+ Result: Qualifying 1, Zandvoort
+ Result: Qualifying 2, Zandvoort
Ethan Gialdini and Reinhard Kofler proved the stars of Qualifying at Zandvoort, with the CRM Ginetta and MZR KTM scoring a pole apiece in the Dutch dunes.
Gialdini produced a crushing performance in Q1 on a constantly evolving track to score top spot for Race1, before Kofler came out on top of a tight fight in the second half to grab the honours for Sunday’s second outing.
Q1: Gialdini dominates
The field headed out onto a cold and slippery circuit under the grey Zandvoort skies, which meant the conditions were constantly improving lap by lap. Whoever timed their final run right would be in the best position for pole, and Gialdini didn’t miss his chance.
Stefan Rosina put in the first meaningful effort aboard the LP Racing Audi to set a benchmark with Lawrence Tomlinson recovering from a wild slide to lead the chase in the #62 CMR Ginetta. But it would be the sister CMR car that caused a storm, when Gialdini hooked up a superb lap to scorch to the top of the times by 1.3s on his final tour.
Rosina will share the front row ahead of Masters class leader Philippe Prette, who continued his strong Zandvoort form with class pole in an impressive third overall. Viktor Mraz put the #89 RTR Projects KTM fourth ahead of Tomlinson’s Ginetta, which claimed Pro-Am pole, and Thomas Yu Lee in the #8 LP Racing Maserati. Laura van den Hengel spent much of the session in third aboard Iron Dames’ new Maserati, but was shuffled bac to seventh late on, a place ahead of Pro-Am championship leader David Thilenius in the #111 SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm Mercedes-AMG.
Q2: KTM emerges from the fight
Q1’s result was mixed by the early track conditions, but things were more stable for the second half, and that produced a thrilling four-car fight for pole.
Sarah Bovy took over the Iron Dames Maserati and set the early pace before Moritz Wiskirchen took a turn out front in the #110 SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm Mercedes-AMG. Kofler’s first effort then vaulted the KTM ahead before Mike Simpson brought Ginetta into the mix too.
Kofler dug deep and found an extra tenth to slip past the Ginetta by 0.1s just before the session was halted by a red flag when Bovy’s car stopped out on track with a technical issue. That sealed the result, with Kofler on pole ahead of Simpson and Mauro Calamia in the Dinamic Maserati as three different brands filled the top three spots. The pole for Kofler completed a superb turnaround for the #119 KTM, which ended first practice in the Turn 1 barriers before being repaired by the team.
Mikkel Njor scored fourth for the #3 Ginetta ahead of Prette, who doubled up on Masters poles in fifth overall this time. Wiskirchen was sixth ahead of Lennart Marioneck in the #89 RTR Projects KTM. Despite ending the session at the side of the track, Bovy still did enough for eighth.
The opening race of the weekend is set for 13:15.