LEXINGTON, Ohio, July 18, 2008 - With less than three-tenths of a second separating the No. 71 Tafel/Bell Micro Racing Ferrari F430 GTC in fourth-place from the pole-winning Ferrari, qualifying for tomorrow's Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge showed just how intense the two hour and 45-minute event will be. Dominik Farnbacher (Ansbach, Germany) driving the Bell Micro Ferrari turned a lap of one minute, 20.324 seconds to earn the outside of the second row of the GT2 grid. Jim Tafel (Alpharetta, Ga.), making his first qualifying attempt of the season, lapped the 2.25-mile long, 13-turn Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course at 1:24.047 to place the No. 73 Tafel Racing Ferrari F430 GTC 12th in the GT2 class.

71 Tafel Ferrari profile 2000 American Le Mans Series champion Dirk Müller (a native of Germany living in Monaco) will join Farnbacher in Saturday's race as the two Germans fight for their third class victory of the season. The two victories - St. Petersburg (Fla.) and Long Beach (Calif.) - came from the fourth starting position. Open- wheel standout Alex Figge (Denver), making his return to the American Le Mans Series with Tafel Racing, will share the No. 73 Tafel Ferrari with Jim Tafel. Figge and Tafel will be sharing the car for the third time this season tomorrow.

The tight competition was only half the story during today's two practices and single, 20-minute qualifying session. The heat was equally intense for the competitors. With a cloudless sky and temperatures in the 90s (F), the temperature tried drivers' physical conditioning and the grip of the Michelin Pilot racing slicks. With conditions expected to be as hot, or hotter, than today for Saturday's 2:30 PM (ET) start, the temperature inside the cockpit could reach into triple digits inside the cockpit. With their heart rate exceeding that of a marathon runner, the drivers, wearing triple layer fire-retardant suits, will need to take additional precautions to avoid the potential impact of the summer weather.

The tight competition was only half the story during today's two practices and single, 20-minute qualifying session. The heat was equally intense for the competitors. With a cloudless sky and temperatures in the 90s (F), the temperature tried drivers' physical conditioning and the grip of the Michelin Pilot racing slicks. With conditions expected to be as hot, or hotter, than today for Saturday's 2:30 PM (ET) start, the temperature inside the cockpit could reach into triple digits inside the cockpit. With their heart rate exceeding that of a marathon runner, the drivers, wearing triple layer fire-retardant suits, will need to take additional precautions to avoid the potential impact of the summer weather.