Photo: WTCC

Nicky Catsburg claims pole in Argentina despite throwing the car off the track

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Nicky Catsburg has claimed pole position in Argentina for Polestar Cyan Racing, and the second of his career, despite going off at the final corner in the one-lap shootout, leading the two Hondas of Norbert Michelisz and Tiago Monteiro.

The Dutchman was fastest of all in the shootout, almost replicating his Qualifying 2 time of 1:43.085, just three-thousandths of a second slower despite making a mistake at the final corner and throwing his Volvo S60 TC1 off the circuit, crossing the timing beam as he rejoined the track.

Catsburg qualified ahead of the two factory Hondas of Norbert Michelisz and championship leader Tiago Monteiro, while the Campos Racing Chevrolet Cruze of Esteban Guerrieri was an impressive fourth fastest at his home track, outqualifying the #62 Volvo S60 of Thed Björk.

In Qualifying 2, Catsburg had gone fastest in the final moments ahead of Michelisz, with the two drivers proving to be the pace-setters this weekend, while the other local star Néstor Girolami just missed out on a chance to take part in the top five shootout after going sixth quickest in his Volvo S60 TC1.

Tom Coronel missed out on a chance of taking the reversed grid pole for Race 1, after struggling with tyre rub on the front-left of his Chevrolet Cruze, while the two French drivers Yann Ehrlacher and John Filippi diced it out for tenth, with Ehrlacher coming out on top and securing the reversed pole in his RC Motorsport Lada, with Filippi forced to start both races tomorrow from 11th in his Sébastien Loeb Racing Citroën.

A big name to fall in the earlier part of qualifying was Münnich Motorsport’s Rob Huff. The Citroën driver was sitting in the pits when some last-minute improvements came from the Honda of Ryo Michigami, whose new engine had just been fitted, the Volvo of Néstor Girolami and the Chevrolet of Tom Coronel, with a brake issue the reason why Huff was in the pits, with the Briton resigned to start from 12th in Race 1 and 13th in Race 2.

Ehrlacher will start Race 1 from pole ahead of Tom Chilton’s Sébastien Loeb Racing Citroën, as ninth-placed Ryo Michigami serves a grid-drop penalty for an engine change, while Catsburg is set to start the main race from pole, though the Dutchman’s time is still under investigation by the stewards after his transgression at the final turn.

Race 1 is scheduled for 15:00 ART (20:00 CET) on Sunday.