Cadillac Racing driver Johnny O’Connell will start from the fifth position for the Pirelli World Challenge Series Monterey Grand Prix presented by Cadillac to run at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca tomorrow.
O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) will start the final 50-minute race of the season with a 26 point lead over his old Corvette Racing teammate Olivier Beretta (No. 61 Ferrari 458). Beretta will start from the 12th position. O’Connell put in a fast qualifying lap of 1:24.553 in his No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R. Teammate Andy Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) will start next to O’Connell in his No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R on the strength of his 1:24.627 lap time.
Adding intrigue to the championship battle between O’Connell and Beretta is the arrival of Ferrari ringers Alessandro Pier Guidi (No. 30 Ferrari 458) and Alessandro Balzan (No. 29 Ferrari). The pair of journeyman will start the race from the front row. Pier Guidi taking the pole with a time of 1:23.734. Balzan will start alongside in second position.
“That was really important,” O’Connell said. “This has been a tough couple of weeks and a tougher last couple of days. I now know why I am bald, I’ve been doing a lot of head scratching lately. The Cadillac Racing guys gave me the car I needed for qualifying. I guess I can hold my breath for one-minute-and-twenty-four seconds. I am proud of everyone at Cadillac. We executed at the right time.
“The two Ferrari 458s on the front row are fast. Those two guys are a half-second clear of the next Porsche. We just have to see how they race up there at the front. I have a little bit of a gap to the 61 car. We will have to be smart and keep our car safe.
“Having Andy starting next to me is a great thing. I have the best teammate in the world. He and I have five years of history together at Cadillac. We were also together at Corvette as well. As great a professional as you will find anywhere.”
Pilgrim put himself in a position to help his teammate tomorrow.
“We had an interesting qualifying session,” Pilgrim said. “I knew I had to be patient. It is cooler today, 50 to 60 degrees cooler track temp, than it has been during practice Thursday and Friday. The first three flying laps there was dust on half of the corners. I just had to wait for the tires to come in and to get a clear lap. I got lucky, one the guys let me by and that was my fast lap.
“Starting next to Johnny is important for his effort his weekend. Starting next to the No. 3 Cadillac makes me feel good.”
The Pirelli World Challenge Series will travel to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the season finale to run Sept. 11-13. The finale will be televised on CBS Sports Network Sunday, September 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET.