FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SELLERS CAPTURES FIRST ZETEC POLE AT SEBRING
SEBRING, FLA. (March 13, 2002) –Bryan Sellers, of Centerville, Ohio, captured the first pole of the 2002 Formula Ford 2000 Zetec Championship season at Sebring International Raceway. Completing the top-three was Travis Irving, of Chino Hills, Calif. and Tonis Kasemets, of Mundelein, Ill. The top ACC qualifier was Michael Floyd, of Houston, Texas.
Qualifying for Race One was run under clear and sunny conditions on the 3.7-mile road course. Of the 25 cars competing in qualifying, 23 were using the new Zetec engine package. Early in the session a number of cars spun off course, trying to find grip. As the session progressed, Sellers, Irving and Kasemets moved to the top of the chart. The trio, who had been quick throughout pre-event testing, remained in the top-three for the remainder of the session. At the 20-minute mark of the 30-minute qualifying session, Sellers put in a blistering lap, becoming the first driver to better the 2:05 mark. Late in the session conditions became very tricky, as the wind picked up and debris got on track. The conditions prevented Irving, in the No. 85 Great Central Transport/PR1 Motorsports Van Diemen Ford and Kasemets, driving the No. 9 MKInd/Flexovit/TMI/RedLine Oil Van Diemen Ford, from mounting a serious challenge to Sellers’ time. At the checkered flag, Sellers, in the No. 3 Yes Network/3 Dimensional Services/Arai Helmets/Sparco/Cape Motorsports Van Diemen Ford had captured his first career Zetec Championship pole position, with a time of 2:04.798 (106.732 mph).
“It feels great to capture the first pole with the new Zetec engine package,” said Sellers, who captured the Team USA scholarship this past winter. “The car was great. The crew did a fantastic job and I’m really looking forward to the first race tomorrow.”
“The wind really picked up at the end of the session,” said Irving, who captured a podium finish in his first-ever start last year. “Our car seems to take few laps to get up to speed, but I think we’ve addressed that for the next qualifying session. I have a great engineer, so I know we’ll be right up at the front.”
“Unfortunately I couldn’t get a clean lap at the start of the session,” said Kasemets, who won a season-high three races last year. “After I made some changes and went out to run a quick lap Iate in the session, I developed a misfire, so I’m pretty happy with a top-three starting position.”
Completing the top-five for Race One was Anthony Massari, of Miami, Fla. and Jeffrey Jones, of Sarasota, Fla.
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SEBRING - Qualifying times for Thursday's 14 lap, 51.80-mile Round One race at Sebring International Raceway, with qualifying position, driver, hometown, car, time and speed in miles-per-hour.
1. (3),Bryan Sellers, Centerville, Ohio, F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:04.798, 106.732.
2. (85),Travis Irving(R), Chino Hills, Calif., F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:05.574, 106.072.
3. (9),Tonis Kasemets, Mundelein, Ill., F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:05.770, 105.907.
4. (7),Anthony Massari(R), Miami, Fla., F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:05.985, 105.726.
5. (2),Jeffrey Jones(R), Sarasota, Fla., F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:06.012, 105.704.
6. (10),Bobby Wilson(R), Oconomowoc, Wis., F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:06.357, 105.415.
7. (24),Sean McIntosh(R), Coquitlam/B.C./Can., F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:06.462, 105.328.
8. (46),Luis Schiavo(R), Caracas/Venezuela, F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:06.512, 105.286.
9. (54),Scott Jenkins(R), Portland, Ore., F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:06.556, 105.249.
10. (6),Matt McDonough(R), West Newbury, Mass., F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:06.613, 105.202.
11. (33),Tom Dyer, San Rafael, Calif., F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:06.650, 105.171.
12. (34),Mark Wilkins(R), Toronto/Ontario/Can., F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:06.897, 104.967.
13. (22),Edouard Aube(R), Montreal/Quebec/Can., F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:06.964, 104.911.
14. (5),Ricardo Imery(R), Caracas/Venezuela, F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:07.080, 104.815.
15. (86),Andy Brumbaugh(R), Blythewood, S.C., F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:07.218, 104.702.
16. (32),Lawson Aschenbach(R), Gaithersburg, Md., F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:07.526, 104.449.
17. (27),Josh Schreiber(R), Lancaster, Pa., F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:07.706, 104.302.
18. (4),David Burkett, Corpus Christi, Texas, F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:07.890, 104.152.
19. (13),Kim Campbell(R), Richmond, Texas, F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:08.170, 103.924.
20. (19),J.W. Urlin, London/Ontario/Can., F2A, Mygale Ford, 2:08.252, 103.858.
21. (8),David Clarke(R), West Palm, Fla., F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:08.517, 103.643.
22. (11),Scott Rubenzer, Brookfield, Wis., F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:09.475, 102.877.
23. (80),Steve Thomson, Minnetonka, Minn., F2A, Van Diemen Ford, 2:10.072, 102.404.
24. (45),Michael Floyd, Houston, Texas, ACC, Van Diemen Ford, 2:14.373, 99.127.
25. (12),Doug Smith, Plantation, Fla., ACC, Van Dieman Ford, 2:16.614, 97.500.
