MX-5 Cup: Gallagher stays on top in CTMP practice

Patrick Gallagher, of Thornville, Ohio, put in another chart-topping performance during Practice Two of the SCCA Pro Racing Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires, in preparation for Sunday's Round Seven race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Peter Portante, of Plainville, Connecticut, finished second while Tim Paul, of Mahopac, New York, and Devin Jones, of Mooresville, North Carolina, tied for third.

Gallagher was able to put down the fast time on his 10th circuit of the 10-turn, 2.459-mile course. Gallagher said he was very excited about the performance of his No. 44 Howard Concrete Pumping MX-5 as he was able to turn a fast lap of 1:35.475 (92.720 mph) without the help of a draft from another car."I don't think the draft is helping us as much as it is some of the other drivers," Gallagher said. "It seems like we gain some time in the straight, but any of those gains go away in Turns One and Two."I think our setup is right there, but the track was a lot different from this morning. So, we'll have to take a look at the data and see what that shows us. With the race schedule we have, you treat this morning's practice as a tune-up for the qualifying session, tomorrow. This afternoon's session is the closest to what the conditions will be like for the race on Sunday afternoon. The specific information we picked up in the session will be most useful for Race Two of the weekend."Driving the No. 24 Intercity Lines MX-5, Portante logged the second-fastest lap of the session. He stopped the clocks at 1:35.541 (92.656 mph). The time represented a nearly 0.2-second jump during his initial race weekend at the Canadian venue."We have to hit the setup in qualifying," Portante said. "These races will be big battles in the draft, but it is difficult to try going from the back to the front. We're not exactly where we want to be at this point, but we are making the climb to get there."Right now we're just trying to find the time in the car. The rest of this field has gotten quicker, and will continue to get quicker as the weekend moves on."Jones, in the No. 35 ALARA Racing/VeriStor MX-5, shared the third position after stopping the timing clock at 1:35.621 (92.578 mph). The lap came just after Jones took the pole position in the IMSA Street Touring class."From the ST car there is a little that transfers, but not a whole lot with the horsepower and handling differences," Jones said. "The car is working really well, as always. We were able to get in with a good group of cars and put up a good lap."In the race, drafting is going to be incredibly important. If we can get into the top five of the starting grid, that would be good. When you get into the bottom half of the top 10, it makes quite an impact when you are trying to get to the front. When you are more toward the front, you are able to fight for the lead a little better without the concern of traffic slowing you up."Paul was the other half of the dead heat for third place. Paul said the fast time should result in good qualifying position at the controls of his No. 6 Cellmark/ALARA Racing MX-5, with an even better performance during Sunday's doubleheader races."I ran most of the session by myself," Paul said. "I was happy with the times we were turning while we were alone. But, at one point, I rolled up on Devin [Jones] and he helped us get through Turns Eight, Nine and Ten. That allowed us to put down a pretty good number."I think we're set pretty well for qualifying. I know I'm strong by myself, which is what we are going to have to do. If you can run fast by yourself, you can do even better in the draft. The race is going to be ridiculously close with all the drivers bunched so closely on the time sheet."At the wheel of his No. 16 Bulb Jacket/PPG/Sick Sideways MX-5, John Dean completed the top five positions. His best lap of 1:35.793 (92.412 mph) came on Lap 10 of the 16 he ran.In the Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge, Bryan Hixon, of San Antonio, Texas, was the fastest driver in the class. Hixon guided his No. 63 TheHotelContessa.com/Seven Devils Lodge SBMX-5 to a fastest time of 1:37.837 (90.481 mph) after making some big changes, both mechanically and mentally, following the first practice session."This morning I was really uncomfortable in the car," Hixon said. "They made sure these cars were in perfect working order for us this weekend, but in that process some of the things, like the seat and steering wheel, got tweaked. Thanks to ALARA and Justin Piscitell, we talked and he told me I wasn't going to be fast unless I was comfortable in the car. So, we made a couple changes in the cockpit to make it feel better in the driving position."Additionally, I just had a lot of motivation to improve since I was so frustrated after this morning's performance. I just put my head down and focused. I was short-shifting, too, and just got my head straight during that run."Sam Adams, of Richfield, Wisconsin, finished the session in second after turning a lap of 1:37.886 (90.436 mph), while Ben Albano (No. 61 Project Yellow Light/Manfredi Jewels SBMX-5), of Greenwich, Connecticut, ended the 30-minute session in third with a time of 1:37.893 (90.429 mph).The starting grid will be set during Qualifying, which is slated to take place on Saturday, at 9:10 a.m. (EDT), with Rounds Seven and Eight set for Sunday at 8:35 a.m. (EDT) and 4:30 p.m. (EDT), respectively.Like the series on Facebook, at Facebook.com/MazdaMX5Cup, and follow the series on Twitter and Instagram @MazdaMX5Cup.Bowmanville, Ont., Can. - Results from Practice Two for Saturday's SCCA Pro Racing Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires Round Seven race, part of the Mobil 1 Sportscar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park with position, class, car number in parenthesis, driver, hometown, car, fastest lap time, and speed in miles per hour.1,MX,{44},Patrick Gallagher,Thornville Ohio,MX-5,1:35.475,92.722,MX,{24},Peter Portante,Plainville Conn.,MX-5,1:35.541,92.6563,MX,{35},Devin Jones,Mooresville N.C.,MX-5,1:35.621,92.5784,MX,{6},Timothy Paul,Mahopac N.Y.,MX-5,1:35.621,92.5785,MX,{16},John Dean II,Sebring Fla.,MX-5,1:35.793,92.4126,MX,{29},Chad McCumbee,Ocean Isle Beach N.C.,MX-5,1:35.912,92.2977,MX,{8},Nathanial Sparks,Spanish Fort Ala.,MX-5,1:35.923,92.2878,MX,{99},Drake Kemper,Toluca Lake Calif.,MX-5,1:35.940,92.279,MX,{4},Kyle Loustaunau(R),Vacaville Calif.,MX-5,1:36.023,92.1910,MX,{7},Dean Copeland,Bowie Md.,MX-5,1:36.130,92.08811,MX,{34},Matt Koskinen(R),Harper Woods Mich.,MX-5,1:36.240,91.98312,MX,{11},Ara Malkhassian,Houston Texas,MX-5,1:36.268,91.95613,MX,{77},Hernan Palermo(R),Houston Texas,MX-5,1:36.618,91.62314,MX,{49},Forrest Landy,Great Falls Va.,MX-5,1:36.635,91.60715,MX,{12},Zach Lee,San Antonio Texas,MX-5,1:36.835,91.41716,MX,{14},Sarah Montgomery,Lafayette La.,MX-5,1:36.905,91.35117,MX,{10},Brent Mosing,Lafayette La.,MX-5,1:37.226,91.0518,MX,{72},Charles Paquin,Ottawa Ont. Can.,MX-5,1:37.517,90.77819,MX,{17},Alex Bachoura(R),Houston Texas,MX-5,1:37.621,90.68120,MX,{26},Tim Probert,Houston Texas,MX-5,1:37.922,90.40321,MX,{32},Keith Jensen(R),Dallas Texas,MX-5,1:38.082,90.25522,MX,{2},Beth Chryst,Hemdon Va.,MX-5,1:38.098,90.2423,MX,{28},Marc Boily(R),West Chester Pa.,MX-5,1:39.486,88.9811,SBMX,{63},Bryan Hixon,San Antonio Texas,SBMX-5,1:37.837,90.4812,SBMX,{67},Sam Adams,Richfield Wis.,SBMX-5,1:37.886,90.4363,SBMX,{61},Ben Albano,Greenwich Conn.,SBMX-5,1:37.893,90.4294,SBMX,{68},Nikko Reger,Houston Texas,SBMX-5,1:37.983,90.3465,SBMX,{65},Robby Foley,Randolph N.J.,SBMX-5,1:38.172,90.1726,SBMX,{62},Kieron O'Rourke,Grand Cayman,SBMX-5,1:40.128,88.4117,SBMX,{69},Chris Beaufait,Freeland Wash.,SBMX-5,1:42.546,86.326Image: Patrick Gallagher showed the way during Practice Two at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.Credit: Al Merion Padron