Photo: Polestar Cyan Racing

Nicky Catsburg keeps pole following post-qualifying investigation

Polestar Cyan Racing’s Nicky Catsburg has kept his first pole of the season in Argentina, despite a lengthy investigation by the stewards, with the Volvo driver’s Q3 lap finally deemed legal.

The 29-year-old had taken Volvo’s second pole position in the WTCC at the Termas de Río Hondo circuit, outpacing Honda’s Norbert Michelisz by just under two-tenths of a second, but his lap was quickly marked for investigation after he went wide at the final turn just as, or after hitting the timing beam.

The officials spent several hours looking into the lap and determining whether it was in fact valid. The Dutchman had been just 0.086 seconds inside Michelisz’s time at the previous timing points, with the two drivers setting exactly the same time in sector two, with the two drivers neck-and-neck throughout the day.

With confirmation that his time is allowed, Catsburg secures his first pole since the Moscow Raceway last year, but his first in dry conditions in the WTCC.