Rain hands pole to Fernandez

However, the Mexican added another championship point to the one he received Friday by also being the quickest driver in the wet Saturday qualifying session - with a time some 28 seconds slower than he managed in the dry. Only six drivers ventured out onto the flooded track.

Michael Andretti went out first and posted a 1m49s lap, and he was quickly followed by Fernandez, who despite a quick spin got into the 1m46s bracket. Then the heavens really opened, putting an end to the hopes of anyone who needed to improve on their Friday effort.

"Our strategy almost worked," said Andretti. "We almost got the point for being the fastest Saturday qualifier, but Fernandez had nothing to lose and he went out and pipped us before it started to rain hard. He knew the time he had to beat and he was able to use the laps he needed to get the point. They did the right thing."

Andretti will start Sunday's race 17th after a poor Friday qualifying session.

"As soon as Michael went out, we decided to run five laps at the beginning and save the rest for the end," Fernandez explained. "As soon as we were quicker, we came in. Then it started to rain harder, so it worked out perfectly in that respect."

Alex Tagliani had the biggest moment of the session, as his Reynard-Ford fishtailed three times under braking for Turn 1 before completing a perfect 360-degree spin that sent the car bounding through a gravel trap. The Canadian lines up third on the grid, behind Dario Franchitti.

Hardest hit by the inclement weather was PWR Championship Racing, which saw Oriol Servia and Scott Dixon run third and fourth fastest Saturday morning. But they'll start 11th and 14th based on Friday's times.

"The car was much better this morning," Dixon said "We would have been much better off had the track been dry - definitely in the top five."


Adrian Fernandez Lola-Honda 1m18.929s
Dario Franchitti Reynard-Honda 1m19.202s
Alex Tagliani Reynard-Ford 1m19.241s
Christian Fittipaldi Lola-Toyota 1m19.270s
Cristiano da Matta Lola-Toyota 1m19.275s
Michel Jourdain Jr Lola-Ford 1m19.326s
Bruno Junqueira Lola-Toyota 1m19.480s
Kenny Brack Lola-Toyota 1m19.491s
Townsend Bell Reynard-Toyota 1m19.682s
Jimmy Vasser Lola-Ford 1m19.832s