MIAMI -- Frank Biela will start from the pole for Saturday's American Le Mans Series race at the Grand Prix of the Americas, the fifth time this season he enters a race as the fastest qualifier.

The German driver led a 1-2-3 finish by Audi drivers in LMP900 series qualifying, with Rinaldo Capello finishing second and Johnny Herbert placing third. Biela has not won any of his four previous starts from the pole this season.

"In qualifying, with not so many cars on the circuit, it's really good fun," Biela said. "In the end, it was a good result."

Biela's fastest lap was 1:03.873, less than one-tenth of a second faster than Capello's time of 1:03.882.

Another German was the fastest qualifier in the LMP675 class. Claudia Huertgen won a pole for the first time since joining the ALMS series, after turning in a lap that was more than 1.4 seconds faster than any other driver in her class.

Huertgen was not even originally on the driving roster for this weekend, but decided last weekend to take the trip to Miami.

"I had a free weekend, so I said 'why not,'" said Huertgen, whose best lap was 1:08.559.

In the GTS class, defending series champion Terry Borcheller led Friday's qualifying. Borcheller, born in the Miami suburb of Hialeah, was about a half-second faster than current GTS points leader Ron Fellows. Borcheller finished his best lap in 1:10.065.

"My heart is in Miami,'' Borcheller said. "I'm still a die-hard Miami Dolphins fans. I love South Florida.''

Lucas Luhr pulled into a tie atop the points chase in the GT series by being Friday's fastest qualifier. Luhr, who won the GT pole for the fifth time in nine races this season, shares the points lead with his co-driver, Sascha Maassen. Each driver has 189 points this season.

Luhr's best lap time was 1:13.662.

The 2-hour, 45-minute race on Miami's 1.387-mile temporary road course is scheduled to begin Saturday at 4 p.m. EDT. By the time the race is over, dusk will be setting in -- but ALMS officials wanted it that way.

"We are planning to go into twilight here with headlights on, glowing brake discs, sparks, flames coming out of the exhaust pipes," ALMS president Scott Atherton said. "It will be quite a spectacle."