Gurney Fastest in Opening Day of Mexico City Practice Powered by XP2

MEXICO CITY (April 17, 2008) – Alex Gurney set the fastest lap deep into the second of two Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 practice sessions Thursday, driving the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Pontiac Riley on the 2.5-mile, 14-turn Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The practice session precedes Friday's qualifying and Saturday's Mexico City 250 (SPEED, 4 p.m. ET, Live), round three on the Rolex Series schedule.

The defending Rolex Series race winner Gurney - who claimed his first Rolex Series victory last year with co-driver Jon Fogarty - logged a time of 1:20.536 (111.751 mph) with only three minutes remaining in practice, positioning him and Fogarty to be one of the favorites to take Friday's pole. Last season, Gurney - who has been suffering the effects of a cold for over a week - and Fogarty rode a wave of seven victories to a two-point advantage in the Daytona Prototype championship standings.

Ryan Dalziel and Burt Frisselle were also quick in the session, which saw six drivers unofficially best last year's record qualifying time of 1:21.221 (110.809 mph). Dalziel, whose No. 2 SAMAX team recently switched to BMW engines, notched a time of 1:20.880, also near the end of the session. Frisselle, meanwhile, was third fastest in the No. 47 Doran Racing BSI/CDOC Ford Dallara. Prior to Thursday, the No. 47 had never been on a race track at speed. Frisselle's time was 1:20.984 (111.133 mph).

Rounding out the top five were Oswaldo Negri in the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley and Marc Goossens in the No. 91 Bob Stallings/Riley-Matthews Motorsports Pontiac Riley.

In Rolex Series GT action, point co-leader Spencer Pumpelly was quickest with a time of 1:27.835 (102.465 mph), which was also under last year's Rolex Series GT record qualifying time. Pumpelly battled with Kelly Collins and Lawson Aschenbach for the top honors throughout the session before ultimately taking the top spot after 19 laps.

Collins, the 2006 race co-winner, was second with a time of 1:27.951 (102.330 mph) in the No. 07 Banner Racing Banner Engineering Pontiac GXP.R and Aschenbach - in his first Rolex Series trip to the track - was third at 1:28.047 (102.218 mph) in the No. 72 Autohaus Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R.

Diego Alessi was fourth quickest in the No. 21 Matt Connolly Motorsports Pontiac GTO.R and Robin Liddell rounded out the top five in the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Stevenson Automotive/BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R.

Ten GT cars bested last year's qualifying time during the second session.