Vila Real, Qual.: Home hero Monteiro scores WTCC pole

Tiago Monteiro claimed a hugely-popular first FIA World Touring Car Championship pole position for six years on home ground in Vila Real.

As the fifth-fastest driver in Q2, Monteiro first the first to post a time in Q3, and his lap of 1m56.633s would prove to be unbeatable. It would be the first time he had topped a WTCC qualifying session since the 2010 Race of Portugal at Portimao.

Citroën driver Yvan Muller was the only driver to come close to beating Monteiro, ultimately coming up 0.109 seconds short and having to settle for second.

Norbert Michelisz took third for Honda, 1.7s down after making contact with a barrier. Team-mate Rob Huff was 2.3s away from pole after a lock-up in sector one. Championship leader José María López made a rare mistake on the challenging street circuit, sliding down an escape road and not completing his lap.

Thed Björk took a strong sixth in his Polestar Cyan Racing Volvo, narrowly missing out on a place in Q3. He will be followed on the Main Race grid by the top WTCC drivers Mehdi Bennani and Tom Chilton, lead LADA Nicky Catsburg and Chevrolet driver Tom Coronel.

Robert Dahlgren made Q2 on his WTCC return and took 11th ahead of James Thompson. Gabriele Tarquini was only 17th in Q1, joining LADA team-mate Hugo Valente (13th) in making an early exit.