Dan Clarke (#14 CTE Racing - HVM Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) earned his racing stripes running in the British Isles and on the tracks of Europe, where racing in the rain is an common part of a driver's upbringing. source: champcarworldseries.com But on a rainy Friday in Elkhart Lake, Clarke's ability in drying conditions paid more dividends than his wet-weather prowess, as the CTE Racing - HVM driver used a timely change of his Bridgestone Potenzas to help him lead first-round qualifying for this weekend's Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America. Clarke, along with Charles Zwolsman (#34 Mi-Jack/Conquest Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone), decided that the 4.048-mile Road America track had dried sufficiently after day-long rains to allow him to try a few laps on the Bridgestone racing slicks, discarding the grooved wet-weather tires that the rest of the field were still using to navigate the 14-turn course. The racing slicks generally will yield much quicker times than the wet-weather shoes, but are far trickier to handle if the track has even the slightest bit of moisture on it. The gamble paid off handsomely for both drivers as they finished first and second respectively in the first round of qualifying, with Clarke posting a best time of 1:55.123 (126.585 mph) to lead the session. The run allowed the British rookie to lead a Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford qualifying session for the first time in his young career, a result that also guarantees him a front-row starting spot for Sunday's race - the first of his nascent Champ Car career. Zwolsman's late dash left him second on the day after a best time of 1:55.599 (126.063 mph), giving the 2005 Champ Car Atlantic champion the best qualifying result of his first year in the series. Zwolsman, who is currently riding a career-high streak of five consecutive top-10 finishes, ran his best time on his 12th and final lap of the Elkhart Lake circuit, and while he was just short of Clarke's provisional pole time, he has still nearly two full seconds clear of the rest of the field.
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