- Audi & KTM take inaugural Fanatec GT2 European Series pole positions at Monza.
- Fjordbach and Kox set benchmark times around 3.1-mile Italian amphitheater of speed.
- Catch both races across Saturday/Sunday live on the GT World YouTube channel.
Anders Fjordbach and Patrick Zamparini have claimed a pole position apiece for the inaugural Fanatec GT2 European Series round at Monza after topping Q1 and Q2, respectively, during this afternoon’s qualifying sessions.
High Class Racing’s Audi clocked 1m50.153s in the first 20-minute session to take top spot by 0.324s from PK Carsport’s Bert Longin who completed the R8 LMS GT2 front row lockout. Michael Vergers (Speed Factory Racing, Porsche) set the fastest Am time en route to fourth behind Luca Pirri (LP Racing, Audi).
Lamborghini start Race 2 up front courtesy of Zamparini who saved his best – 1m50.792s – for his penultimate tour of the 3.1-mile circuit. True Racing by Reiter Engineering's #24 KTM X-BOW GT2 - in the hands of Hans Joachim Stuck and Kris Rosenberger - will complete the front row for Sunday's finale.
Q1: Fordbach delivers on early promise with inaugural pole position
Anders Fjordbach made good on his free practice pace by claiming pole position for Saturday’s 50-minute race. The Dane fell six tenths shy of his morning benchmark but still produced two laps quick enough for top spot.
Bert Longin made the early running but couldn’t respond to Fjordbach’s third and fourth flying laps, which established a 0.3s buffer. Luca Pirri finished a further four tenths back after setting his PB early in the session.
He shares row two with the session’s fastest Am driver, Michael Vergers, who lapped just 0.008s slower than the Audi after also bumping 1985 World Sportscar champion Hans Stuck and the first of True Racing’s KTMs down to fifth with five minutes remaining.
Another X-Bow, Sportec Motorsport’s example driven by Christoph Ulrich, starts alongside, while Jordan Witt (Toro Verde GT, Lamborghini) ensured all four GT2 manufacturers start Race 1 inside the top-seven.
Q2: Latecomer Zamparini delivers for Lamborghini
Patrick Zamparini was only announced at SVC Sport Management shortly before the event, but wasted no time in pursuit of headline results for the team.
The Italian clocked the third-fastest time during the session, but a post-session penalty for the #23 - Peter Kox and Rupert Atzberger's KTM - and the sister #16 machine of Stefan Rosina and Sehdi Sarmini after a breach of article 41.7.2 of the regulations promoted Zamparini and SVC into top spot for Sunday's final race.
Kris Rosenberger and Hans Joachim Stuck therefore inherit second, and ensure a KTM X-BOW will still start the race from the front row, with the Sportec-run KTM of Adrian Spescha and Ulrich lining up third.
All-Belgian duo PK Carsport by Heinz took fourth, Peter Guelinckx behind the wheel on this occasion, whilst High Class Racing - on pole for R1 - will start the second contest from back in fifth and eyeing up silverware on both occasions.
Stephane Ratel was sixth quickest for LP Racing in the Audi R8 LMS, ahead of the Speed Factory Racing Porsche in Aurelijus Rusteika's hands and David Fairbrother in the Toro Verde GT Lamborghini.
Hubert Trunkenpolz was up next in the final Reiter Engineering-run KTM, with the classified runners rounded out by Patrick Michellier in the Ferrari 488 Challenge for CMR.
The field will now prepare for the opening race at 13:00 (CET) on Saturday, ahead of the finale on Sunday at 10:30.