Tom Dillmann on Formula V8 3.5 pole despite track limits deletion

The AVF driver was stripped of his fastest lap for breaching track limits at the tight Turn 9 left-hander.

But Dillmann's second quickest effort of 1m40.461s was just hundredths of a second slower, and sufficient to secure the Frenchman's second category pole position after topping qualifying at Jerez's Formula Renault 3.5 finale last year.

Compatriot Aurelien Panis achieved his highest series starting position of second, improving from fifth with a fine last lap effort after the chequered flag had flown.

The Arden driver narrowly headed race one winner Louis Deletraz and Saturday's pole winner, his Arden team-mate, Egor Orudzhev.

Russian Orudzhev, who retired from the lead of race one following an opening lap error, had held provisional pole entering the final minute of qualifying.

Race one runner-up Matthieu Vaxiviere finished fifth, ahead of the second AVF entry of Force India Formula 1 development driver Alfonso Celis Jr.

Vaxiviere's SMP Racing team features just the team manager and engineer from the ashes of last season's now defunct Draco operation, as many other team members have been imported from AF Corse and SMP Racing boss Antonio Ferrari's GT operation.

Row four for Sunday afternoon's race will be occupied by a pair of rookies: Charouz-run Lotus driver Rene Binder heads GP2 race winner Johnny Cecotto Jr.

RP Motorsport's Cecotto reported that he is treating this opening weekend as an extended winter test, and that his race one outing had been compromised by an incorrect second gear ratio.

The session was free of incidents, and the top 12 runners were separated by 0.9s.

QUALIFYING RESULTS