Stuck Puts Audi on Pole to Keep Title Chances Alive

DEL MAR —  Hans Stuck, still nursing a slim hope of winning the GTO championship of the International Motor Sports Assn., will start on the pole in today’s one-hour race for GTO and GTU cars at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

Stuck, a West German driver who has won seven of the 12 races he has entered, qualified his Audi 90 Quattro Friday at a record 83.878 m.p.h.

Stuck’s problem is that he missed two endurance races, Daytona and Sebring, so he trails two Mercury Cougar drivers, Pete Halsmer and Wally Dallenbach Jr. by 18 and nine points, respectively. Today’s winner will collect 20 points.

Dallenbach qualified second at 83.610 and Halsmer fourth at 82.961.

“Having the pole is half of winning the race,” Stuck said. “There will be strategy tomorrow. The car is great.”

Stuck has won the last four GTO races and five of the last six.

The old GTO record around the 11-turn, 1.6-mile temporary circuit was 82.603 by Jack Baldwin in a Chevy Camaro in 1987.

South African Wayne Taylor surprised his fellow GTP drivers by posting the quickest practice lap for the big prototypes. Taylor, 29, a former South Africa national champion, drove his Pontiac-powered Spice at 88.889 m.p.h. in the second of two 45-minute sessions.

The GTP cars will qualify today for Sunday’s two-hour Camel Grand Prix of Southern California.

“I love these street courses,” Taylor said. “This is a very difficult course, very bumpy, but good to drive. This is only my second street race and third time in IMSA. I like it very much. I would like to drive the full IMSA season next year.”

Taylor, who left South Africa two years ago to live in England, finished fourth at LeMans in 1987 in a Porsche and last year drove in the European Group C competition with Costas Los. This season he drove for the Spice factory team in the world sports-prototype series.

Chip Robinson, who leads the GTP standings, was second fastest at 88.466, and his Nissan teammate, defending GTP champion Geoff Brabham, was sixth at 87.460.