Series Argentina qualifying report

Luhr and Krumm Claim Crucial Debut Pole in JRM Nissan

Michael Krumm and Lucas Luhr in the JRM Nissan No.23 moved a step closer to the drivers' championship title by claiming their first pole position of the 2011 season for this afternoon's Qualifying Race in San Luis.

Second was the No.11 Team China Corvette of GT1 debutants Francesco Pastorelli and Yelmer Buurman with the Sumo Power GT No.21 of David Brabham and Jamie Campbell-Walter.

Marc Basseng and Markus Winkelhock in the All-Inkl Münnich Motorsport Lamborghini No.38, also among the title contenders, failed to progress beyond Q2 and will start this afternoon's Qualifying Race from 10th position.

The sister car of Dominik Schwäger and Nicky Pastorelli will start fifth while the Hexis Aston Martins line up in sixth and eighth.

The big news of the day was the retirement overnight of the Young Driver Aston Martin No.8 of Darren Turner and Stefan Mücke, the closest challengers to Krumm and Luhr for the drivers' title.

The car sustained a broken chassis after Mücke struck the wall at T21 in yesterday's Pre-Qualifying thus ending the championship hopes of the pair.

The Qualifying Race starts at 13:45 local time.

Lucas Luhr
nr23 JR Motorsports Nissan GT-R

"I really like this track. It is a very beautiful part of the world and a really unique circuit, a lot of ups and downs while surrounded by walls, which makes it a little bit special. I struggled with the car yesterday and we did some changes overnight; obviously we both liked them. I could've gone quicker in session 1 but I was held up by one of the Lamborghinis. It was in sector three, in the uphill part and it is easy to lose two or three tenths. But I knew we had a good shot at Pole. Michael did a fantastic job in Q2 and then I had a big moment in my second flying lap, I pushed too hard, got sideways and that really got my attention. I'm not really an early morning guy, so it was good for the wake up call. The next lap was brilliant, so I'm pretty happy."

Michael Krumm
nr23 JR Motorsports Nissan GT-R

"We won’t be approaching this afternoon’s race any differently than any other one and we will try to win. It didn't look very likely yesterday but as Lucas said, we made the right changes to the car and the Nissan was absolutely amazing. The race is going to be a different story, it's long and the surface is changing all the time and not making a mistake is very, very important. If you go off line there is a lot of sand, so the race is going to be a huge challenge. The aim is to finish in the top three today so we will be in a good position for tomorrow’s race and we can go for the win, which is the safest way to win the World Championship."

Francesco Pastorelli
nr11 Exim Bank Team China Corvette Z06

"It's nice to come here and be on the front row for the start. It's been a good weekend so far and we hope we can keep this pace for the race. Yelmer proved he was faster than the rest in Q2 and let's hope we can do that later today. My brother gave me some tips about this circuit but I don't think he will be giving me anymore."

Yelmer Buurman
nr11 Exim Bank Team China Corvette Z06

"I did a 6-hour GT race in Zolder this year but this is my first GT race at this level. I'm definitely enjoying it, I think this is the best track to start off with, in one of the best cars. Yesterday was the first time I'd driven the Corvette, we improved the car quite a lot and I'm really happy with the result. We're here for the win; we just want to go for the result today. So hopefully we'll have a good race."

David Brabham
nr21 Sumo Power GT Nissan GT-R

"It's been a pretty good couple of days, the GT-R has been very good straight out of the box. This is a fantastic race track, it reminds me of a mixture of Le Mans and the Bathurst 1000 and it's been an absolute pleasure to drive on. We've just been fine tuning the car because we weren't that far away, we've been in the top three most of the time. Obviously we'd have liked to have been a bit further up but P3 is a pretty good start to the weekend."

Jamie Campbell-Walter
nr21 Sumo Power GT Nissan GT-R

"Remembering last year's race it is very difficult to overtake here, there's no point barrelling up the inside of someone because you'll just go straight on. You've got to be patient and pick your moment. It's a great track, it's a great setting and I'm pleased the championship comes here, but it's not easy. P3 is a good result and it will be a good, but tough, race."

Nicky Pastorelli
nr37 All-Inkl Münnich Motorsport Lamborghini Murcielago 670 R-SV (5th)

“We expected to be higher. We had a good Q1 and Q2 then something went wrong in Q3 with the small adjustments we made and a couple of small driving mistakes, so the potential was there but we ran out of time. We needed one more lap really. We are confident for the race because our race pace is very good. My brother Francesco (Pastorelli, Corvette No.11, P2) did a really good job. So I’m really happy for him and Yelmer (Buurman).”

Andrea Piccini
nr4 Hexis AMR Aston Martin DB9 (6th)

“This is such a great circuit. Sometimes when you got to a circuit you say ‘who built this circuit, how can they have such strange ideas?’ But when you come here, it’s how it should be – a proper street circuit. Sure it’s bumpy in parts but the people here have done a tremendous job in putting it all together for the weekend.

"The layout is very challenging and not easy to put together a good lap here because you have so many corners and so many places where you can make mistakes. I think we have a good chance in the race to finish the season as strongly as the team deserves.”

Bas Leinders
nr40 Marc VDS Racing Team Ford GT Matech (11th)

“We have felt all season we have been down on engine power due to the Balance of Performance and when we come to a circuit like this in San Luis we are really disadvantaged. The best result for the Ford was P11 for the local hero (Ricardo Risatti) who knows the track very well. I think that sums it all up.”

Darren Turner
nr8 Young Driver AMR Aston Martin DB9 (Retired)

“We came here with only a long shot of the drivers’ title and a realistic hot of the team title as long as everything went our way and we got all the lucky breaks unfortunately that’s not the case with Stefan (Mücke) having his off yesterday. The car is not repairable while we are on site here.

"It makes things much harder for the team with just one car fighting for points that is not realistic particularly given what the Nissan No.23 has just done in Qualifying today. Hopefully we can put this behind us and come back stronger next year. The maximum focus is on the No.7 car to see what they can do in the two races and get the best result possible for the team.”