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Qualifying report

Tony Kanaan qualifies seventh at Milwaukee

De Silvestro to start at back of grid

Tony Kanaan, KV Racing Technology Chevrolet

Tony Kanaan, KV Racing Technology Chevrolet

Michael C. Johnson

WEST ALLIS, WI - June 15, 2012 - KV Racing Technology driver Tony Kanaan qualified seventh for tomorrow's Milwaukee IndyFest on the fabled Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin. Teammate Simona De Silvestro will start at the back of the grid.

Kanaan, in the #11 Hydroxycut - KV Racing - SH Racing Chevrolet/Firestone entry, went out 12th of the 24 drivers who made a qualifying run and posted a two-lap average of 169.482 mph. His two laps were very consistent with just .0476 of a second separating his fastest timed lap, the second, from his first.

Commenting on qualifying Kanaan said, "We got a little messed up with the qualifying trim this morning, so I really didn't know what I had before my actual qualifying run. We got the most out of the car today. Tomorrow is when it really counts. I also have to say it is nice to see all Chevy's at the front of the grid."

Tony Kanaan, KV Racing Technology Chevrolet
Tony Kanaan, KV Racing Technology Chevrolet

Photo by: Michael C. Johnson

De Silvestro, behind the wheel of the #78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy - KV Racing Technology Chevrolet/Firestone car, was the third driver to qualify and recorded an average speed of 162.886 mph..

"We struggled a bit in qualifying," De Silvestro said. "This morning was awesome; the car was really hooked up. Then when we pretty much went out with the same settings and it was really loose. We struggled with over-steer and stuff like that the whole time in the second session. We adjusted to that for qualifying and now we have a little bit too much under-steer. So the changes we made, they worked, but I don't think we're quite there. I think we have to go in between and hopefully during the race it's going to come to us a little more."

Kanaan has now qualified in the top-10 a total of 11times in 14 attempts at Milwaukee with a best starting spot of second in 2004. In 13 previous races he has finished in the top-10 seven times with two wins (2006 and 2007) and has not placed worse than fourth in six of his last eight starts on the Milwaukee Mile (two wins, a second, a third and two fourths)

Kanaan has qualified in the top-10 three times in nine events this season with a season-high starting position of fourth in Brazil(started eighth at Long Beach).The 2013 Indianapolis 500 Champion has finished seven of the eight races contested this year dropping out only at Long Beach. The 38-year-old Brazilian currently sits fourth in the championship race with 195 points, just 64 out of the top spot. He has earned three top-four finishes so far this season including two podium performances and the victory at Indy (placed fourth in the season-opener at St. Petersburg and third last weekend in Texas).

De Silvestro, who is making just her third appearance at Milwaukee, will be looking to duplicate her early race performance last week in Texas. After qualifying a career oval high 12th, she was forced to start near the back of the field due to a penalty for an unapproved engine change. However, with a good race car she charged through the field and was in the top-10 when a blend line penalty ended her chances at a solid finish. The 24-year-old native of Switzerland has qualified in the top-10 twice this season with a best starting spot of third at the season-opener at St. Petersburg. De Silvestro has finished in the top-10 three times this year including a season-high sixth also at St. Pete. She also has an eighth-place showing at Sao Paulo and a ninth at Long Beach.

There were two practice sessions prior to qualifying. In the first session, Kanaan recording the eighth fastest lap with a speed of 165.170 mph. De Silvestro was ninth quickest lap at 164.367 mph. During the second practice both drivers spent most of the session working on their race setup therefore Kanaan's top speed was163.578 mph putting him 18th on the speed charts with De Silvestro logging a lap of 162.123 mph placing here 22nd. .

KV Racing Technology

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