MATCH POINT FOR KISS AS HE TAKES CLEAN SWEAP OF POLES IN LE MANS
With the possibility to wrap up the Drivers’ Championship in Race Three, Norbert Kiss is showing the pressure isn’t getting to him, taking a clean sweep of poles at the Le Mans Bugatti Circuit.
The Hungarian sailed through qualifying with a lap time over a second faster than Antonio Albacete, taking best of the rest. Come Super Pole, it looked like Kiss had done it in one again, but the lap went under investigation for contact with a penalty marker.
Deemed guilty, Kiss lost his fastest lap time – eight tenths up on Jochen Hahn behind – but his second fastest was still six tenths faster than the German, meaning he retained provisional pole. Just to make sure, however, Kiss ended the session going fastest again with a 2:05.628, seven tenths up on Hahn.
Kiss’ two championship rivals – Hahn and Sascha Lenz – will line up second and third respectively, but all Kiss has to do to take the championship in Race Three is finish no lower than fourth position. Starting from pole and seeing his track record of claiming lights to flag victories in the odd-numbered races at events, the odds are in his favour.
Looking to the Promoter’s Cup, with Téo Calvet and Jamie Anderson split by 19 points in Calvet’s favour, it is advantage Anderson in Race Three as he will start fourth overall and on Promoter’s Pole. Calvet was almost knocked out of Super Pole, having lap times deleted for contact with penalty markers, but the lap he did put on the board was fourth quickest of the 20-minute session.
Behind Anderson, Albacete and Adam Lacko split the two Chrome drivers. The duo on the third row had a coming together during Race Two that saw Albacete retire, so they will be looking for a cleaner battle together on track today.
Steffi Halm, André Kursim and Shane Brereton rounded off the top ten, with José Rodrigues, John Newell, Steffen Faas and Clemens Hecker being eliminated in qualifying.
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