Quotes after qualifying:

Dr Wolfgang Ullrich (Head of Audi Motorsport): "We know that qualifying is not important for the race result – either at Le Mans or at Sebring. But it is nice to have both cars on the front row of the grid. The team has earned this result. It shows the potential of the new Audi R10 TDI. As we expected, the LM P2 cars are not much slower. This means we have to work out a good setup for the race.”

Dindo Capello (Audi R10 TDI #1): "I was a little unlucky in qualifying because of the red flag which affected our strategy. The plan was not to push on the first lap but to do a run of four laps. When I started the second lap the red flag came out. I tried again after the re-start but must admit that I pushed too hard too quickly although the tyre grip was not so good anyway. I congratulate Marco, he drove a great lap for pole. But we start also from the front row, this is good.”

The starting grid at Sebring

1 Biela/Pirro/Werner (Audi R10 TDI) 1m 44.974s
2 Capello/Kristensen/McNish (Audi R10 TDI) 1m 45.326s
3 Dumas/Bernhard/Castroneves (Porsche) 1m 46.046s
4 Brabham/Johansson/Dayton (Acura/Honda) 1m 47.109s
5 Wallace/Leitzinger/Lally (Porsche) 1m 47.130s
6 Herta/Franchitti/Kanaan (Acura/Honda) 1m 47.423s
7 Dyson/Smith (Porsche) 1m 48.175s
8 Fernandez/Diaz/Martinez (Lola-Acura/Honda), 1m 48.417s
9 Maasssen/Briscoe/Collard (Porsche) 1m 50.185s
10 Bach/Devlin/Matos (Lola) 1m 50.312s

Defending champion Dindo Capello set the second fastest time in qualifying, allowing both Audi diesel sports cars to start from the front row on Saturday at 10 a.m. local time (3 p.m. in Germany). The Italian was unlucky when Thursday’s 25-minute qualifying sessions was interrupted while he was on a fast lap.

For the first time since the race at Road America last August, two Audi R10 TDI sports cars will start from the front row of the grid in the American Le Mans Series. It’s the fifth pole position for the revolutionary diesel sports car in its ninth race.

The Audi drivers will face a more difficult challenge, however, in Saturday’s race: The fuel tank capacity for diesel sports cars was reduced from last year’s 90 litres to 81 litres. This means, that the R10 TDI has to come into the pits at Sebring about three laps earlier compared to 2006.