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Adelaide

ALMS

31/12/2000

Saturday 1

Qualifying

Track images from the www.americanlemans.com sitelink and Audi Sport Presse

Audi Sport North America has nominated Australian Brad Jones to support Capello and McNish in the ‘Crocodile’ Audi. The Scot is suffering from bad back-ache so Jones will relieve the pair during the 5:45 race. Audi had originally nominated Kristensen and Alboreto to assist in the #77 and ’78 cars, but that plan seems to have been changed before Christmas.

"Allan was complaining about back-ache during the practice on Friday afternoon. So I prescribed absolute rest for him today", says Audi Team Doctor Dr Christian John. Last night, McNish was examined in a hospital and as an additional precaution also underwent X-ray examination. Today he is recovering in the hotel. Dr Christian John: "Tomorrow morning we will decide together whether a start in the race is possible."

Jones will have his first experience of the car in the Saturday afternoon free session.
”Right now my only wish is to sit in our crocodile tomorrow afternoon," said McNish.

Dindo Capello duly provided the pole slot for the Italian – Scottish – Australian crew in Saturday afternoon’s Qualifying session, with a 1:23.804. Emanuele Pirro was second fastest, less than two tenths back, with the Panoz cars in three / four / five. The two Roadsters were effectively a second off Audi pace, despite heroic efforts from Brabham and O’Connell.

The Prototype session began with a suspension problem for the repaired Konrad Lola, which ended up ninth in class, nine seconds off the pace, with the brakes playing up too. The LMP07 had a gearbox problem, but that didn’t stop Magnussen from taking fifth on the grid. It was O’Connell and then Brabham who were onto the pace first, the Australian briefly on pole with his 1:24.989. Capello then set a new fastest time of 1.23.803 on his third lap, soon to be joined on the front row by Pirro. This is Capello's fourth pole this season.

Rinaldo Capello: "It was an eighty percent perfect lap. The perfect lap does not really exist, but it's about 1.22.8. I did 1.23.8. Allan (team-mate McNish) needs to win the championship... he's getting old and needs his rest.”

Emmanuel Collard (sixth, four seconds off pole): "We found a little bit more balance in the car today, but we are still a little too slow. But tomorrow's a different story."

Johnny O'Connell: "I had to punish the car to get good times out of it. You have to use the track, but it's good to see two Panoz cars so close together."

Mimo Schiattarella (eighth, five seconds off pole): "I had severe wheelspin whenever I got on the throttle. Of course, it makes the car very difficult to drive. When I accelerate out of the turns, the car wants to go this way... that way... it's very difficult. Even so, the overall balance of the car is very good, so if we can fix the wheelspin, which I am pretty sure we can, we will have a very good car for the race."

Olivier Beretta took pole position in the GTS category aboard the lead Oreca Viper, with Oreca second and Stephen Watson third in the Chamberlain car. These three were split by less than a second and a half, and the South African was suitably pleased with his effort. The fourth GTS car, the Cirtek / Intersport #37 Porsche, was down in 20th among the GTs, but still on a competitive pace.

Lucas Luhr took the GT pole for Dick Barbour, ahead of the sister car of Sascha Maassen. Traffic seemed to be a feature of the GT / GTS Session.

Maassen: "I only got two quick laps in and on my second quick lap there was some water on the track which slowed me down a little.”

Jean-Phillippe Belloc: "During the session, I only got one clear lap without traffic and it wasn’t the best lap I’ve done around the circuit. Our target was to have both team cars in the top two and we’ve achieved that. This afternoon’s practice session is very important as we’ll be setting the car up for the race."

Stephen Watson: "The car's good and we're very happy with how qualifying went. It's the closest we've been to the Oreca Vipers and the first hour of the race should be very interesting." The start driver in this car is obvious, then.

Olivier Beretta: "I'm quite happy to have qualified (on pole). . . as this is the last race for the Chrysler factory.”

The Prototype position for the Drivers Championship is that McNish enters the Race of a Thousand Years with an 11-point lead over Rinaldo Capello, and if the Scot completes 25 laps in Sunday's race, he is the champion. However, if McNish does not compete in the race due to his back problem, Capello will have to finish third or higher in the race in order to overtake McNish in the point standings. Capello could also win the title if he finishes fourth and earns a bonus point for either leading one lap or setting the race's fastest lap.

McNish can finish no lower than second in the standings if he does not compete in the race.