Pedro Salvador takes double pole position at Braga

Pedro Salvador, at the wheel of a Cupra TCR, was fastest in the two qualifying sessions at Braga this afternoon to take two important pole positions for Sunday’s races.

Qualifying for Race 1

Pedro Salvador was the first to establish a reference time, improving to be the fastest driver with a best lap time of 1:22.127, with Francisco Carvalho’s Audi RS 3 LMS 0.092 seconds behind.

Team Novadriver’s Armando Parente (Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR) climbed up to third, 0.830 seconds behind Salvador, with Sports You’s Francisco Abreu (Peugeot 308TCR) in fourth, a further five hundredths behind.

Manuel Giao, at the wheel of the sole Kia Cee’d TCR, was fifth, 1.153 seconds off the pace. Joao Sousa, at the wheel of a SEAT León Supercopa MK2 of the TCC class, didn’t set a time.

Qualifying for Race 2

Carvalho led in the initial stages ahead of Salvador, but it would be the championship leader who set the fastest lap of the day with a time of 1:21.756 to take the pole position for Race 2, 0.382 seconds ahead of Carvalho.

Rafael Lobato, who shares the only Peugeot 308 TCR with Francisco Abreu, was third, 0.960 seconds off the pace, with Henrique Chaves, making his season debut at Braga sharing Parente’s Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR, in fourth position, 0.991 seconds off the pace.

Giao was only able to take to the track in the second half of the session, setting the fifth fastest lap time, 1.438 seconds behind Salvador. Sousa stayed in the pits as in the first session.

The TCR Portugal field will be back on track on Sunday at 12:25 CEST for Race 1.