STEFAN JOHANSSON's Zytek Engineering 06S is on pole for Saturday's Monterey Sports Car Championship for the American Le Mans Series at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, setting a lap of 1min 13.731secs.
This breaks the existing qualifying track record of 1min 14.185secs set last year by TOM CHILTON in ....a Zytek 04S. Johansson was fastest in the afternoon practice session, which immediately preceded ALMS qualifying. His co-driver is JOHNNY MOWLEM.
Johansson said the Zytek car has been fantastic since it came out, and it's unfortunate it hasn't run a full season in ALMS, while running a partial schedule in Europe. Zytek is a customer car, and Johansson is amazed no one has bought them to run in the US. Zytek has been in serious discussions to bring the car to ALMS full time next year. Johansson said the Zytek is a high downforce kind of car, nimble, and suits this track. He said it wouldn't do as well at Le Mans, compared to the Audis.
Johansson has been racing for thirty years this year. His Laguna Seca experience includes three or four kinds of Champ Cars,
Ferrari, Audi, Reynard, Zytek and Grand-Am. He has looked at returning to Champ Car, but it's less than fifty per cent for next year. He owned the American Spirit Racing Team a couple of years ago.
Johansson said the Laguna track seems a lot bumpier now, but it is an undulating bump with a very fine sort of surface. He said the sand, dust and gravel are going to be a real problem. It's like running on ice when the track is littered. He thinks everyone got caught out yesterday using last year's setups.
LMP2 polesitter is SASCHA MAASSEN's Penske Motorsports Porsche RS Spyder, with a time of 1min 21.012secs, breaking his own track record of 1min 15.606secs set last year. For a while, Maassen was fastest overall. This is his 13th career pole. Maassen's co-driver is TIMO BERNHARD.
