Mehdi Bennani achieved a historic Pole Position for Race 1 of the FIA WTCR at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, with the Comtoyou Audi signing the double, as Gilles Magnus took second place.
The classification changed radically in the very last lap available to the drivers, who had started the session by carrying out 15 ‘of additional tests to check the grip of the Goodyear tires, after the failure of Thursday’s Free Practice.
Bennani was a thunderbolt going to close the 25.378km round of the Green Hell with a time of 8’50 “527, a new record for the qualification of the top touring series, also the result of the wake taken in the last sector by the RS 3 LMS of his partner Magnus, second by just 0 “015.
In the second row there are the Lynk & Co 03 of Santiago Urrutia (Cyan Performance) and Yann Ehrlacher (Cyan Racing). A revisable strategic choice for the Swedish team, which preferred to keep its drivers still, not risking sending them back out.
Ehrlacher, in particular, did not take this decision well at all, staying in the cockpit to rant and gesticulate with swear words and screams towards the wall, fearing what then occurred, that is the improvement of the rivals which means loss of points in the championship, since the first 5 take them.
Yann Ehrlacherr, Cyan Performance Lynk & Co, Lynk & Co 03 TCR
Photo by: WTCR
Among these is Mikel Azcona on the last attempt with the Hyundai Elantra N of BRC, followed by Thed Björk’s Lynk & Co (Cyan Performance) and Nathanaël Berthon on the Audi of Comtoyou Team DHL.
Néstor Girolami’s Qualifying was unfortunate, who twice was about to leap to the lead: on the first attempt, the right front wheel arch of his Honda Civic Type R gave way, scattering debris everywhere in the last three corners, with the Argentine leading at the end of the passage obtaining at least one valid time trial.
In the second, the driver of ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport had to lift his foot after Rob Huff went off the track, crashing into sector 2 with the Zengő Motorsport Cupra right in front of the South American, who therefore has to be satisfied of the eighth place.
Ninth there is Norbert Michelisz at the wheel of the second Hyundai of BRC, who will start from the front row in the inverted grid of Race 2, alongside the poleman Yvan Muller, once again unlucky due to some problems accused by his Lynk & Co stung by Cyan Racing.
The Frenchman precedes that of Ma Qing Hua (Cyan Peformance), Huff and the Hondas of Esteban Guerrieri (ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport) and Attila Tassi (Team Engstler); the Argentine had the same problem as Girolami in the final, while the Hungarian also suffered a failure of the bodywork in the final sector, slowing down at the finish.
Tom Coronel’s Audi (Comtoyou Team DHL), Tiago Monteiro’s Honda (Team Engstler) and Dániel Nagy’s Cupra (Zengő Motorsport) complete the ranking.
On Saturday morning the two races are scheduled for 10; 00 and 12; 35.
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