Sangari Corvette claims first pole
Enrique Bernoldi ended Vitaphone's four-race streak of pole positions by emerging on top after a tightly-fought FIA GT qualifying session at the Algarve track this afternoon
Bernoldi's best lap of 1m40.664s in the Sangari Team Brazil Corvette was just enough to secure the top spot ahead of the similar Selleslagh Racing Team car driven by James Ruffier, who fell short by only 0.090s. It continued a recent run of good form for the Sangari team, which claimed its first points, podium and fastest lap at the previous round in Budapest.
Vitaphone had to settle for third, with the Maserati of Alex Muller unable to find the final few hundreths needed to get onto the front row, but the German had more than enough time in hand to keep the PK Corvette of Anthony Kumpen at bay.
Andrea Bertolini put the championship leading #1 Vitaphone Maserati sixth in the eight-car GT1 field, which has shrunk this weekend with the departure of the K plus K Saleen team after its disqualification from Hungaroring victory.
Things were even tighter in the GT2 class, where Matias Russo put Pecom Racing's Ferrari F430 on pole after edging out Marco Holzer in the Prospeed Competition Porsche 911 GT3 RS by just 0.042s. The gap was equally tight back to third-placed Martin Ragginger in the Brixia Racing Porsche, with the top three all covered by just 0.097s.
Pos Drivers Cl Car Time Gap 1. Bernoldi/Streit/Maassen GT1 Corvette 1m40.664s 2. Ruffier/Longin GT1 Corvette 1m40.754s + 0.090s 3. Muller/Ramos GT1 Maserati 1m40.820s + 0.156s 4. Kumpen/Hezemans GT1 Corvette 1m41.164s + 0.500s 5. Pier Guidi/Bobbi GT1 Maserati 1m41.168s + 0.504s 6. Bertolini/Bartels GT1 Maserati 1m41.410s + 0.746s 7. Leinders/Kuppens GT1 Ford 1m43.854s + 3.190s 8. Russo/Companc GT2 Ferrari 1m45.998s + 5.334s 9. Holzer/O'Young GT2 Porsche 1m46.040s + 5.376s 10. Ragginger/Lucchini GT2 Porsche 1m46.095s + 5.431s 11. Malucelli/Ruberti GT2 Ferrari 1m46.243s + 5.579s 12. Bruni/Vilander GT2 Ferrari 1m46.301s + 5.637s 13. Barba Lopez/Cadei GT2 Ferrari 1m46.369s + 5.705s 14. Bell/Kirkaldy GT2 Ferrari 1m46.461s + 5.797s 15. Collard/Westbrook GT2 Porsche 1m46.528s + 5.864s 16. Mullen/Niarchos GT2 Ferrari 1m46.696s + 6.032s 17. Sugden/Ashburn GT2 Porsche 1m47.360s + 6.696s 18. Romanini/Bonaldi GT2 Ferrari 1m48.233s + 7.569s
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