Daniels Wins Pole for MX-5 Cup Round Four at Mid-Ohio
Jun. 23, 2006 - LEXINGTON, Ohio - Despite not going out in the wet morning practice session, Jim Daniels, of Germantown, Tenn., needed only four laps under dry conditions to capture the pole for Saturday’s SCCA Pro Racing SIRIUS Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by Hankook Round Four race. The MX-5 Cup race is part of the EMCO Gears Classic presented by Keybank race weekend at Mid-Ohio. Erik Stearns, of Van Buren, Ohio, will start on the outside of the front row, while Carlos Garcia, of Miami, Fla., will start third.
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| Jim Daniels leads teammate Erik Stearns as both qualified 1-2, respectively. |
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Daniels, who is coming off two consecutive podium finishes, looks capture his second win of the season after he set a fast qualifying time of 1:40.139 (81.175 mph) around the 13-turn, 2.258-mile road course. Driving the No. 76 specmiata.com/Team MER Mazda MX-5, Daniels set his fast lap early in the session, then watched the rest of the session from pit lane.
"The specmiata.com car crew did a great job,” Daniels said of his crew following his qualifying run. The setup was under me. We have to qualify and race on the same tires, so I go out there with the [tire] pressures set a little high. So, three or four laps in is really all you can get. We went out there basically by ourselves. I did not get a chance to get any air from anyone, but I put it on the pole. The crew called it [his qualifying time] in to me, so I came in. I started watching the I-Card from the car and hoped I did not have to go back out and it [his time] held up.
Daniels teammate Stearns qualified his No. 97 Team MER/Dick's Auto Salvage Mazda MX-5 second with a time of 1:40.211 (81.116 mph). Stearns, a local resident who is quite familiar with Mid-Ohio, looks to put on a good show in front of his family and friends.
“I got separated a little bit on the warm up lap from Jason [Saini] and Jim [Daniels] and for the most part I was just trying to catch up to those guys,” Stearns said of his fast qualifying run. “I got a good run going down the backstraight and made up the difference. I really think that is when I set my fast lap.
Garcia, who was third quickest in his No. 60 BSI Racing/Miami Dade Health Mazda MX-5 in the wet morning practice, was also third fastest in qualifying. Garcia turned a fast lap of 1:40.511 (80.874 mph).
Jason Saini, of Fort Worth, Texas, will join teammates Daniels and Stearns at the front of the field as he qualified fourth in his No. 28 MER/specmiata.com/Autobarn Mazda MX-5, while MX-5 Cup point leader Todd Buras, of Melbourne, Fla., qualified his No. 56 BSI Racing/supportthem.com Mazda MX-5 fifth.
Round Four of the SCCA Pro Racing SIRIUS Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by Hankook starts at 2 p.m. (EDT) Saturday, June 24.
For more information about the SCCA Pro Racing SIRIUS Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by Hankook, including schedule, entry list and event coverage, visit www.mx-5cup.com.
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