Photo: DTM

René Rast strikes late to take Zolder pole position

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Team Rosberg Audi’s René Rast made best use of a drying track at Zolder to snatch pole position for the opening DTM race of the weekend.

The defending champion posted a time of 1:28.987 with his last effort of the 20-minute session, going three-tenths of a second faster than Team RMG BMW’s Timo Glock.

Glock had looked likely to end the session at the top of the times, having set two quick times on a track which was improving significantly throughout, but was pipped by Rast at the flag.

Much like Friday practice, morning rain meant that the circuit was damp at the start of the session, with a flurry of lap-time improvement the common theme.

Practice pace-setter Robin Frijns set an initial benchmark of 1:34.806 on his first proper lap, but was immediately usurped by Jamie Green and then Team Phoenix’s Mike Rockenfeller.

Rockenfeller was then beaten by Müller before Frijns returned to the top of the times.

Both Frijns and Rockenfeller set faster times, but it was Rast – setting the best second sector of all – who went quickest heading into the final ten minutes.

A number of drivers, including Rast, had lap-times deleted as the drivers struggled to keep within track limits on the wet track.

Wittmann had two times deleted for excursions at Turn 6, while Lucas Auer, Loïc Duval and Harrison Newey were also under the microscope of the stewards.

Glock made his first move towards the top of the table with five minutes left, going second fastest with a time of 1:29.678, just two-tenths behind Rast.

His last lap was then the quickest of all, a 1:29.333 to go one-tenth faster than Rast. The Audi driver then found one final lap to finish on top, and claim the three points for pole position.

Glock picked up the two points for second on the grid, while Frijns took a solitary point out of points leader Nico Müller. Rockenfeller will start fifth on the grid behind Wittmann who improved to fourth at the end.

Sheldon van der Linde and Harrison Newey put in quicker times to qualify sixth and seventh resepectively, while Auer ended up ninth. Duval completed the top ten.

Team RBM BMW’s Philipp Eng narrowly missed out on the top ten and will start 11th ahead of Ferdinand Habsburg and Green.

The first race of the weekend starts at 13:30 CEST.