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Benjamin Leuchter takes a “Code 60” pole position in bizarre Nürburgring qualifying

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Nürburgring expert Benjamin Leuchter has claimed pole position for Sébastien Loeb Racing, leading a Volkswagen 1-2 with team-mate Rob Huff second, with all final improvements being set despite a Code 60 slow zone in force in the final sector.

The session started in damp conditions, and the Volkswagens were strong straight away, with Leuchter and Huff P1 and P2 after one lap.

Cyan Racing Lynk & Co driver Yann Ehrlacher and PWR Racing’s Daniel Haglöf both stayed out for a second run on wet tyres and both jumped to the top of the time sheets.

With just over ten minutes to go, Thed Björk went fastest in his Lynk & Co 03 TCR, as Nicky Catsburg’s session came to an end when the Dutch driver crashed his BRC Racing Hyundai at Galgenkopf and broke his suspension.

With slicks now the way to go, the Volkswagens charged back to the front, with Johan Kristoffersson the first driver under ten minutes ahead of team-mates Benjamin Leuchter and Rob Huff, before Antti Buri, the wild card entry in the LMS Racing Audi RS 3 LMS, snuck onto the top spot.

Haglöf was flying on his first dry run, and looked set to snatch pole position, but the Swede crashed out and ripped off his wheel in the final sector, with his car stranded and a Code 60 zone deployed, and it seemed no one would be able to improve.

But as the conditions were so much drier, even with the Code 60 zone, it was still possible to improve over the rest of the lap, which saw a few last-minute improvements, with Attila Tassi the first to prove he can get ahead of Buri’s time – with seven other cars improving in the dying moments, with Leuchter coming out on top ahead of Huff and Guerrieri.

Norbert Michelisz qualified fourth in his BRC Racing Hyundai ahead of team-mate Gabriele Tarquini, with Mehdi Bennani sixth for Volkswagen ahead of Frédéric Vervisch’s Audi.

Attila Tassi finished eighth in the KCMG Honda, his best qualifying of the year, but the Hungarian is under investigation for a possible Code 60 breach, with Antti Buri ninth and Johan Kristoffersson tenth, ensuring the reversed grid pole position in his Volkswagen.

Néstor Girolami was unable to improve his time, with the Münnich Motorsport Honda driver given a mechanical black flag for breaching the noise limit, with the former points leader starting Race 2 and 3 down in 24th position.

Race 1, with the grid established earlier starts at 17:30 CEST on Friday, with Races 2 and 3 on Saturday morning.