Tiago Monteiro claimed SEAT’s first pole position of the season and the first for him in the WTCC at the end of a breathtaking qualifying session that challenged men, teams and machines to the limit.
Rainfall before the start and during the opening of the session meant the track was wet. Almost immediately Robert Huff strayed off the track at the North bend but rejoined. As the dying minutes saw the racing line dry out dramatically the Briton jumped from mid-way on the timesheet to 3rd fastest. His Chevrolet team-mate Nicola Larini was always in the front running and held provisional pole at various stages during the session..
With one minute left the Italian rose to the top with a 1:50.195 which was seven tenths of a second better than anyone else. His determination did not wane as he improved his time by a further 0.022 of a second. It was only Monteiro who spoilt it for the man in blue as he crossed the line with a 1:50.056.
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