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Eric Scalvini claims TCR Italy season opener pole at Imola

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Eric Scalvini claimed pole position at Imola for the 2018 TCR Italy season opener, lapping the circuit in 1:52.010 with his BRC Racing Team-prepared Hyundai i30 N TCR.

Nicola Baldan made it two Hyundais on the front row, racing for Pit Lan Competizioni, 0.349 seconds behind in second place.

V-Action Racing Team driver Luigi Ferrara claimed third postion on the grid with his Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR, just below seven tenths of a second from pole position.

Target Competition driver Marco Pellegrini Anatrella was fastest of the Honda drivers in fourth position, 0.825 seconds from the top time, with the top Audi driver behind him in fifth position in the orm of Plamen Kralev for Kraf Racing, a mere 0.073 seconds further behind.

Sixth was Enrico Bettera for Pit Lane Competizioni, driving an Audi RS 3 LMS, with the top Cupa driver in seventh position with experienced touring car racer Salvatore Tavano behind the wheel. Federico Paolino, team-mate to pole sitter Scalvini, rounded off the top eight ahead of Andrea Larini, the younger brother to touring car legend Nicola Larini, in ninth, with just two thousands of a second separating the two.

The first race of the weekend starts at 09:00 CET tomorrow. The grid positions for the second race, starting at 16:00, will be based on the results of the first heat, with the top eight places reversed.