homologated the Saleen for GTS class competition, so here it is.
    In spite of the Saleen’s advantage, Corvette fans got a boost after the first round of qualifying when the Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Johnny O’Connell #3 C5-R won the provisional GTS pole. The glee was short lived, however, because the car subsequently failed technical inspection by being about three pounds under the minimum weight, likely the result of about two less quarts of oil in the dry sump oiling system.
    The technical violation was rendered moot in final qualifying anyway because Konrad’s S7R turned the fastest time of 2:00.426 compared with the #3 Corvette’s 2:00.728. The #4 Corvette was third on the GTS grid with a 2:01.866. The fastest Viper managed only a distant 2:08.178.
    Winning the pole is always nice but in a long endurance race like Sebring it does not count much in determining the winner. Given Sebring’s twisty layout and extremely bumpy surface, durability would play a major role in making it to the top spot on the podium. Of course, durability alone can’t win the race. Track speed, fast pit work, fuel economy, and more than a small measure of luck are also very important.
    When the green flagged dropped, the pole-sitting Saleen began stretching its lead over the Corvettes. But two hours later, the S7R’s margin was erased when it had to make an extended pit stop to tape the rear section of the body back on.