Music: {allcanada} Vautier sets the pace in Trois-Rivieres practice

Friday, August 3, 2012

{allcanada} Vautier sets the pace in Trois-Rivieres practice

Rookie Tristan Vautier was the fastest on Friday in Firestone Indy Lights practice for Sunday's Streets of Trois-Rivieres race.

Vautier grabbed the lead with a time of 58.1293 seconds during his final lap in the 45-minute session. Patrick Dempsey was second followed by Jorge Goncalvez.

Defending Indy Lights GP3R winner Esteban Guerrieri was fourth.

David Ostella, from Maple, Ont., was 11th with a time of one minute, 0.7028 seconds.

Vautier, who currently sits third in the standings, was victorious in Race 1 at Trois-Rivieres in the Star Mazda series last year.

"This year, the tracks I've been to, for sure it's a help [to have had success here before]," Vautier said in a statement. "It's pretty similar to Star Mazda, the Firestone Indy Lights car is a lot on fun on this track, you have to look for traction. "The track is pretty narrow and the Indy Lights car is a little bigger, so there's a few adjustments to make, but so far it's been okay."

In Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear qualifying, points leader Jack Hawksworth earned his seventh PEAK Performance Pole Award of the season with a record time of one minute, 0.850 seconds in his No. 82 Team Pelfrey/TORGOEN Swiss Watches/EXA Networks Mazda.

"It was a really tight qualifying and it's going to be a tight race ... I'm hoping we all get through the first turn," Hawksworth said in a statement. "It's a really good thing for our race plan to be starting on the pole here, and to keep it on the start and re-starts.

"This is a really small track, though it's really well laid-out, and it requires a lot of precision, but the Pelfrey team keeps giving me really good cars, so we're well-positioned for tomorrow."

Connor De Phillippi, who won Race 2 at GP3R in 2011, will start beside him on the grid after qualifying second in the No. 2 Juncos Racing/ModSpace Racing/One24 Mazda.

Sage Karam will start third in the No. 88 Andretti Autosport/Comfort Revolution Mazda.

Toronto's Zach Meyer qualified 17th in the No. 66 Aim Autosport car and Jerimy Daniel, from Chateauguay, Que., starts 18th in the No. 10 TRC entry.