Farfus less than half a second off pole for his class in Daytona

Augusto Farfus was chosen to qualify the Turner Motorsport BMW Z4 GTD he is sharing at the Rolex 24 at Daytona with Dane Cameron (US), Paul Dalla Lana (CN) and Markus Palttala (FI), and after the 15-minute session he was less than half a second off the fastest time set for the class.

“I think it was a good qualifying in terms of

performance. Of course we were hoping to be better than 12th, but being just half a second off the quickest car in the class is definitely okay. The race is long, so I think with a good strategy and the good team-mates I have we have high hopes. Looking to what we did in the January test to where we are now, we have definitely moved forward,” said Augusto.

This is the first time the Brazilian has raced a BMW in the famous race, although for this race he is with a privateer team and not a works one. Last time he was at the race was in 2003. This year the race heralds the start of a new era in American sports car racing, with this being the first round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.  

Talking about his feelings for the track itself, Augusto said: “This banking is unique. The first time you arrive there it is quite impressive and I remember it well from 2003. The high speed is nice, because for a big part of the circuit you are driving flat out. The race here is different to other 24 hour ones as the night isn’t so dark, the race is fast and with all the yellow flags and safety car periods you can get a lap back, so the strategy is important. Hopefully we can get it right and do a very nice race. “

Hospede seu site com a UniquetNet, patrocinadora oficial da SBR

The race starts at 14.10 on Saturday and is held on the 3.56 mile circuit at the iconic Daytona International Speedway. This year’s entry list has 63 cars on it and will be busy for the marshals and drivers because of the speed differentials of the various classes. The fastest time set by Augusto was 1min 47.418secs, the fastest driver in the GTD class set a time of 1min 46.973secs, while the fastest time overall for pole in the race was 1min 38.270secs.

The schedule for the weekend will be:

Friday, 24th January

Practice 4 – 11.30 – 12.30 – All classes

Saturday, 25th January

Autographs 11.30 – 12.15

Start The 52nd Rolex 24 at Daytona – 14.10

Sunday, 26th January

Finish The 52nd Rolex 24 at Daytona – 14.10

For further information on Augusto Farfus, please visit his website at www.farfus.com. There you will find all news and background information on the racing driver from Curitiba.