Gene Gets First Pole for New Leon
Jordi Gene delighted his home fans by taking the first ever WTCC pole position for the new SEAT Leon at Valencia in Spain on Saturday

The Spaniard topped the timesheets early in the session with a one minute 43.067 seconds lap and, although that time would have been good enough to keep him on top, he eventually bettered it on his final lap with a one minute 42.778 seconds.
Gene's teammate Peter Terting set the second fastest time to secure an all SEAT front row, while Dirk Muller boosted his championship ambitions with the third quickest time with an effort right near the end of the session.
Muller's main title rivals had a torrid session however, with Alfa Romeo's Fabrizio Giovanardi down in 13th on the grid and series leader Andy Priaulx down in 15th.
Pos Driver Car Time Laps 1. Jordi Gene SEAT Leon 1:42.778 5 2. Peter Terting SEAT Leon 1:43.093 + 0.315 8 3. Dirk Muller BMW 320i 1:43.277 + 0.499 10 4. Robert Huff Chevrolet Lacetti 1:43.295 + 0.517 11 5. Rickard Rydell SEAT Leon 1:43.326 + 0.548 7 6. Augusto Farfus Jr. Alfa Romeo 156 1:43.361 + 0.583 11 7. Jorg Muller BMW 320i 1:43.487 + 0.709 11 8. Gabriele Tarquini Alfa Romeo 156 1:43.598 + 0.820 11 9. Antonio Garcia BMW 320i 1:43.599 + 0.821 13 10. Nicola Larini Chevrolet Lacetti 1:43.695 + 0.917 9 11. Tom Coronel SEAT Toledo Cupra 1:43.716 + 0.938 10 12. Alain Menu Chevrolet Lacetti 1:43.749 + 0.971 10 13. Fabrizio Giovanardi Alfa Romeo 156 1:43.777 + 0.999 11 14. Stephane Ortelli SEAT Toledo Cupra 1:43.853 + 1.075 10 15. Andy Priaulx BMW 320i 1:43.880 + 1.102 12 16. Adriano De Micheli Honda Accord Euro R 1:43.969 + 1.191 9 17. Carl Rosenblad BMW 320i 1:44.145 + 1.367 11 18. Thomas Klenke Ford Focus 1:44.211 + 1.433 11 19. Marc Carol SEAT Toledo Cupra 1:44.245 + 1.467 12 20. Michael Funke Ford Focus 1:44.287 + 1.509 12 21. Alessandro Zanardi BMW 320i 1:44.394 + 1.616 12 22. Tomas Engstrom Honda Accord Euro R 1:44.454 + 1.676 14 23. James Thompson Alfa Romeo 156 1:44.925 + 2.147 11 24. Stefano D'aste BMW 320i 1:44.946 + 2.168 12 25. Marc Hennerici BMW 320i 1:45.007 + 2.229 9 26. Giuseppe Ciro BMW 320i 1:45.072 + 2.294 11 27. Polo Villaamil SEAT Toledo Cupra 1:45.499 + 2.721 10
About this article
Series | WTCC |
Author | Jonathan Noble |
Gene Gets First Pole for New Leon
Trending
Why joker laps are entering the mainstream
This season the World Touring Car Championship looks certain to bring joker laps to a circuit-racing world championship for the first time. And it need not be the daft gimmick people may think
The making of the world's best tin-top driver
He has been overshadowed at Citroen for the last three seasons, but the retirement of Yvan Muller means the world says farewell to one of touring-car racing's finest talents
Volvo's plan to conquer the WTCC
Volvo gave the World Touring Car Championship a major boost when it announced it would enter the series, but its ambitions don't stop there. JACK COZENS examines its programme, the S60 and what its arrival means for the WTCC
The WTCC's Nordschleife gamble paid off
A 17-car field on a 13-mile track - the WTCC's Nurburgring Nordschleife gamble wasn't going to be easy to pull off. STUART CODLING explains how the series made it work
Insight from a Nordschleife master
World championship racing returns to the Nordschleife this weekend. STUART CODLING got a lesson from one of the legendary track's few masters
Becoming world champion for £100k
The 2012 World Touring Car champion says he never had the money to race cars. Yet 2015 is his 11th season in the WTCC. He talks STUART CODLING through his journey from motorsport fan to paid professional - for little more than £100,000
Can the vanquished champion bounce back?
The World Touring Car Championship kicks off in Argentina this weekend, and Yvan Muller bids to reclaim his throne from Citroen team-mate Jose Maria Lopez. He talks to STUART CODLING
The top 10 WTCC drivers of 2014
Citroen had no rivals during the 2014 World Touring Car Championship, and 'rookie' Jose Maria Lopez hit the ground running to emerge as a worthy champion. PETER MILLS rates the field