Hall Tops SCCA Miata Cup Round Five Qualifying at Infineon

SONOMA, Calif. (Aug. 27, 2005) – Justin Hall, of Davis, Calif., came out firing Saturday morning at Infineon Raceway during the qualifying portion of the fifth round of the SCCA Mazdaspeed Miata Cup Presented by Hankook, part of the Argent Mortgage Grand Prix, taking the top spot for Saturday afternoon’s Miata Cup Pacific Tour race with a time of 1:55.073 (71.954 mph).

Under clear skies and temperatures in the lower 50s, current Pacific Tour points leader Hall left little to the underdog’s imagination as he ripped off his fast lap on the third pass in his No. 12 OFF Camber Racing 1990 Mazda Miata.

Terry McCarthy, of Mountain View, Calif., came into the Pacific Tour’s final weekend hoping to erase Hall’s 34-point lead and will join him on the front row after qualifying second with a 1:55.317 (71.802 mph) in his No. 29 FMG/880 Trailer/Rebellow Racing Engines 1995 Miata. However, Hall’s pole-winning performance earned him one more bonus point than McCarthy, which pushed his advantage to 35 before the race.

Carlo Sparacio, of Federal Way, Wash., rocketed up the chart in the final moments of the 30-min. qualifying session, moving to third with a 1:55.405 (71.747 mph) on the 13th lap in his No. 2 TC Motorsports/Group 2 Motorsports 1992 Miata.

Hall said that the pole position was exactly where he wants to be for Saturday afternoon’s Round Five race because it starts him in front of a field that has a top five separated by only 0.393-sec. on the 2.26-mile course configuration.

“It’s easier to control my own destiny from the front,” Hall said. “You take a look at the caliber of drivers we have here – Brad Rampelburg, Bobby Carter, Terry McCarthy, David McAnaney – we’re all very good drivers and this is our home track. I fully expected the pack to be as tight as it is, and I expect a good race today and on Sunday.”

Hall’s OFF Camber teammates Rampelberg, of San Jose, Calif. (No. 13 OFF Camber Racing 1990 Miata) and McAnaney, of Davis, Calif. (No. 45 OFF Camber Racing 1990 Miata) will start fourth and fifth, respectively.

The Round Five race is scheduled to be a 30-minute timed race and will start at 5:15 p.m. (PDT).

For more information, visit www.scca.com.