GT Super Pole: Bouchut fastest; Lister absent

The top six from both the GT and N-GT classes in qualifying each had one flying lap to determine their starting position in the top 12. The first big absentee was reigning champion Jamie Campbell-Walter and Tom Coronel, whose Lister didn't make the Super Pole cut due to engine problems. They have obviously been fixed, however, as Coronel lapped in 1m47.400s in the final 15-minute session for non-Super Pole qualifiers, some eight-tenths faster than Bailey's fastest time of the morning.

But after taking provisional pole, Bailey failed to run in the Super Pole session and will join the second Storm in the middle of the pack when the race gets underway.

"We found a problem with the car, which was a five-minute fix but we didn't have time," said Bailey of the fault, which is believed to be in its clutch. "We could have gone out, but if something had gone wrong we could have seriously damaged our chances for tomorrow."

Poleman Bouchut said: "I'm really happy to be there, I have to thank my team because the car is really good. We haven't a lot of data on the car in dry conditions, but it feels good."

Boris Derichebourg leap-frogged over Belmondo Racing team mate Anthony Kumpen to snatch the second on the grid, with Kumpen blaming himself for losing the spot by braking too early for the first chicane. The third Belmondo Viper also benefited from the dramas of those around them, as Didier Defourny rose from sixth to fourth.

Apart from Lister, Emanuele Naspetti was another big loser in the session. Fifth quickest this morning, he suffered a hair-raising spin at the Parabolica and, for a moment, it looked like he was going to rearrange the glorious Ferrari 550 Maranello in the tyrewall. But the Italian controlled the spin, recovered quickly, and only dropped 7s to the pole man.

In the N-GT class, Jurgen von Gartzen kept his big advantage at the top of the times in Labre's Porsche 996 GT3-R, 1.3s ahead of Luca Riccitelli's RWS Motorsport machine.

"It was a good, clean lap," said von Gartzen. "It was quick but I didn't want to over-push it. I'm happy for the race tomorrow."

Riccitelli wasn't helped by locking up at the Parabolica on his fast lap, but it was smoother than third-placed Michel Neugarten. The Belgian almost pitched his Perspective Racing 911 off the track at the Lesmos and Parabolica after encountering brake problems: "It was good for the TV, not so good for my time."


1 Christophe Bouchut (Chrysler Viper) 1m48.287s
2 Boris Derichebourg (Chrysler Viper) 1m49.367s
3 Anthony Kumpen (Chrysler Viper) 1m49.610s
4 Didier Defourny (Chrysler Viper) 1m50.504s
5 Emanuele Naspetti (Ferrari 550 Maranello) 1m55.001s
6 Julian Bailey (Lister Storm) no time


1 Jurgen von Gartzen (Porsche 996 GT3-R) 1m52.987s
2 Luca Riccitelli (Porsche 996 GT3-R) 1m54.261s
3 Michel Neugarten (Porsche 996 GT3-R) 1m55.992s
4 Patrice Goueslard (Porsche 996 GT3-R) 1m56.034s
5 Fabio Babini (Porsche 996 GT3-R) 1m56.062s
6 Tim Sugden (Porsche 996 GT3-R) 1m56.580s