This is Preining’s second pole position so far this season. “Overtaking is particularly difficult on the Hungaroring, so I’m very pleased about this perfect starting position. With these hot temperatures you have to take it very easy on the tyres, and I managed to do this well,” said Preining. Lining up alongside the 19-year-old on the second grid spot with his 485 hp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer (F/martinet by ALMERAS). Starting position number three is occupied by Zaid Ashkanani (MRS GT-Racing) from Kuwait.
The qualifying for the 28-strong field was held in sweltering temperatures of 31 degrees Celsius, with the surface of the Hungarian racetrack measured at 62 degrees Celsius. Preining underlined his claim to pole position ten minutes into the session when he planted his Porsche at the top of the time sheets after his first fast lap. On fresh tyres, however, the cards were reshuffled for the second half of the 30-minute qualifying. With three minutes left on the clock, Andlauer set the fastest lap. Preining then immediately trumped the 19-year old in the last minute to snatch P1, with Andlauer clinching second with a time of 1:47.105 minutes. This marks the third time the reigning champion of the Porsche Carrera Cup France takes up a race from the first grid row this season. “I’m very satisfied with P2. Unfortunately I lost a little time in the first sector, otherwise I could possibly have done even better,” said Andlauer.
“The start on Sunday will be critical”
The third fastest lap on the storied racetrack northeast of Budapest was turned by Ashkanani in 1:47.405 minutes. The MRS driver also posted his best time in the last minute of the qualifying. “This is a great result. With such heat, the conditions were special. The tyres deteriorate comparatively quickly, so you don’t have a lot of time to turn a flying lap. The start on Sunday will be critical,” said Askanani. Lining up alongside the 24-year-old is his teammate Christopher Zöchling from Austria, with Jaap van Lagen (NL/Fach Auto Tech) occupying the fifth grid spot.
Sixth in qualifying went to Florian Latorre (martinet by ALMERAS), making the Frenchman the best rookie. The current leader of the championship, Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing), planted his nine-eleven on P7. Nick Yelloly (Fach Auto Tech) from Great Britain drove the eighth best time on the 4.381-kilometre circuit. The best driver in the ProAm category was Norwegian Roar Lindland driving for Lechner Racing Middle East.
#PorscheMobil1Supercup – Pole position for #Porsche Junior @ThomasPreining! The Austrian turned the fastest lap in 1:46.786 minutes at Hungaroring pic.twitter.com/9TdIWzyA67
— Porsche Motorsport (@PorscheRaces) 28. Juli 2018
1. Thomas Preining (A/BWT Lechner Racing), 1:46.786 minutes
2. Julien Andlauer (F/martinet by ALMERAS), 1:47.105 minutes
3. Zaid Ashkanani (KWT/MRS GT-Racing), 1:47.405 minutes
4. Christopher Zöchling (A/MRS GT-Racing), 1:47.472 minutes
5. Jaap van Lagen (NL/Fach Auto Tech), 1:47.541 minutes
6. Florian Latorre (F/martinet by ALMERAS), 1:47.579 minutes
7. Michael Ammermüller (D/BWT Lechner Racing), 1:47.635 minutes
8. Nick Yelloly (GB/Fach Auto Tech), 1:47.670 minutes
9. Al Faisal Al Zubair (OMN/Lechner Racing Middle East), 1:47.732 minutes
10. Mikkel O. Pedersen (DK/MRS GT-Racing), 1:47.811 minutes
Round six of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup takes off on Sunday at 12:35 hrs local time. Fans can watch the race via live timing and web radio on www.racecam.de. Eurosport broadcasts the race in more than 60 countries. Moreover, the TV channel Sky airs the international one-make cup series live in both the UK and Italy.
