Mikel Azcona takes pole at Barcelona as Franco Girolami hits trouble
Volcano Motorsport driver Mikel Azcona claimed the pole position for the final round of the 2021 TCR Europe season at Barcelona. Disaster struck title rival Franco Girolami, ending the session without a valid lap time due to a technical issue and will start both races from the back of the grid.
The session was held in dry conditions and with the entire field using slicks, despite some rain spitting over the track in the moments prior to the green flag.
Girolami made a first attempt in Q1 climbing up to sixth place, only to see his lap time deleted because of track limits. The Argentinian then suffered a technical issue with his Honda Civic Type-R TCR that prevented him from taking any further part in the session.
The Q2 session started with Sébastien Loeb Racing’s Sami Taoufik (Hyundai Elantra N TCR) going fastest, as Azcona had a first lap time deleted because of a track limits violation.
The Spaniard made a mistake in his second flying lap but climbed to the top at the last minute of the session as the chequered flag waved with a lap time of 1:54.992, 0.044 ahead of Taoufik.
Teddy Clairet was third for Team Clairet, followed by Comtoyou Racing’s Nicolas Baert (Audi RS 3 LMS), 0.266 seconds off the pace.
Martin Ryba qualified in fifth place with a Honda of Brutal Fish, followed by Sébastien Loeb Racing’s Niels Langeveld and Mehdi Bennani, both driving Hyundai Elantra N TCRs.
Brutal Fish’s Jack Young qualified in eighth place, with team-mate Isidro Callejas right behind, 0.885 seconds behind Azcona.
Volcano Motorsport’s Klim Gavrilov completed the top ten, 0.990 seconds off the pace.
The result has increased Azcona’s points lead by ten points, with Girolami now 63 points adrift.
The start of Race 1 is scheduled for 15:40 CEST on Saturday afternoon.
