Richard Westbrook Puts Corvette Daytona Prototype on the Pole at Belle Isle
DETROIT (May 30, 2014) – Richard Westbrook made the most of the final minutes of qualifying count with pole-winning run for the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic on The Raceway at Belle Isle Park. He put the No. 90 Visit Florida Spirit of Daytona Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype in the number one starting position for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race with a fastest lap time of one minute, 25.011 seconds (1:25.011) to capture his first pole of the 2014 season, and his fifth career Prototype pole.
“Winning the pole for the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic is a great way to start the weekend at Chevrolet’s home race here in Detroit,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Prototype. “Richard Westbrook and the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype team were well prepared to make pole run for the race. With the race being only 100 minutes, track position is going to be critical. Our Corvette DP teams have been working very hard to be well prepared for this event. We are looking forward to a very competitive race on Saturday.”
Christian Fittapaldi turned in a top-five qualifying effort in the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype securing the third starting position.
Giving Chevrolet three of the top-five, Jordan Taylor qualified the No. 10 Konica Minolta Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype in the fifth starting position.
The No. 31 Marsh Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype driven by Boris Said will start ninth in the 100-minute race.
The Chevrolet Sports Car Classic is slated to start at 12:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 31. Live coverage by MRN Radio will be aired on IMSA.com along with live timing and scoring as well as select MRN outlets. Fox Sports One will air the race tape-delayed on Saturday May 31 starting at 1:30 p.m. ET.
POST QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
RICHARD WESTBROOK, NO. 90 VISIT FLORIDA SPIRIT OF DAYTONA RACING CORVETTE DP:
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE POLE, LOOKED LIKE IT WAS REALLY TIGHT BETWEEN YOU AND THE SECOND PLACE QUALIFIER OUT THERE
“Yes, it was like déjà vu in Laguna. There was so much chatter on the radio and it was like “P1, now you are P2, now you are P1 and then P2”. Then I did a twenty-five one I think with three laps to go and I thought, yes I am done now. I did a cool down lap and then fortunately they came on the radio on the last lap and said you are going to have to go a twenty-five zero. Then I just threw caution to the wind and sometimes you get rewarded for that on a street circuit and sometimes it can bite you. But today just felt like our day. It was a welcome surprise when we rolled off the truck and we weren’t that competitive but it’s nice to see all the boys smiling at SDR. We found some pace at Sebring and we are definitely on the up. The results will come but for me it’s just great that we got our pace back again.”
WHAT WOULD A WIN IN THE SHADOW OF THE REN CENTER MEAN FOR YOUR TEAM, OBVIOUSLY A CORVETTE TEAM, BUT THE SEASON HASN’T BEEN EVERYTHING YOU HAVE WANTED YET?
“No, you are right. Results-wise it hasn’t and I don’t want to hex it by talking about a win tomorrow so I am going to say we are aiming for the podium. To get a good result in Detroit, the backyard of Chevy, and give yourself a nice big smile on the way to Le Mans as well………..it’s obviously an important week next week as well, it would mean so much to do well here. Let’s see because there is a lot of work to do and like I said, we have a good pacey car now and that is the really pleasing thing right now. Let’s see if we can convert it tomorrow.”
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE LOGISTICS PROBLEMS FOR WHEN YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE TOMORROW AND GET TO LE MANS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MANDATORY TEST?
“Well, it’s not that straightforward as we found out a year ago when we missed our flight and then missed scrutineering. So Mr. Fehan was not a happy person. So we are under strict orders this time and he looked at our flight details to make sure we are on the safest route. So thank god the race isn’t starting too late so we have plenty of time to get to the airport and we fly direct to Paris. Then we get a train from Paris to Le Mans and can just about make the afternoon session. Fingers crossed that it doesn’t rain for that afternoon session in Le Mans
