Photo: WTCC Media

André Couto lines up seventh for both races

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Macanese driver André Couto has taken his best qualifying result at the Guia Race of Macau in six years with seventh on the grid for races one and two in the SUNRED Engineering León 1.6T, though was caught in a controversial incident with Chevrolet’s Alain Menu in the session.

By setting the fourth fastest time in Q1, Couto went through to Q2 where he set the seventh fastest time in a car he only drove for the first time this morning, after missing yesterday’s test session.

“It’s not so easy to come here without so many miles on the car and have a go with the big boys, so I think overall it’s okay,” said Couto to TouringCarTimes. “We were fourth fastest in the first (qualifying) session and seventh in the second, so I think it’s a good result and I’m looking forward to Sunday.”

Last year Couto drove the SEAT León TDI, also a new type of car for the Super GT regular, qualifying 10th but his race ended on the first corner with contact with Andy Priaulx’s BMW 320si in his final WTCC outing.

This year, Couto’s running in the SR León, equipped with the SUNRED/Lehmann developed 1.6 turbocharged engine.

“It’s different to drive the car, especially the throttle application. You have to anticipate more as to how the turbocharge will kick in, but with miles you get used to it.”

In Q1, Couto was caught up in an incident with Chevrolet’s Alain Menu, as the Swiss driver caught Couto and one of the Lukoil-SUNRED cars, with Menu and Couto making contact, puncturing Menu’s front-right tyre and ending his qualifying session early. An angry Menu was quick to leave the circuit before Q2 had even begun.

“I didn’t see (Menu) at all, because when I was in that corner there was another SEAT car,” explained Couto. “I think (the other SUNRED driver) had made a mistake, but he was on the racing line so I had to abort my lap, then (soon after that Alain) just hit me, that’s it.”

The 2000 Macau F3 GP winner’s best start at the Guia circuit in a WTCC car was in 2005 with Alfa Romeo, where he qualified in second and then lead the race before retiring with a mechanical problem.