 11 Colin Thompson Belardi Auto Racing


SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series Race
A veteran when it comes to Road America, Tony Ave thumped the field in the Trans-Am Series race leading from the drop of the green flag to the waving of the checkered. Ave checked out from the pack, winning with a margin of victory greater than 26 seconds over Cliff Ebben in his Ford Mustang.

Racing a newly built Chevrolet Corvette racecar, Ave laughed in victory lane that he was worried about damaging his new car on its maiden run. Ave started fourth and wasted no time racing his car to the lead on the opening lap. From there on it was a cruise to his first victory of the season.

Bob Stretch captured the TA2 class victory followed by Cameron Lawrence and Chris Liesfeld.

Trans-Am Championship Series Round 6
Road America
TA
1 Tony Ave     Chevrolet Corvette
2 Cliff Ebben     Ford Mustang
3 Simon Gregg     Chevrolet Corvette
4 Blaise Csida     Chevrolet Corvette
5 Danny Lamers     Ford Mustang

TA2
1 Bob Stretch     Chevrolet Camaro
2 Cameron Lawrence     Chevrolet Camaro
3 Chris Liesfield     Chevrolet Camaro
4 Kurt Roehrig     Chevrolet Camaro
5 Tom Sheehan     Chevrolet Camaro

 

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