GRAND-AM KONI CHALLENGE: Walker, Kuitwaard Post First KONI Challenge ST Victories for Compass360 Racing

LAKEVILLE, Conn. (May 23, 2009) - Travis Walker passed Ian Baas for the lead with 10 minutes remaining and held on to win Saturday's Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge Street Tuner race at Lime Rock Park, taking the checkered flag under caution. Walker co-drove the No. 75 Skunk2/ Canadianracers.com Honda Civic Si with John Kuitwaard.

It was the first KONI Challenge victory for both drivers. Kuitwaard was making his first start with the team in only his second race in the series. Walker led the final nine of 134 circuits in the two-hour, 30-minute event.

"I knew if I kept the pressure on the Volkswagen, he'd eventually make one little mistake, and when he made that mistake, I jumped on him," Walker said of the winning pass. "I didn't waste the opportunity. I've been here three times before and never even ran a green flag lap - the car dropped out each time before I got in. When I saw the final caution, I thought, 'Thank God. I'm tired. I want this to be over with.' It was a great feeling. I haven't had the best luck in this series, and I finally caught a little good luck at the end."

Baas and Josh Hurley, who earned his first pole positoin earlier in the day, finished second in the No. 171 APR Tuning/Gunther VW Volkswagen GTI. Hurley won his first pole in the series earlier Saturday and led 25 laps early in the event, while Baas led for 54 laps before losing the position to Walker.

The race ended under caution after Matt Pritiko, in the No. 76 Skunk2/ Canadianracers.com HondaCivic Si, and Nick Leverone, in the No. 08 Flatout Motorsports Mazda MX-5, tangled in the downhill turn. Neither driver was injured.

It marked the third victory of the season for Compass360 Racing. Randy Pobst and Christian Miller, who finished fourth in the No. 74 Honda Civic Si, won at Homestead-Miami Speedway and led an unprecedented podium sweep at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Miller added two counters to his point lead over Lawson Aschenbach and Pat Iannucci, who finished fifth in the No. 00 T.T.L Chevrolet Cobalt SS. Miller now leads by eight points (143-135), while Ashley McCalmont moving up to third with 129 points after placing third in the No. 01 Georgian Bay Cobalt co-driven by Jamie Holtom, who rejoined the team after winning the 2008 ST championship in that car.

The final caution was the fourth of the event, with Kuitwaard and Walker averaging 81.123 mph. Paul Della Lena crashed on Lap 5 in the No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW 328i, while the No. 181 APR Tuning/ BBS Volkswagen GTI of Mike Sweeney and Dion von Moltke twice stopped on course and needed a tow.

Ende Ends Bell's Streak, Captures Pole for Monday's Grand Sport Race

Duncan Ende ran a track record lap of 57.171 seconds (96.343 mph) midway through Saturday's qualifying session to capture the pole for Monday's Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge race at Lime Rock Park.

Ende's first career pole - aboard the TRG No. 39 Digitrust Group/Adams Polishes/Racer's Roast Porsche 997 - ended Matt Bell's record pole-winning streak at three. Bell, driving the No. 96 Turner Motorsports BMW M3, will start on the outside of the front row after running a lap of 57.227 seconds (96.248 mph).

Bryan Sellers will start third after running a lap of 57.380 seconds (95.990 mph) in the No. 77 Maxwell Paper Company Porsche 997. He will be joined on the second row by Jack Roush Jr., who timed at 57.633 (95.570 mph) in the Horsepower Ranch No. 61 Roush/Valvoline Ford Mustang GT.

Roush briefly held the pole early in the session, before being bumped off by Ende.

"I thought the pole time was maybe going to be a 57.3, and I got there," Ende said. "I was happy and somewhat confident, and then Matt Bell ripped off an awesome lap. I had to put my head down and really, really get to it."

After Ende ran his pole-winning lap, Bell, Sellers and Roush each came back with their fastest laps in the 15-minute session - only to fall short.

"Three poles in a row - and almost a fourth - isn't too bad," said Bell, who won poles at Homestead-Miami Speedway, New Jersey Motorsports Park and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. It was close, but obviously not close enough. We never seem to finish very well when we're on the pole, so this might be a change. Maybe we'll do amazing (now that his three-race pole winning streak is ended)."

Bell and co-driver Bill Auberlen won the opening race of the season, the Fresh From Florida 200, after starting third.

Ende and co-driver Spencer Pumpelly will be seeking their second victory of the season, after winning at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Sellers, co-driving with Daniel DiLeo, and Roush, co-driving with Hugh Plumb, are vying for their first victories this season.

Dean Martin and Ken Wilden, winners of the most recent KONI Challenge race at Mazda Raceway, will start seventh in the No. 59 RehagenRacingProducts.com Ford Mustang GT, while Homestead-Miami Speedway winners Peter Ludwig and Billy Johnson start fifth in the No. 18 Motorsports Technology Group Porsche 997.

Monday's schedule begins with practice at 10:15 a.m. The two and one half hour Lime Rock Classic 250 GS race takes the green flag at 2 p.m.

Next action for the KONI Challenge ST competitors will be June 5 at Watkins Glen International, in conjunction with the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

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