FIRST 2024 POLE POSITION TO KISS
Picking up where he left off in 2023, reigning champion Norbert Kiss has started the 2024 season with pole position.
This year, a new three-layered qualifying system is being used, and the first qualifying session at Misano saw it debut. Whereas before there were two qualifying sessions – qualifying and super pole – there is now a three session format (Q1, Q2 and Q3) with the grid getting smaller and the time available to set laps getting shorter as the session progresses.
With the clock counting down fast in Q3, a couple of drivers fell foul of this new system. Steffi Halm who rapidly got through her first flying lap in Q3 to have time to do a second if needed, was held up by José Eduardo Rodrigues, who was also on a flying lap and held up by a slowing down Albacete, both missed the very small window to get their second lap started.
Q3 is a five minute session giving the drivers just about enough time to start a second lap if their first is fast and error free.
Neither Rodrigues nor Halm could improve their lap time, meaning Steffi will start sixth on the grid for the first race of the season, behind Rodrigues who took Chrome-class pole with his fifth place.
Kiss seemed in a league of his own as he led all three sessions, taking pole by seven tenths of a second. The battle was on between Jochen Hahn, Antonio Albacete and Sascha Lenz who all finished within a hundredth of each other. The trio line up second, third and fourth respectively behind Kiss.
A possible cooling issue prevented André Kursim from progressing out of Q2, taking seventh on the grid for the first race in a couple of hours time. Although he seemed positive that he could make up positions from there later on Kursim was also clear that the team needed to find the issue and solve it ahead of qualifying tomorrow.
Luis Recuenco and Clemens Hecker took second and third in Chrome class, eighth and ninth overall in their first qualifying of the year separated by only 0.121s at the Q2 chequered flag. The duo had a clear advantage on Steffen Faas and Mark Taylor, who both trailed by nine tenths of a second.
John Newell had his lap times deleted for exceeding track limits, leaving him 12th on the starting grid. Race by race entry Bradley Smith beat new to the Goodyear FIA ETRC this season Luke Garrett to 13th as the pair were the two truck eliminated from Q1.
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