This marks the third time so far this season that the 20-year-old takes off from pole position. “That was a difficult qualifying because at the beginning the racetrack was a little damp. This is my first time driving at Spa and now I’m starting from pole position. I’m looking forward to the race,” said Preining. Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer (martinet by ALMERAS) from France claimed the second grid spot ahead of Larry ten Voorde (Team Project 1) from the Netherlands on third.
Jaap van Lagen was the first on top
Under cloudy skies and with an outside temperature of twelve degrees Celsius, the 33-strong field rolled out onto the track. In his 485 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Jaap van Lagen (NL/Fach Auto Tech) was the first to appear at the top of the times sheets after eight minutes. Initially, Andlauer undercut the time of the seasoned Porsche specialist, before Preining staked his claim on pole position, turning the fastest lap after 18 minutes. For the final ten minutes of the 30-minute session, all drivers switched to a fresh set of tyres. However, only Preining managed to improve on his previous top time: In his last attempt, the youngster from Linz turned his fastest lap on the storied racetrack in the Ardennes. Lining up alongside Preining on the first grid row is Porsche Junior Andlauer. The 19-year-old secured P2 with a lap time of 2:22.254 minutes. “Second on the grid is a good starting position and I already know this racetrack from the Porsche Carrera Cup France. The field is close together, which promises some gripping race action,” said Andlauer.
Ten Voorde achieved the third quickest time of the day on the rollercoaster circuit. The Dutch driver from the town of Boekelo needed 2:22.472 minutes to lap the 20-corner racetrack. “I’m over the moon. This is my best qualifying result so far in the Supercup. It’ll be important to get off the line well on Sunday so that I can immediately put pressure on the leaders,” said ten Voorde. Lining up alongside the 21-year-old is Zaid Ashkanani (MRS GT-Racing) from Kuwait, with Nick Yelloly (Fach Auto Tech) from Great Britain starting from fifth.
#PorscheMobil1Supercup – Pole position for #Porsche Junior @ThomasPreining! The Austrian turned the fastest lap in 2:21.848 minutes at @circuitspa pic.twitter.com/9Jzw506b9w
— Porsche Motorsport (@PorscheRaces) 25. August 2018
The sixth grid spot went to 21-year-old Dylan Pereira (Momo Megatron Lechner Racing) from Luxembourg. The current leader of the championship, Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing), set the seventh quickest time ahead of van Lagen. Mattia Drudi (Dinamic Motorsport) from Italy qualified ninth on the 7.004-kilometre racetrack. The best driver in the ProAm class was Nicolas Misslin (F/Pierre martinet by ALMERAS).
Felix Rosenqvist (Porsche AG) celebrated his debut in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. This weekend, the 26-year-old Swede drives the VIP vehicle run by Porsche AG. In qualifying, the two-time winner of the legendary Macau Grand Prix gave a remarkable performance and secured the tenth grid spot. With a time of 2:22.940 minutes the Formula E driver was just 1.1-seconds shy of the pole-sitter Preining. “That was an exciting session and great fun. My goal was to qualify in the top ten and that’s what I did. During my flying lap I made a minor braking mistake in the last corner, otherwise I could possibly have done even better,” said Rosenqvist.
1. Thomas Preining (A/BWT Lechner Racing), 2:21.848 minutes
2. Julien Andlauer (F/martinet by ALMERAS), 2:22.254 minutes
3. Larry ten Voorde (NL/Team Project 1), 2:22.472 minutes
4. Zaid Ashkanani (KWT/MRS GT-Racing), 2:22.513 minutes
5. Nick Yelloly (GB/Fach Auto Tech), 2:22.559 minutes
6. Dylan Pereira (L/Momo Megatron Lechner Racing), 2:22.579 minutes
7. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing), 2:22.630 minutes
8. Jaap van Lagen (NL/ Fach Auto Tech), 2:22.700 minutes
9. Mattia Drudi (I/Dinamic Motorsport), 2:22.765 minutes
10. Felix Rosenqvist (S/Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG), 2:22.940 minutes
Round seven of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup takes off on Sunday at 12:05 hrs local time. Fans can watch the race via live timing and web radio on www.racecam.de. Eurosport broadcasts the race via Eurosport Player. Moreover, the TV channel Sky airs the international one-make cup series live in both the UK and Italy.
