Hahn pushes Kiss in second Goodyear FIA ETRC qualifying
Norbert Kiss repeated his fine Saturday qualifying form with pole position for Race 3 at Misano, just 0.076s ahead of Jochen Hahn, another multiple winner of the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship.
The Hungarian’s lap of 2m01.795s ensured back-to-back pole positions for the season opener and continues his strong run of success in Italy, which also includes two wins and two fastest laps so far.
But Hahn, who banked two fourth-place finishes on Saturday, proved a serious threat to Kiss. “Yesterday we had really big troubles in the free practice, we changed something today and we can feel we made a step forward. I feel very confident I can follow [Kiss] and I feel it’s possible, we have the speed and there are points to win. We will go out and make a race for the people. This is the real Jochen today, yes.”
Kiss said: “Qualifying was quite slippery again, not the lap of my life, but I tried to minimise the mistakes. It’s quite close but still P1 so that’s good. The race will be about the start again, of course, and managing the tyres to the end.”
In ambient temperatures of 27 degrees centigrade, Antonio Albacete was third quickest followed by Chrome category pacesetter Lukas Hahn, who edged out class rival Bradley Smith in a fine Goodyear FIA ETRC career-best fifth. Sascha Lenz ended up sixth fastest.
How the battle for Misano Goodyear FIA ETRC pole unfolded
Having set the qualifying pace on Saturday, Norbert Kiss continued his fine form from day one by topping the 15-minute Q1 ahead of Antonio Albacete and Lukas Hahn, who was quickest of the Chrome contenders.
Hahn’s father Jochen was fourth fastest followed by René Reinert and Steffi Halm with José Eduardo Rodrigues, Bradley Smith and John Newell next up. Sascha Lenz completed the top 10 as Mark Taylor and Steffen Faas completed the list of 12 drivers who made it through to Q3.
Jonathan André, Luke Garrett and current Chrome points leader Stefan Kursch were unable to progress from Q3 to Q2. And with his team carrying out an engine change, Clemens Hecker was absent from today’s qualifying but is expected to line up for the two races this afternoon.
Kiss continued his qualifying march by going quickest in the 10 minutes of Q2 ahead of Jochen Hahn and Albacete. Lukas Hahn, Lenz and Smith also progressed to Q3, but Halm – third in last season’s overall standings – missed out for the second day running after going ninth quickest in Q2 behind Reinert in seventh and eighth-placed Taylor. Rodrigues was also eliminated in Q2 as were Newell and Faas.
The five-minute Q3 ended with more Goodyear FIA ETRC qualifying success for Kiss ahead of Jochen Hahn, Albacete, Lukas Hahn, Smith and Lenz.
Click HERE for live timing and results. Race 3, which is due to begin at 13:15 local time, will be streamed live on YouTube.
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