Enge, Baldwin Take St. Petersburg Poles
After leading both Friday practice sessions, Enge improved his time by more than a second on Saturday morning at the 1.8-mile street circuit.
Enge, in the No. 25 Reiter Engineering Lamborghini Gallardo FL2, improved to a new track record of 1:13.429 at a speed of 88.248 mph.
He set his fastest lap on his eighth and final lap of the session, as the track began to dry out from the damp conditions that began the morning session.
"At the end of the session, track was faster for sure as it was drying out more and more," Enge said. "We figured it out, went out for the last 10 minutes, put in a great time. The Reiter Lamborghini Gallardo is really easy to handle; the advantages of this car are definitely traction and braking. We look forward to succeeding here and also in GT-A with Albert von Thurn und Taxis and Marcelo Hahn."
The top two drivers eclipsed the previous track record, a 1:13.860 set by Alex Figge last year. Figge and James Sofronas were the winners of both St. Petersburg races in 2013.
Anthony Lazzaro, of Atlanta, Ga., qualified second in the No. 61 Remo Ferri Group – Ferrari of Ontario/Ferrari of Alberta/Maranello Autobody Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 at 1:13.691.
Lazzaro, a sports car veteran in endurance racing, spoke about having his own car for the first time in a dozen years, since 2002 in IndyCar.
"It's a different mentality having your own car again," Lazzaro said. "I'm a believer in this series. Since they made the change to GT3, if you build it they will come. It has the potential to be the best (series) in the country for sure, even one of the best in the world."
Dane Cameron, of Buford, Ga., qualified third in the No. 94 Turner Motorsport BMW Z4 GT3, as Will Turner's team returns to Pirelli World Challenge after a several-year hiatus. Cameron equaled Figge's mark set last year at 1:13.860.
The pair of Cadillac Racing entries rounded out the top five ahead of the Cadillac Grand Prix. Andy Pilgrim, of Boca Raton, Fla., qualified fourth in the No. 8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V.R, with two-time defending GT class champion Johnny O'Connell fifth in the sister No. 3 Cadillac.
Nick Mancuso, of Chicago, was sixth and best of the GT-A classified drivers at 1:14.686 – a time identical to O'Connell's – in the No. 16 Ferrari Lake Forest Ferrari 458 Italia GT3. Three other GT-A classified drivers, Albert von Thurn und Taxis, Andrew Palmer and Marcelo Hahn, also qualified in the overall top 10.
There were six different manufacturers in the overall top 10. Per Lamborghini, which has recently raced in the U.S. in single-make sports car championships, this marks the first time Lamborghini, Ferrari and McLaren have all raced in the same sports car event.
In GTS, Jack Baldwin also matched Enge in securing the Motul pole position after leading both Friday practice sessions. Baldwin, of Marietta, Ga., drives the No. 73 RESET-MD/Motul/StopTech Porsche Cayman S.
Baldwin's best lap of 1:23.453 came after a neck-and-neck fight with GTS defending class champion Lawson Aschenbach, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. in the No. 1 Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Camaro. Aschenbach's best time was a 1:23.879.
"It was exciting, and a fun thing with Lawson," Baldwin said. "I have the utmost respect for him and the Blackdog program. For us, it was a situation where track conditions in traffic fell in place, I got a clean lap on drying conditions and that's what paid off. There were still some slick spots. But this track suits the RESET-MD Cayman really well."
After the top two, two-time St. Petersburg polesitter Andy Lee, of Colorado Springs, Col., qualified third in the No. 20 Best IT/Crown 7 Chevrolet Camaro at 1:24.526.
Positions four through six were all Ford Mustang Boss 302s, with Dean Martin of Rehagen Racing fourth, series returnee Tony Buffomante of Capaldi Racing fifth and series newcomer Jack Roush Jr. sixth for ROUSH Road Racing.
Qualifying was held in 70-degree ambient temperatures with 96 percent humidity, with overcast and cloudy skies to start the session and warming and clearing as the session progressed.
Results are provisional until posted as final.
Round 1 of the 2014 Pirelli World Challenge Championships season begins at 3:10 p.m. EDT this afternoon, with live streaming on www.world-challengetv.com. It will be a 50-minute race to begin from a rolling start.
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – Starting lineup for Saturday's Pirelli World Challenge Championship Pirelli World Challenge GT/GTS Round 1 race, part of the St. Petersburg Sports Car Challenge at St. Petersburg Street Course, with position, class, car number in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, fastest lap time, and speed in miles per hour.
1, GT, (25), Tomas Enge, Liberec Czech Rep, , Lamborghini Gallardo FL2, 1:13.429, 88.248.
2, GT, (61), Anthony Lazzaro, Atlanta, Ga., Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia, 1:13.691, 87.934.
3, GT, (94), Dane Cameron, Buford, Ga., BMW Z4, 1:13.860, 87.733.
4, GT, (8), Andy Pilgrim, Boca Raton, Fla., Cadillac CTS-V R, 1:14.621, 86.838.
5, GT, (3), Johnny O'Connell, Flowery Branch, Ga., Cadillac CTS-V R, 1:14.686, 86.763.
6, GT, (16), Nick Mancuso(A), Chicago, Ill., Ferrari 458 GT3, 1:14.686, 86.763.
7, GT, (24), Albert von Thurn und Taxis(A), Regensburg Germany, , Lamborghini Gallardo FL2, 1:14.749, 86.690.
8, GT, (9), Alex Figge, Denver, Colo., McLaren 12C GT3, 1:14.853, 86.569.
9, GT, (21), Andrew Palmer(A), Chicago, Ill., Audi R8 R8 Ultra, 1:14.943, 86.465.
10, GT, (0), Marcelo Hahn(A), Sao Paulo Brasil, BR, Lamborghini Gallardo FL2, 1:15.114, 86.268.
11, GT, (64), Mike Hedlund, Woodside, Calif., Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia, 1:15.125, 86.256.
12, GT, (14), James Sofronas, Villa Park, Calif., Audi R8 Ultra, 1:15.240, 86.124.
13, GT, (31), Tim Bergmeister, Langfeld Germany, , Porsche GT3R, 1:15.351, 85.997.
14, GT, (10), Henrik Hedman(A), Ft Lauderdale, Fla., Ferrari 458 GT3, 1:15.458, 85.875.
15, GT, (6), Robert Thorne, Littleton, Colo., McLaren 12C GT3, 1:15.470, 85.862.
16, GT, (32), Bret Curtis(A), Austin, Texas, Audi R8 Ultra, 1:15.947, 85.322.
17, GT, (99), Jeff Courtney(A), Milwaukee, Wis., Audi R8 R8 Ultra, 1:15.964, 85.303.
18, GT, (41), Michael Mills(A), Angleton, Texas, Porsche GT3R, 1:16.089, 85.163.
19, GT, (7), Jim Taggart(A), Cary, N.C., Porsche GT3 R, 1:16.155, 85.089.
20, GT, (54), Tim Pappas(A), Boston, Mass., Mercedes AMG SLS GT3, 1:16.868, 84.300.
21, GT, (80), Dan Knox(A), Pilot Point, Texas, SRT Viper GT3R, 1:18.395, 82.658.
22, GT, (12), Mike Skeen, Charlotte, N.C., Nissan GTR, 1:19.474, 81.536.
23, GT, (95), Bill Ziegler(A), Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Audi R8 Ultra, 1:24.641, 76.558.
1, GTS, (73), Jack Baldwin, Marietta, Ga., Porsche Cayman, 1:23.453, 77.648.
2, GTS, (1), Lawson Aschenbach, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Chevrolet Camaro, 1:23.879, 77.254.
3, GTS, (20), Andy Lee, Colorado Springs, Colo., Chevrolet Camaro, 1:24.526, 76.662.
4, GTS, (50), Dean Martin, Westland, Mich., Ford Mustang Boss302, 1:24.941, 76.288.
5, GTS, (33), Tony Buffomante, Naperville, Ill., Ford MustangBoss302, 1:25.402, 75.876.
6, GTS, (60), Jack Roush Jr, Livonia, Mich., Ford MustangBoss302R, 1:25.722, 75.593.
7, GTS, (02), Drew Regitz, Denver, Colo., Aston Martin GT4, 1:26.121, 75.243.
8, GTS, (17), Alec Udell, The Woodlands, Texas, Ford Mustang Boss302, 1:26.205, 75.169.
9, GTS, (51), Ric Bushey, Virgina Beach, Va., Nissan 370Z, 1:26.543, 74.876.
10, GTS, (38), Mark Wilkins, Toronto, Ontario, Kia Optima, 1:26.602, 74.825.
11, GTS, (40), Geoff Reeves, Cleveland, Ohio, Chevrolet Camaro, 1:26.710, 74.731.
12, GTS, (52), David Sterckx, Brussels Belgium, BG, Ford MustangBoss302S, 1:27.022, 74.464.
13, GTS, (36), Nic Jonsson, Buford, Ga., Kia Optima, 1:27.354, 74.181.
14, GTS, (98), Ernie Francis Jr, Dania, Fla., Chevrolet Camaro, 1:27.642, 73.937.
15, GTS, (96), Brad Adams, New Orleans, La., Ford MustangBoss302S, 1:28.043, 73.600.
16, GTS, (75), Erik Davis, Burbank, Calif., Ford MustangBoss302S, 1:28.203, 73.466.
17, GTS, (01), Don Istook, River Oaks, Texas, Audi TTRS, 1:29.060, 72.760.
18, GTS, (62), Mark Klenin, Denver, Colo., Aston Martin GT4, 1:29.253, 72.602.
19, GTS, (34), Nick Esayian, San Diego, Calif., Aston Martin GT4, 1:29.682, 72.255.
20, GTS, (86), Robert Stout, Brownsburg, Ind., Scion FR-S, 1:30.707, 71.438.
21, GTS, (97), Mitch Landry, Lake Charles, La., Ford MustangBoss302S, 1:30.856, 71.321.
22, GTS, (11), Tony Gaples, Libertyville, Ill., Chevrolet Camaro, 1:31.529, 70.797.
23, GTS, (87), Chris Outzen, Sudbury, Mass., Ford Mustang, 1:32.821, 69.811.
24, GTS, (72), Buz McCall, Boca Raton, Fla., Porsche Cayman, 1:33.215, 69.516.
25, GTS, (04), Jorge De La Torre, McAllen, Texas, Aston Martin GT4, 1:34.204, 68.786.
26, GTS, (29), Fernando Seferlis, Miami Lakes, Fla., Chevrolet Camaro, 1:38.358, 65.881.
27, GTS, (07), Brian Kleeman, Baltimore, Md., Nissan 370Z, no time.