Canadian GP: Formula BMW qualifying
BMW Junior Ricardo Favoretto (Eurointernational), of Sao Paulo, Brazil, set the fastest lap of the session to score the Round 3 pole, the second of his career. His lap of 1:46.284 minutes around the 2.71-mile, 13-turn Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was just .261 seconds ahead of Daniel Juncadella (Euro Junior Team). Juncadella, of Barcelona, Spain, stands third in the Formula BMW Europe series and is one of six drivers from that series to make the trip to Montreal this weekend. Alexander Rossi (Eurointernational) was third, only .018 seconds behind Juncadella.
Overall and Rookie points leader Gianmarco Raimondo (Autotecnica) set the fourth fastest time in the session, a 1:46.571 minute lap, and backed it up with a lap only .016 seconds slower to score the Round 4 pole. Rossi, with a second lap of 1:46.651 minutes, will start on the outside of the front row in Round 4 and Favoretto will start third.
The top-five qualifying Rookies in Round 3 were Raimondo (P4), Grenier (P5), Millroy (P9), Vilarinho (P10) and Ruiz (P11). In Round 4, again it was Raimondo (P1), Grenier (P5), Millroy (P9), Vilarinho (P10) and Ruiz (P11).
Favoretto (1st, 3rd)
"The track was very slippery in the beginning of the session. In the last five minutes, I tried as hard as I could. I made a mistake on my very last lap so I could not hold the pole for Round 4. I will need to have two different race strategies. For tomorrow I need to get a good start and get a gap so not allow my competitors to draft me. On Sunday, it will be me trying to draft to the front."
Raimondo (4th, 1st)
"The track was more forgiving from this morning's practice session and there was more grip on the curbing so you could use them quite a bit. I was surprised to get the pole for Round 4 after setting only the fourth fastest time in the session, but that shows you what consistency will do for you."
Juncadella (2nd, 4th)
Note: Juncadella's car, a brand new chassis, was imported for this race last Friday. It was built, painted and on the truck to Montreal this Monday – completed by the Euro Junior Team in only 62 hours. "We have had many technical problems today. The gear shift cable broke in practice so I was only able to complete two laps. In qualifying, a tire valve stem broke. I had to come in to change the tires and did not get as many laps as I could have. Second and fourth are good results, but I know we will do better in the races."
Rossi (3rd, 2nd)
"My car developed a vibration under braking that got worse as the session went on. A track like this puts a premium on braking so I had to give up quite a bit of time. Still, third and second are good starting positions. Most importantly now, I have to sit down with my engineers, find the brake problem, and fix it."
The Round 3 race is scheduled to begin at 2:45 p.m. Saturday and Round 4 is scheduled for a 9:30 a.m. start on Sunday.
Overall points standings: Raimondo (40), Pelletier (22), Ruiz (18) Rossi (17), Favoretto (16), Grenier (15) Goncalvez (12) Vilarinho (11), Ostella (6) Jovanovic (6). Rookie points: Raimondo (40), Ruiz (18), Grenier (15), Vilarinho (11), Ostella (6), Jovanovic (6)
Licensing courses for the 2009 season are scheduled for July 28-29 and August 4-5. They will be held at the Formula BMW Racing Center at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo, in Valencia, Spain. Applications are now available at www.formulabmwamericas.com.
Round 3 starting grid
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1 | Ricardo Favoretto (J) | Eurointernational | 1:46.284 |
| 2 | Daniel Juncadella | Euro Junior Team | 1:46.545 |
| 3 | Alexander Rossi | Eurointernational | 1:46.563 |
| 4 | Gianmarco Raimondo | (J, R) Autotecnica | 1:46.571 |
| 5 | Mikael Grenier (J, R) | Apex-HBR Racing Team | 1:46.820 |
| 6 | Maxime Pelletier | Apex-HBR Racing Team | 1:47.012 |
| 7 | Mihai Marinescu | Integra Motorsports | 1:47.065 |
| 8 | William Buller | Autotecnica | 1:47.136 |
| 9 | Ollie Millroy (J, R) | Atlantic Racing Team | 1:47.245 |
| 10 | Giancarlo Vilarinho (R) | Eurointernational | 1:47.409 |
| 11 | Alexandre Ruiz (J, R) | Apex-HBR Racing Team | 1:47.683 |
| 12 | Doru Sechelariu | Autotecnica | 1:47.824 |
| 13 | David Ostella (R) | Eurointernational | 1:48.219 |
| 14 | Jorge Goncalvez | Apex-HBR Racing Team | 1:48.757 |
| 15 | Veilbor Jovanovic (R) | Jensen Motorsport | 1:50.820 |
| 16 | Asad Rahman (R) | Atlantic Racing Team | 1:53.552 |
Round 4 starting grid
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
|
1 |
Gianmarco Raimondo (J, R) | Autotecnica | 1:46.587 |
| 2 | Alexander Rossi | Eurointernational | 1:46.651 |
| 3 | Ricardo Favoretto (J) | Eurointernational | 1:46.707 |
| 4 | Daniel Juncadella | Euro Junior Team | 1:46.770 |
| 5 | Mikael Grenier (J, R) | Apex-HBR Racing Team | 1:47.006 |
| 6 | Mihai Marinescu | Integra Motorsports | 1:47.071 |
| 7 | Maxime Pelletier | Apex-HBR Racing Team | 1:47.282 |
| 8 | William Buller | Autotecnica | 1:47.310 |
| 9 | Ollie Millroy (J, R) | Atlantic Racing Team | 1:47.335 |
| 10 | Giancarlo Vilarinho (R) | Eurointernational | 1:47.700 |
| 11 | Alexandre Ruiz (J, R) | Apex-HBR Racing Team | 1:47.752 |
| 12 | Doru Sechelariu | Autotecnica | 1:47.927 |
| 13 | David Ostella (R) | Eurointernational | 1:49.073 |
| 14 | Jorge Goncalvez | Apex-HBR Racing Team | 1:49.200 |
| 15 | Veilbor Jovanovic (R) | Jensen Motorsport | 1:50.974 |
| 16 | Asad Rahman (R) | Atlantic Racing Team | 1:53.591 |