Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Huff takes pole in new-look qualifying

Chevrolet's Rob Huff has claimed pole position for tomorrow's opening race of the World Touring Car Championship at Curitiba

The Briton denied RML team-mate Yvan Muller a hat-trick of pole positions at the Brazilian venue by going fastest in the second, decisive, 10 minute qualifying session. Rain affected the closing stages, preventing Huff's competitors from improving on his time of 1m21.758s. The Briton had earlier looked in danger of missing the Q2 cut until he loosened the reins for his final lap and took fifth in Q1.

World champion Muller will start tomorrow's race from the outside of the front row. Caca Bueno will line up third in only his second WTCC outing with Chevrolet, ahead of highest-placed Yokohama Trophy driver Michel Nykjaer. The Danish SUNRED SEAT driver will head the grid for Sunday's second, reverse grid, race, courtesy of finishing 10th in the opening 20-minute qualifying session.

The failure of Alain Menu, in the final Chevrolet entry, to progress into Q2 was the biggest upset of an intriguing first qualifying session. The Swiss failed to make cut for the 10 fastest drivers after appearing to misjudge an attempt to secure the race two pole by taking 10th in Q1. Instead he finished in a frustrated 11th place, though team boss Ray Mallock remained satisfied with the overall result.

"I can't grumble with a one-two-three," said Mallock. "That first qualifying is a bit of a lottery for everyone. Alain's pace wasn't fast enough, which was bit of a shame. He was out there on the last lap, but I haven't spoken to him."

Tiago Monteiro, fastest in qualifying one, had mixed feelings on the new format as he will start 10th on the race two grid.

"It was a bad strategy, as we knew most people were going to play," said Monteiro. "That's what I don't like about this new system, there is too much waiting and playing. That's exactly what happened. I should have been told after going third fastest that Chevy weren't pushing.

"[Team-mate] Gabriele [Tarquini] held back, and that's what I should have done. But I went out early, because of our team's strategy with the other team-mates, and I thought, 'well, it's qualifying let's push.' I pushed a bit more, though, which was pole position. Look at Menu, though, you can play too much. It's not how I feel qualifying should be. Perhaps you could award points, but then you're making it very complicated."

Engstler's Kristian Poulsen second took second in Q1, and ninth on the race two grid. Muller lapped half a second off his final practice pace in Q1 and finished the session third overall, ahead of Poulsen's team-mate Franz Engstler.

Race one grid:

Pos  Driver              Team/Car          Time       Gap
 1.  Rob Huff            Chevrolet         1m21.758s
 2.  Yvan Muller         Chevrolet         1m22.147s  + 0.389s
 3.  Carlos Bueno        Chevrolet         1m22.503s  + 0.745s
 4.  Michel Nykjaer      SUNRED SEAT       1m22.632s  + 0.874s
 5.  Kristian Poulsen    Engstler BMW      1m22.678s  + 0.920s
 6.  Gabriele Tarquini   SUNRED SEAT       1m22.842s  + 1.084s
 7.  Tiago Monteiro      SUNRED SEAT       1m22.925s  + 1.167s
 8.  Tom Coronel         ROAL BMW          1m23.095s  + 1.337s
 9.  Fredy Barth         SUNRED SEAT       1m23.338s  + 1.580s
10.  Franz Engstler      Engstler BMW      1m31.527s  + 9.769s
11.  Alain Menu          Chevrolet         1m23.260s  (Q1)
12.  Robert Dahlgren     Polestar Volvo    1m23.300s  (Q1)
13.  Pepe Oriola         SUNRED SEAT       1m23.343s  (Q1)
14.  Mehdi Bennani       Proteam BMW       1m23.556s  (Q1)
15.  Darryl O'Young      bamboo Chevrolet  1m23.793s  (Q1)
16.  Marchy Lee          KK BMW            1m24.111s  (Q1)
17.  Javier Villa        Proteam BMW       1m24.268s  (Q1)
18.  Aleksei Dudukalo    SUNRED SEAT       1m24.781s  (Q1)
19.  Yukinori Taniguchi  bamboo Chevrolet  1m25.069s  (Q1)
20.  Fabio Fabiani       Proteam BMW       1m29.666s  (Q1)

Race two grid:

Pos  Driver              Team/Car
 1.  Michel Nykjaer      SUNRED SEAT
 2.  Fredy Barth         SUNRED SEAT
 3.  Tom Coronel         ROAL BMW
 4.  Gabriele Tarquini   SUNRED SEAT
 5.  Carlos Bueno        Chevrolet
 6.  Rob Huff            Chevrolet
 7.  Franz Engstler      Engstler BMW
 8.  Yvan Muller         Chevrolet
 9.  Kristian Poulsen    Engstler BMW
10.  Tiago Monteiro      SUNRED SEAT
11.  Alain Menu          Chevrolet
12.  Robert Dahlgren     Volvo
13.  Pepe Oriola         SUNRED SEAT
14.  Mehdi Bennani       Proteam BMW
15.  Darryl O'Young      bamboo Chevrolet
16.  Marchy Lee          KK BMW
17.  Javier Villa        Proteam BMW
18.  Aleksei Dudukalo    SUNRED SEAT
19.  Yukinori Taniguchi  bamboo Chevrolet
20.  Fabio Fabiani       Proteam BMW

Race one: Q2 top 10 then Q1 results from 11th
Race two: Q1 results with top 10 reversed

Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Chevrolet blitzes final practice
Next article Barth sent to back of Curitiba grid

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe