Néstor Girolami takes his first career pole position in China
Polestar Cyan Racing driver Néstor Girolami has claimed his first pole position in the WTCC at the Ningbo circuit in China, outqualifying the Honda of championship contender Norbert Michelisz by three-tenths of a second in the qualifying shootout.
Girolami had topped the first practice session on Saturday morning, but after Münnich Citroen driver Rob Huff had set the pace in FP2, as well as claiming pole position and victory in Race 1 in the supporting China Touring Car Championship race, the British driver was favoured not least because of his additional track time at the brand-new Chinese circuit.
In the final top-five qualifying shootout, Girolami’s time of 1:58.049 was the best time of the day after the rain had finally stopped falling just ahead of qualifying, though wet tyres were still required throughout.
Rob Huff was the first driver out in the shootout after setting the fifth fastest time in Q2, and the Briton’s time of 1:58.857 was a steady lap, but an easy target for those that followed.
Volvo’s Thed Björk was next and was just under two-tenths faster than Huff, while Michelisz was down on Björk’s time in the first two sectors, but wrestled it all back in the final sector to go fastest of all, before Girolami and Michelisz’s new Honda team-mate Gabriele Tarquini had their turns.
Girolami set a sensational lap in the tricky conditions to grab pole, while Tarquini, who had stunned with the fastest time in Q2 despite not having raced a TC1 car since last November, and with no testing of the 2017-specification Honda, was falling behind in the first sectors and then slid wide in the final sector as he overcompensated, ending up in fifth position.
In Q2, Tom Chilton just missed the top five cut in the Sébastien Loeb Racing Citroën, and will start ahead of the Campos Chevrolet of Esteban Guerrieri, the Volvo of Nicky Catsburg, Citroën team-mate John Filippi and the RC Lada of Yann Ehrlacher for the main race.
Courtesy of the reversed top ten grid, Argentina Race 1 winner Ehrlacher will start tomorrow’s opening race on pole position ahead of Filippi and Catsburg, with the Dutch driver the best-placed of the main title contenders in the Volvo on the opening race grid.
Ryo Michigami just missed the top ten in the second Honda, while Kevin Gleason, who’d impressed with the tenth fastest time in Q1, was unable to set a time in Q2 due to a mechanical issue with his Lada Vesta and will start both races from 12th.
Not making it through Q1 was joint-independents’ points leader Mehdi Bennani, who is also the top Citroën driver in the overall standings, with the Moroccan forced to start tomorrow’s races from 13th, ahead of WTCC veteran Tom Coronel’s Chevrolet.
The opening race is scheduled for Sunday at 14:30 CST (8:30 CET).
