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TOPEKA, KS (12 October 2006) iRacing.com-sponsored drivers Andrew Aquilante and Don Knowles took pole position and second place, respectively, during final qualifying for the Showroom Stock B Class at the 43rd Annual Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) National Championship Runoffs at Heartland Park Topeka in Kansas. The pair of iRacing.com/Phoenix/Hoosier Pontiac Solstices will head a 30-car field for tomorrow's race, which is scheduled to start at 1:55 p.m., CDT, and will decide the 2006 SSB National Champion.
Aquilante, the 19-year-old Northeast Division SSB Champion, lapped the 2.5-mile Heartland Park circuit with a quick time of 2:01.232, drafting Knowles down the front straight to make the most of new, "sticker" tires and a clear track on their third lap in the qualifying session. Knowles, a two-time SCCA National Champion, secured the outside pole with a time of 2:01.670.
"We knew we had to be prepared to go quicker than we had yesterday," said Aquilante, of Chester Springs, PA. "We put stickers on and had a plan to work together to get one good lap if we needed it. We used the first couple of laps to see if the conditions would allow anybody to improve their times. They did, so we just went after it."
Aquilante and Knowles will start the race which is scheduled for 18 laps or 40 minutes, whichever comes first ahead of a trio 2006 Honda Civic Si's, the fastest of which qualified just less than 0.4 seconds slower than Knowles.
"I love this car!" said Knowles, of Pittsboro, NC. "It's going to be great to have the two iRacing.com Solstices leading the way into turn one. The Hondas have a little advantage down the straights, but they're starting in back of us and I ain't planning on looking in my mirrors!"
Aquilante is the son of veteran road racer Joe Aquilante, president and team owner of Phoenix Performance located in Phoenixville, PA. Phoenix was instrumental in introducing the Pontiac Solstice into SCCA racing for 2006 in cooperation with GM Performance Division, which provides engineering technical support for GM products competing in all SCCA Showroom Stock and Touring classes. The Solstice is equipped with the Z0K Club Sport package, which is available through any Pontiac dealer.
The Runoffs will be broadcast on SPEED TV throughout the winter. Check local listings.
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