Photo: WTCC Media

Alain Menu claims pole position at Porto

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Alain Menu pulled out the best lap, breaking under 2:05 to take pole position at Porto ahead of Yvan Muller and Rob Huff, with SUNREDs Gabriele Tarquini and Tiago Monteiro in tow.

The Swiss driver looked at risk in the first qualifying session, dropping out of the top 10 in the last minutes, and then pulled out a quick lap which was at the time fastest which ensured he made it into Q2.

Gabriele Tarquini, in tenth place and prime position to take pole for race two with the reversed grid then improved his time to go fastest in Q1, but no improvements from those outside of the top ten were possible after Kristian Poulsen crashed out on the final chicane at the end of the session.

The Yokohama Independents’ Trophy leader will have to start in 15th place in both of tomorrow’s races.

WTCC returnee Stefano D’Aste therefore ended up tenth in the first qualifying session, and so will provisionally start on pole position for the standing start in race two ahead of Yvan Muller and Rob Huff’s Chevrolet Cruzes.

Yvan Muller looked to have the measure of Rob Huff in the second part of qualifying, despite Huff’s pace all weekend, but it was a last minute flying lap from Alain Menu on his second run which put the Swiss-driver on pole position ahead of his two Chevrolet team-mates.

Huff stayed out for a second attempt to improve his position, but lost time in sector two before coming across his slowing team-mate Yvan Muller through Circunvalção and nearly lost control of his Cruze.

Mehdi Bennani had an engine problem and set no time in the session.