MADISON, Ill., Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Brazil's Gil de Ferran captured the pole Saturday for the Indy Racing League Gateway Indy 250, but title contenders Sam Hornish Jr. and Helio Castroneves kept pace with strong qualifying efforts.
De Ferran, who is third in the IRL standings, turned a lap of 25.697 seconds at the 1 1/4-mile Gateway International Raceway for an average speed of 175.120 miles per hour. He leads the series with four poles this year.
"It's very important at this type of track to start up front," de Ferran said. "It's no doubt about it, there's still a lot of work to do tomorrow. At least it's a step in the right direction."
Hornish, who leads the standings as he seeks his second straight IRL crown, qualified second at 174.959 mph. Castroneves, the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner from Brazil, was third fastest at 174.939 mph.
The three contenders have traded the lead in the standings throughout the season. Hornish returned to the top with a second-place finish at Kentucky Speedway on Aug. 11.
"It would be awesome to come back here and come out with a victory, especially with how close the points are this year," said Hornish, who leads Castroneves by just four points with three races remaining.
De Ferran held the top slot for the previous two races, while Castroneves occupied first place for five events in a row.
Rookie Vitor Meira qualified fourth in just his second IRL race. Defending champion Al Unser Jr. ran just one qualifying lap after waving off his first attempt and will start 16th.
