Post Qualifying Selected Quotes - Monza

"I am very pleased to be starting the first WTCC face from pole. It feels really great. The team gave me a perfect car. We repeated the times we had set two weeks ago during the official testing, however we were eighth tenths slower than last year's pole because the track was not perfect today. There were wet spots and the grip was just not there. It was a big change to go from wets in the practice sessions to slicks in qualifying."

Antonio Garcia, BMW Team Italy-Spain - 2nd fastest

"It was so difficult to get a clear lap because there were lots of cars on the track. We also had planned to play the slipstreaming game. It worked with me, but when we swapped positions, the red flag stopped the session. I'm sorry for Alessandro (Zanardi), because I'm sure he could have improved a lot and been closer to the top."

Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:

"It was a strong showing by Dirk and Antonio. In all the teams, we could see how the drivers were taking each other into their slipstream, and that worked pretty well for us. This is a good starting position for the race. Now we will have to wait and see what the track conditions are like on Sunday and how the cars perform in racing trim."

Gabriele Tarquini, Alfa Romeo Racing Team - 3rd fastest

"This was a surprise result, because at the testing two weeks ago the car was very, very competitive, but track conditions were completely different then. We suffered a lot today. BMW have made a good step forward. We will see tomorrow, with a dryer track and more grip it ma

Jordi Gene, SEAT Sport - 7th fastest

"The chassis set-up is fantastic; I'm very happy with the work we did here two weeks ago, although I had some slight problems with the brakes which obviously cost me a little time. I have to say, however, that I'm happy with 7th place and I'm confident for the races. I won't say I'm over-optimistic, but I thought the best we could hope for from Monza would be to score some points. Maybe I can get even more than that tomorrow."

Marc Hennerici, Wiechers-Sport - 12th fastest, 1st of Independents

"I am very happy, I did not expect that I would be the first independent driver. I am already very proud to be a part of the first world championship. My qualifying position is unbelievable. I don't want to think about my race results, anything can happen. First I want to get through the first corner and then we will see."

Roberto Colciago, JAS Motorsport - 14th fastest

"I am a bit upset, because we were aiming for something more than this position. As a matter of fact I had managed to clock the eighth fastest time, but the Stewards decided to penalise me because I drove a bit over the kerbs. I don't think I deserved it, as a lot of other drivers were doing the same."

Jorg Muller, BMW Team Deutschland - 18th position

"Nothing works out as you had planned, because Dirk and I had planned to take it in turns to get a slipstream. However, with so many cars on the track we could not stay together, and I was lucky to get slipstream on three straights."

Rob Huff, Chevrolet - 21st fastest

"It was a fantastic lap. I was hooked up, the car was hooked up and it just worked out fine. I'm very pleased with that lap. Unfortunately the red flag came out just before the end of the session for Alain's off. A pity, because I was on an even faster lap. We are running a stiffer set-up now than we did in March, which has made the car much more predictable."

Hans Hotfiel, Ford Hotfiel Sport team principal

"Our cars have only just been completed. We were running late - in fact, much later than expected. Both the gear ratios and the latest engine specification only arrived in Monza on Friday afternoon. Our mechanics had to work all through the night just to complete the cars."