Points leader José María López claims season finale pole

José María López was fastest in qualifying for the final round of the 2012 Super TC 2000 Argentinean Championship at Potrero de los Funes, and grabs an extra point for pole in the process.

The two-time champion outpaced Toyota’s Mariano Werner by almost half a second at the 3.9 mile circuit located in the San Luis region of Argentina.

López’s time in the PSG16 Team Ford Focus was a 2:25.970, the only driver under the 2:26 bracket.

Chevrolet’s Agustín Canapino was third fastest in his Cruze, whilst Emiliano Spataro was the fastest of the four Renault drivers in fourth.

López’s closest championship rival Matías Rossi was the only other driver within a second, qualifying in fifth place in his Toyota Team Argentina Corolla, whilst Peugeot’s Néstor Girolami, also in contention for the title, was sixth quickest in the 408.

Franco Vivian put the independent Fiat Linea in a surprise seventh, with Leonel Pernía’s Renault eighth, Jorge Trebbiani’s Ford ninth and Ricardo Risatti’s Honda Civic rounding out the top ten.

The Super 8 qualifying heats take place on Sunday morning, with the race at 13:00 local time (17:00 CET).