Tom Coronel putting full focus on opening race victory in Portugal

ROAL Motorsport’s Tom Coronel is targeting a potential second victory of the season from pole position for the reversed grid opening race, but he’ll have tough competition alongside him on the front row from countryman and championship contender Nicky Catsburg.

Coronel set the tenth fastest time in qualifying in his Chevrolet Cruze, benefitting as José María López made a late improvement to jump from 12th to third and pushed Volvo’s Robert Dahlgren out of the top ten. As a result, the Dutchman will start from pole position at the street circuit where passing is more difficult than most, and hopes to hold off Catsburg to take his second win after last winning in Morocco, also a street race.

“It should be good, I just need to make a good start,” said Coronel to TouringCarTimes. “Nicky is next to me, and the Ladas have put a lot of effort into the start. I hope they have a bad start, but they also have a lot of weight on the front so that would give them good traction.

“I’ll need to make myself wide but also at a reasonable speed. I should be OK.”

The strategy will be focussed for the win in the opening race and leaving the main race to whatever happens, when he’ll start tenth and in the middle of the pack.

“Of course, everything tomorrow will be about trying to win the first race,” he added. “I don’t care about the privateers championship either, that’s not my aim at all, I just want to take the big one, but If I have a podium that will also be good.”