Zolder - Qualifying: Rob Huff wins second pole position

Chevrolet’s Rob Huff claimed his second pole position of the season in Zolder. Just like in Curitiba the championship leader emerged as the fastest in Q2, beating his own team-mate Alain Menu and SUNRED’s Gabriele Tarquini by one and two tenths respectively.

Reigning world champion Yvan Muller qualified fourth ahead of Tiago Monteiro, with Kristian Poulsen sixth and best of the Yokohama Trophy.

Tom Coronel was the great disappointed as he failed to move forward to Q2, while Fredy Barth won pole position for Race 2.

Q1 – The red flag stopped the session after four minutes only, due to Michel Nykjær’s SEAT hitting the wall at the Villeneuve chicane.

As soon as the session resumed most of the drivers went for a quick lap with Tiago Monteiro posting the fastest for good with the time of 1:38.952.

Yokohama Trophy competitors Kristian Poulsen (1:39.293) and Mehdi Bennani (1:39.328) were second and third fastest respectively, followed by the Chevrolet trio of Yvan Muller, Alain Menu and Rob Huff.

In the dying moments of the session Tom Coronel was desperately trying to make the top-ten. He eventually improved to 1:39.680 that was not enough as he qualified 11th, only 0.042 seconds behind Fredy Barth in 10th.

The following drivers qualified for Q2: Monteiro, Poulsen, Bennani, Muller, Menu, Huff, Michelisz (brilliant on his first outing with the BMW 320TC), Tarquini, Engstler and Barth. The latter will start from pole position on the reverse grid for Sunday’s Race 2.

Javier Villa did not post any lap due to a turbo failure.

Q2 – Chevrolet drivers set the pace straight from the beginning, with Huff (1:38.458) and Muller (1:38.738) posting the provisional fastest laps.

Although Huff’s time eventually proved to be out of reach for the rest of the field, Muller’s was beaten by Menu (1:38.598) and Tarquini (1:38.723) who both managed to improve just before the chequered flag was waved.

Despite a spin, Poulsen won pole for the Yokohama Trophy posting a 1:39.398 that beat Michelisz’s 1:39.450 by 0.052 seconds only.