ALMS: Mid Ohio Qualifying **SPOILER** Wow!!

(from autosport)

(de Ferran is one of motorsport's really NICE guys)

Gil de Ferran took his new team's first pole position in only their third American Le Mans Series event by winning a huge battle in Mid-Ohio qualifying.

The Brazilian Acura driver beat Lime Rock winner David Brabham (Highcroft Acura) to the top spot by 0.224 seconds at the end of a frenetic session that had seen provisional pole change hands countless times between the de Ferran, Highcroft and Andretti Green Acuras, and Marco Werner's Audi.

De Ferran's 1:07.969 lap was a few fractions quicker than the best IndyCar time of the day, and was his third pole at Lexington after twice heading the grid at the track during his Champ Car career.

Behind outside front row starter Brabham, Timo Bernhard took third for Penske Porsche alongside AGR's Franck Montagny, who will share his car with the team's Indy Lights driver Raphael Matos this weekend.

LMP1 pole-winner Werner ended up fifth overall after being quickest on several occasions, with Fernandez driver Luis Diaz making it four Acuras in the top six.

The second Audi had to sit out half of the session as a punishment for Dindo Capello's collision with the Bell Aston Martin at Lime Rock last weekend. The Italian took seventh once allowed to join the fray.

Penske Porsche's Sascha Maassen and Dyson Porsche's Chris Dyson had to serve five minute penalties for tangles in morning practice and the Lime Rock race respectively, before taking eighth and ninth. The Dyson team have had to build up an entirely new chassis in the past week after their destructive Lime Rock weekend, and their cars will share the fifth row.

A superb effort from Jaime Melo got GT2 champions Risi Ferrari onto class pole for the first time this year. Initially the top four in class had been covered by a mere 0.125 seconds, and when Melo went off on his out-lap while attempting his second qualifying run, it looked like the Risi car would have to settle for second.

But the Brazilian returned for one last shot at pole and duly beat provisional pole-sitter Dirk Werner (Farnbaches Loles Porsche) by 0.174 seconds.

Flying Lizard Porsche's Wolf Henzler and Tafel Ferrari driver Dominik Farnbacher took third and fourth in class.

In GT1 it was Johnny O'Connell's turn to lead the Corvette duo, as the American beat teammate Olivier Beretta by 0.429 seconds.

Times to follow