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Qualifying report

Nurburgring WTCR: Bjork scores back-to-back poles

Hyundai driver Thed Bjork stormed to his second pole position of the World Touring Car Cup weekend at the Nurburgring Nordschleife with the fastest time in second qualifying.

Thed Björk, YMR Hyundai i30 N TCR

Thed Björk, YMR Hyundai i30 N TCR

WTCR

Tom Coronel, Boutsen Ginion Racing Honda Civic Type R TCR
Benjamin Lessennes, Boutsen Ginion Racing Honda Civic Type R TCR
Tom Coronel, Boutsen Ginion Racing Honda Civic Type R TCR
Thed Björk, YMR Hyundai i30 N TCR
René Rast, Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team Audi RS 3 LMS
René Rast, Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team Audi RS 3 LMS
Cars in pitlane
James Thompson, ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda Civic Type R TCR

Bjork had been headed by the similar Hyundai of BRC Racing driver Norbert Michelisz after the second set of runs in the session, but produced a monster final lap - including a fourth sector time that was more than a second faster than anybody else could manage - to seal pole.

His lap of 8m55.085s was 1.040 seconds faster than second place qualifier Frederic Vervisch could manage in his Comtoyou Racing Audi RS3 LMS, and smashed the pole time Bjork recorded in Thursday's qualifying session by more than three seconds.

Michelisz, who himself had sat a second clear of the chasing pack after his second qualifying run, had to settle for third ahead of Bjork's YMR teammate and race one winner Yvan Muller.

The Frenchman qualified one hundredth faster than his nephew Yann Ehrlacher, who will start the weekend's final race on Saturday afternoon from fifth in his Munnich Motorsport Honda.

Ehrlacher will head an all-Honda third row on the grid for that race, after Benjamin Lessennes jumped up to sixth late on for Boutsen Ginion.

After scoring a podium in Thursday's first race, Rob Huff was again the fastest Volkswagen in Friday's qualifying session as he dragged his Sebastien Loeb Racing to seventh, ahead of the second Munnich Honda of Esteban Guerrieri.

Wildcard entrant Rene Rast was ninth and the leading WRT Audi, while Pepe Oriola will start the reversed-grid race from pole after improving to 10th on his final run.

Championship leader Gabriele Tarquini - who retired from the opening race - was briefly 10th after his final flying lap but was bumped down to 14th by the end of the session.

Gordon Shedden had held 10th and provisional reversed-grid pole position for much of the session, but failed to improve on his final run and will instead start both of Saturday's races from 15th in his WRT Audi.

Results:

ClaNumDriverCarTimeGap
1 11 SWE Thed Björk Hyundai 8'55.085  
2 22 BEL Frederic Vervisch Audi 8'56.125 1.040
3 5 HUN Norbert Michelisz Hyundai 8'56.534 1.449
4 48 FRA Yvan Muller Hyundai 8'56.739 1.654
5 68 FRA Yann Ehrlacher Honda 8'56.749 1.664
6 63 BEL Benjamin Lessennes Honda 8'57.310 2.225
7 12 GBR Rob Huff Volkswagen 8'58.646 3.561
8 86 ARG Esteban Guerrieri Honda 8'58.708 3.623
9 33 GER René Rast Audi 8'59.183 4.098
10 74 ESP Pepe Oriola Seat 8'59.630 4.545
11 69 FRA Jean Karl Vernay Audi 8'59.952 4.867
12 23 FRA Nathanaël Berthon Audi 8'59.952 4.867
13 9 HOL Tom Coronel Honda 9'01.161 6.076
14 30 ITA Gabriele Tarquini Hyundai 9'01.511 6.426
15 52 GBR Gordon Shedden Audi 9'01.702 6.617
16 25 MAR Mehdi Bennani Volkswagen 9'01.706 6.621
17 27 FRA John Filippi Seat 9'01.834 6.749
18 21 FRA Aurelien Panis Audi 9'02.224 7.139
19 70 SVK Mato Homola Peugeot 9'02.836 7.751
20 15 GBR James Thompson Honda 9'02.917 7.832
21 20 BEL Denis Dupont Audi 9'03.360 8.275
22 7 FRA Aurélien Comte Peugeot 9'04.114 9.029
23 10 ITA Gianni Morbidelli Alfa Romeo 9'04.894 9.809
24 88 ITA Fabrizio Giovanardi Alfa Romeo 9'05.098 10.013
25 8 HUN Norbert Nagy Seat 9'06.016 10.931
26 66 HUN Zsolt David Szabo Seat 9'06.116 11.031
27 94 SUI Kris Richard Honda 9'07.147 12.062

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