Mariano Werner on pole for Super TC 2000 finale in San Luis

Equipo Petronas Fiat’s Mariano Werner will start from pole position for the 2014 Argentinian Super TC 2000 Championship finale at Potrero de los Funes tomorrow after setting the fastest time in qualifying on Thursday.

There’s a two day gap in proceedings this week with the FIA World Rallycross Championship making its first visit to Argentina and the San Luis region during the in-between days.

Werner took pole with a time of 2:26.514 around the Circuito Internacional Potrero de Los Funes, three-tenths of a second ahead of the Toyota Corolla of outgoing champion Matías Rossi, scoring the best qualifying result of the season for the struggling Japanese marque.

Werner’s Fiat team-mate Facundo Ardusso qualified third, almost half a second behind his team-mate around the circuit.

Leonel Pernía was the top placed of the three championship contenders, setting the fourth fastest time in his Renault Lo Jack Team Fluence, with Damien Fineschi fifth, the fastest of the Peugeot drivers.

Emiliano Spataro was sixth, just over a second behind Werner in his Renault Fluence, while championship leader Néstor Girolami was seventh fastest in his Peugeot Lo Jack 408, and is separated from his team-mate and outside championship contender Agustín Canapino by Christian Ledesma’s Fiat. Future Peugeot driver Fabian Yannantuoni completed the top ten for Renault.

Chevrolet’s best placed contender was Franco Vivian in 12th, but with the Chevrolet of Norberto Fontana qualifying in 16th, the former champion’s slim title hopes are now over, as he would have needed to have taken pole position and won the race, with Girolami not scoring, to tie with the Peugeot driver and win on countback of victories.

The 21 lap race is due to get underway on Sunday at 12:25 local time.