Photo: WTCR

Yvan Muller storms to pole position at Zandvoort

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Yvan Muller has claimed his first pole position of the season at Zandvoort, leading another Cyan Racing top three lockout on the grid, with his nephew Yann Ehrlacher set to start second, with yesterday’s race winner Thed Björk third on the grid.

With the adjusted Balance of Performance in play today, the first 20-minute qualifying was incredibly close, but it was still Thed Björk who led the way, this time just a tenth of a second ahead of BRC Racing Team Hyundai driver Norbert Michelisz, while Johan Kristoffersson showed much improved pace for Volkswagen, going third fastest in the Golf GTI TCR in Q1.

There were some big names to fall out, with reigning champion Gabriele Tarquini the only one of the Hyundai drivers to fail to make it into Q2, with the Italian setting the 14th fastest time, while Cyan Racing’s Andy Priaulx struggled with a set-up change on his 03 TCR, and was the only Lynk & Co to not progress, qualifying down in 17th.

All of the top 25 were within a second, while in Q2, Björk and Muller were both fastest, both setting a time of 1:44.668. It was another close session with half a second covering the 12 cars, but former championship leader Néstor Girolami missed out on the top ten by 0.004 seconds to team-mate and current championship leader Esteban Guerrieri, who therefore secures the reversed grid pole position for Race 2.

The remaining three Lynk & Cos made it into Q3 as well as Augusto Farfus and Norbert Michelisz’s Hyundais.

Michelisz was first out and set a competitive banker lap, but it was Muller who then produced a time of 1:44.154, almost as fast as Björk’s lap time from Saturday, to take pole position comfortably.

Björk followed and was half a second off his team-mate’s time, with Ehrlacher planting his 03 TCR on the front row alongside his uncle for Race 3 later today, while Farfus struggled on his lap and had to settle for fifth, backing off in the final sector.

Race 2 is scheduled for 13:15 CEST.