Qualifying: Penskes back on form in Detroit

Helio Castroneves took his third pole of the 2001 season and his Penske Racing team mate Gil de Ferran was close behind in third place. Toyota-powered Bruno Junqueira managed the other front row spot, while de Ferran will be joined on the second row by fellow Honda driver Dario Franchitti.

Castroneves and de Ferran battled between themselves for the pole (and the championship point that accompanies it) throughout the 30-minute qualifying session before Junqueira made a late impression. By then, Castroneves already had things in hand, and he proved his point by improving his time to 1m13.499 (114.908 mph) on his last lap of the session.

"Imagine where we would be if we had everything we had before," said Castroneves of the estimated 50 horsepower the pop-off valve spacer took away from the Honda engine. "It was a surprise to us and to Honda and it made our jobs harder. It's a credit to the Penske team, because my car handled so well we didn't need the extra power. But this is not a power track. Portland will be much tougher, with its two long straights."

Helio admitted that his chief competition came from his team mate, who came up 0.17 second short of winning the pole.

"I tell you, Gil is magic," he said after earning his seventh career Champ car pole. "I thought I got the maximum out of my car on the first set of tyres and this guy was right with me. I was really trying hard to win the pole, because I know how important it is here. It was very exciting."

De Ferran gave his all, but he had to settle for the second row.

"Helio and I were very closely matched on the first set of tyres," he said. "On the second set, I got traffic on my first flying lap and the red flag came out on my next lap. I got one last chance, but I messed up and that was that. It's unfortunate that the red flag came out when it did, but it doesn't take anything away from Helio, who did a very good job."

De Ferran stated that he was happier with his engine power and response than he was Friday, but he could still notice deficiencies.

"We certainly aren't where we want to be engine-wise," de Ferran remarked. "It's a credit to Honda that they reacted as fast as they did, and they improved the engine a lot for today. It's also a credit to the team, which has developed an excellent set-up for this type of track over the past year. We make big steps all the time, and I believe our cars are very good on these street circuits."

Junqueira noted the irony of Honda taking the pole after sitting out the first session of the weekend. The former Formula 3000 champion was also pleased to be back on a road course after a series of ovals.

"I think on Friday morning we just cleaned the track for them," he said with a smile. "Those teams all know the track well, and they were able to save tyres for the rest of the weekend. But I'm pleased, because Team Target was able to take a bad car and make it a good car. I'm really happy to start from the front row."

Franchitti thought he was on course for the pole, but team mate Paul Tracy brought out the red flag by spinning with three minutes remaining. It was Tracy's second incident of the session, and he wound up a disappointing 23rd.

"I was on a flyer," Dario reported. "We were a good half second up halfway through the lap when the last red flag came out. So I think we were more than good enough for the pole. It's frustrating and typical of the luck we've had this year, but I know I can win from fourth ­ I did it in 1999."

Jimmy Vasser led Patrick Racing's best qualifying performance of 2001 by taking fifth place, two spots ahead of team mate Roberto Moreno. The Patrick pair sandwiched Patrick Carpentier, who was the quickest Ford-Cosworth runner.

For full qualifying results, click here.