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ETCC Qualifying: Dirk Mullers them

Dirk Muller bagged pole position for the first of Sunday's two European Touring Car Championship races at Donington Park. The BMW 318i driver set a fastest time of 1m41.430, 0.331s clear of Swedish Touring Car Champion Roberto Colciago's Alfa Romeo 156

Fabrizio Giovanardi, who has a 21-point championship lead and can clinch the title this weekend, originally qualified second, but had his best time disallowed for hitting the marker cones marking the chicane. The Italian was relegated to fourth place, two slots ahead of team-mate Gabriele Tarquini, making his first race appearance of the year, who fell victim to the same penalty and dropped three places.

Their misfortunesallowed former BTCC champion Rickard Rydell to move up to third place, with BMW's other Muller, 1996 F3000 champion Jorg, in fifth.

The fourth and final Nordauto Alfa Romeo entry of championship-chasing Nicola Larini will start only eighth, nearly a second off the pace.

Lead Briton was Rydell's Volvo team-mate James Hanson, who will start 12th, while Dart/Dynamics Alfa driver Tom Ferrier will start at the back after failing to complete a lap in qualifying.

Ravaglia BMW drivers Jordi Gene and Fabrizio de Simone, both former F3000 front-runners, were relegated to the back of the grid after changing their engines between quaifying and the race. They were due to start 10thand 13th respectively.

Both races take place on Sunday afternoon, with the finishing order from the first race dictating the grid for the second with the top six finishers reversed.




Dirk Muller (BMW 320i E46), 1m41.430s
Roberto Colciago (Alfa Romeo 156 Gta), 1m41.761s
Rickard Rydell (Volvo S60), 1m41.792s
Fabrizio Giovanardi (Alfa Romeo 156 Gta), 1m41.857s
Jorg Muller (BMW 320i E46), 1m41.909s
Gabriele Tarquini (Alfa Romeo 156 Gta), 1m41.994s
Tom Coronel (BMW 320i E46), 1m42.040s
Nicola Larini (Alfa Romeo 156 Gta), 1m42.387s
Duncan Huisman (BMW 320I E46), 1m42.409s
Pierre-Yves Corthals (BMW 320i E46), 1m42.487s
James Hanson (Volvo S60), 1m42.944s
Tommy Rustad (Nissan Primera), 1m43.127s
Salvatore Tavano (Honda Civic Type-R), 1m43.438s
Eric Cayrolle (Alfa Romeo 156 Gta), 1m43.506s
Sandro Sardelli (Honda Civic Type-R), 1m43.547s

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