The SPS automotive performance Mercedes-AMG GT3 (#16, Valentin Pierburg / Tim Müller / Tom Onslow-Cole) has secured pole position for the 2019 Hankook 12H MUGELLO after a frenetic qualifying session in Tuscany. Tom Onslow-Cole lapped the 5.245km Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello in an astonishing 1m 46.828s, some 0.7s faster than the Hofor-Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 (#10, Michael Kroll / Chantal Prinz / Roland Eggimann / Kenneth Heyer / Christiaan Frankenhout). The Swiss team, a former 24H SERIES champion, secured its place on the front row of the grid on the very final lap of the session..
Qualifying for the opening round of the 2019 European Championship was briefly delayed when repairs were required to the kerbing at Arrabbiata shortly after TCE qualifying had finished. After a flurry of fastest laps from seven different teams, SPS automotive performance banked one of the fastest GT laps ever recorded at the Mugello Circuit to put pole position out of reach.
‘They were teasing me!” an overjoyed Tom Onslow-Cole explained to radiolemans.com’s Nick Daman. “In the middle there, I really didn’t know where we were and the team wouldn’t tell me. They were just winding me up! But we’re right there, and things are good. All credit to the team. This SPS Mercedes is always fantastic and that was a joy to drive.”
The fastest A6-Pro car in the field, the Bohemia Energy racing with Scuderia Praha Ferrari 488 GT3 (#11, Jiří Písařík / Josef Kral / Matteo Malucelli), will start 3rd just ahead of the Car Collection Motorsport Audi R8 LMS (#88, Dimitri Parhofer / Rik Breukers / Markus Pommer / Toni Forné). The Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán GT3 (#77, Adrian Amstutz / Patrick Kujala / Phil Keen) completes the A6-Pro top three and will start 5th overall, while the Rinaldi Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 (#47, Klaus-Dieter Frers / Andrea Montermini / Andrea Fontana / Wolfgang Triller) was the third fastest A6-Am entry, and will start 10th. Four of the six Ferraris entered for the Hankook 12H MUGELLO qualified inside the top ten.
A surprisingly close battle in 991 saw the Raceunion Porsche 991-II Cup (#987, Alex Autumn / Felipe Fernández Laser / Andreas Gülden) take pole position just ahead of MRS GT-Racing (#980, Helmut Rödig / Nicola Michelon / Peter Terting) and reigning 991-class European Champions, Porsche Lorient Racing (#912, Philippe Polette / Frederic Lelievre / Pascal Gibon / Jean-Philippe Belloc).
Further back, RTR Projects (#224, Sergej Pavlovec / Tomas Miniberger / Karel Bednar / Erik Janis) headed a KTM X-BOW 1-2 in SP2-class qualifying ahead of True Racing (#217, Hubert Trunkenpolz / Klaus Angerhofer / TAKIS / Gerald Kiska). The third fastest time eventually went to the JR Motorsport BMW M3 F80 (#202, Ted van Vliet / Ruud Olij).
The BMW M4 of reigning 24H TCE SERIES champions Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 (#50, Martin Kroll / Michael Schrey / Michael Fischer / Gustav Engljaehringer / Thomas Jäger) meanwhile secured a comfortable GT4 pole position, just ahead of reigning 24H GT SERIES European Champions, PROsport Performance (#1, Rodrigue Gillion / Nico Verdonck / Akhil Rabindra). The latter makes its return to the 24H SERIES this weekend and will start its first race with the brand new Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4. The Scuderia Villorba Corse Mercedes-AMG GT4 (#406, Mauro Calamia / Amedeo Pampanini / Roberto Pampanini / Stefano Monaco) qualified 3rd in-class on its series debut.
MONLAU COMPETICION takes strong TCE pole position on series return
The MONLAU COMPETICION CUPRA TCR (#109, Munkong Sathienthirakul / Anusorn Asiralertsiri / Chariya Nuya / Kantadhee Kusiri) started its return to the 24H SERIES with a strong result in qualifying, Kantadhee Kusiri lapping the 5.245km Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello in 1m 58.284s, just over 0.2s faster than the Holmgaard Motorsport Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR DSG (#102, Magnus Holmgaard / Jonas Holmgaard / Roy Edland / Benny Simonsen). The Spanish team makes its first start in the series since taking TCE victory on home turf in last year’s Hankook 24H BARCELONA.
“They gave me a great car!” a very smiley Kantadhee Kusir explained to radiolemans.com’s Joe Bradley. “I had no traffic on the last lap, so I was really able to push, and I’ve driven the CUPRA TCR before in TCR Asia, so I know the car really well. Hopefully we can take this kind of pace into the race as well.”
The AC Motorsport Audi RS3 LMS (#188, Stephane Perrin / Vincent Radermecker / James Kaye) will start 3rd on the TCE grid having been pipped for a front row start in the closing stages. This result means that three different manufacturers – CUPRA, Volkswagen and Audi – will start this afternoon’s race in the top three. The Bonk Motorsport Audi RS3 LMS SEQ (#115, Hermann Bock / Max Partl) and the Red Camel-Jordans.nl CUPRA TCR DSG (#101, Ivo Breukers / Henry Littig / Cody Hill) rounds out the TCE top five.
Having suffered a nightmare debut at the Hankook 24H DUBAI in January, the Amag First Centri Porsche Ticino Porsche Cayman GT4 CS (#312, Valerio Presezzi / Matteo Arrigosi / Ivan Jacoma / Ivan Reggiani) posted the fastest time in SP3. The Swiss team was more than 0.7s faster than the Munckhof Racing BMW M4 (#310, Eric van den Munckhof / Marco Poland) and the Vortex V8 Vortex Scirocco GC 10 (#301, Philippe Bonnel / Franck Lefèvre / Nicolas Nobs), the latter of which took its maiden 24H SERIES win last time out in Dubai.
The Dan Agro Racing Peugeot RCZ (#685, Nicolaj Kandborg / René Rasmussen / Steffan Jusjong) will start this afternoon’s race from the A3-class pole position, despite causing the sole Code 60 caution period of qualifying. The Honda FK8-Civic Type-R of former 24H TCE SERIES champions Synchro Motorsport (#676, Alyn James / Daniel Wheeler) will start 2nd in-class, just ahead of Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport BMW M240i Racing Cup (#869, Axel Burghardt / Jurgen Meyer / Nicole Holzer / Martin Kroll).
This year’s Hankook 12H MUGELLO will start this afternoon at 16.00 hrs local time, and will conclude on Saturday at 19.00 hrs local time. After the first three hours of endurance racing action has been completed, there will be a brief break before the green flag is flown once again tomorrow morning at 09.00 hrs local time.
Source. Creventic/Photo. Petr Frýba
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