HAHN MISSES OUT ON SLOVAKIA POLE AS KISS NARROWLY LEADS THE WAY
The final flying laps of Q3 presented a tight battle between Jochen Hahn and Norbert Kiss for pole position, with Kiss coming out on top by just 0.165s.
As there are 12 trucks racing this weekend at the Slovakia Ring, the new triple qualifying format was amended to merge Q1 and Q2 for the opening session. The 25 minutes of track time determined P7-P12 for Race 1’s grid.
A threat was building for Kiss, as Hahn proceeded to lead the Q1/2 session, holding onto provisional pole by just over a tenth. It set the stage for the one-lap shoot out between the pair in Q3.
With the final session being only five minutes long, and the average lap time around the Slovakia Ring 2m43s, it was destined to come down to a single chance to set the best qualifying time. Sectors 1 and 2 barely split the two Titan drivers, with Hahn taking first sector advantage and Kiss taking second, but it was by the barest of margins that Kiss came across the line to start in front.
Antonio Albacete will line up third on the grid, his 2:43.576 eight tenths off the leading duo. Sascha Lenz will take fourth beside him, to continue the Titan rivalry that emerged between the Spaniard and the German in Misano.
Steffi Halm was the only Titan driver not to make it through to Q3, missing out by three tenths of a second. She will start seventh on the grid behind Chrome pole position sitter José Eduardo Rodrigues (fifth) and André Kursim (sixth).
Rodrigues confirmed class pole after Q1/2 being the only Chrome driver to progress to Q3. He was almost a second faster than his closest Chrome competitor at the end of the 25-minute session.
Luis Recuenco took second on the Chrome grid, eighth overall, staying ahead of John Newell, Steffen Faas, Mark Taylor and Luke Garrett to set Race 1’s starting order.
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