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Auto GP Monza: Riccardo Agostini on pole for series debut at Monza

Auto GP debutant Riccardo Agostini will head an all-Italian front two rows for Saturday afternoon's opening race of 2013

The Manor MP Motorsport driver demoted his predecessor as Italian Formula 3 champion, Sergio Campana, from the head of the timing screens just four minutes from the end of the half-hour session.

Agostini improved on his provisional pole time on his following tour, and achieved the honour of being the only man under the 1m36s barrier after recording a lap of 1m35.782s.

Campana's second position remained a worthy effort after technical trouble in free practice. Last year's Marrakech Auto GP victor only signed to drive for Guiseppe Cipriani's Ibiza Racing team days before this weekend's opening round.

Free practice two pacesetter Vittorio Ghirelli ended the afternoon in third for reigning champion team Super Nova International, ahead of Virtuosi UK's local racer Andrea Roda - who gained two positions on his final lap.

Romanian Robert Visiou, the youngest driver in the championship, is set to make his maiden Auto GP start from fifth place on the grid.

Kimiya Sato was the first to record a representative time a little under a third of the way into the session. The Japanese Euronova Racing driver maintained top spot until being usurped by Campana with 10 minutes left.

Sato would slip to an eventual sixth place ahead of team-mate Yoshitaka Kuroda.

Formula 2 champion Luciano Bacheta was 10th, two places ahead of his Zele team-mate, former HRT F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan, who was hindered by a puncture.

Pos  Driver               Team         Time       Gap
 1.  Riccardo Agostini    Manor MP     1m35.782s
 2.  Sergio Campana       Ibiza        1m36.455s  + 0.673s
 3.  Vittorio Ghirelli    Super Nova   1m36.524s  + 0.742s
 4.  Andrea Roda          Virtuosi UK  1m36.717s  + 0.935s
 5.  Robert Visoiu        Ghinzani     1m36.845s  + 1.063s
 6.  Kimiya Sato          Euronova     1m36.922s  + 1.140s
 7.  Yoshitaka Kuroda     Euronova     1m37.120s  + 1.338s
 8.  Giuseppe Cipriani    Ibiza        1m37.203s  + 1.421s
 9.  Giacomo Ricci        MLR71        1m37.315s  + 1.533s
10.  Luciano Bacheta      Zele         1m37.327s  + 1.545s
11.  Antonio Spavone      Super Nova   1m37.327s  + 1.545s
12.  Narain Karthikeyan   Zele         1m37.487s  + 1.705s
13.  Max Snegirev         Virtuosi UK  1m37.832s  + 2.050s
14.  Meindert van Buuren  Manor MP     1m38.827s  + 3.045s
15.  Michele la Rosa      MLR71        1m42.641s  + 6.859s

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