Honda racer Mike Halder took pole position for the second TCR Germany event of the season at Autodrom Most in Czechia, pipping the Audi of Antti Buri by three tenths of a second.
Halder had earlier been ninth fastest in Q1, notably behind his sister Michelle, but the 2017 vice-champion pulled out a fast lap in Q2 to go 0.311 seconds clear and make it two poles out of two events.
“Every pole position is great, these are five important points for the championship,” said Halder. “We have a very fast package, everything is going well, and overall I’m absolutely satisfied with our performance.”
Prosport Performance’s Max Hesse had earlier been fastest in Q1, but the young 16-year-old German could only manage third in the all-important Q2, ahead of Austrian Simon Reicher’s Audi in fourth.
HP Racing’s Harald Proczyk, who had secured the first win of the season last time out at Oschersleben, put his Opel Astra in fifth, ahead of the leading Volkswagen of Luca Engstler in sixth.
Czech local Petr Fulín was seventh and headed a trio of CUPRA drivers, including Mike Halder’s sister Michelle in eighth and Wolf-Power Racing’s Oliver Holdener in ninth.
Tenth went to Liqui Moly Team Engstler’s Frenchman Theo Coicaud and with it the Volkswagen driver secured the reverse-grid pole position for Sunday’s race.
The first race of the weekend takes place at 11:50 CEST (10:50 BST) on Saturday.
Q2 results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 7 | Mike HALDER |  |
Team Honda ADAC Sachsen | Honda Civic TCR 2018 | 5 | 1:40.731 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 30 | Antti BURI |  |
LMS Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 6 | 1:41.042 | 0.311 |
| 3 | 19 | Max HESSE | |
Prosport Performance | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 6 | 1:41.170 | 0.439 |
| 4 | 54 | Simon REICHER |  |
YACO Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 6 | 1:41.187 | 0.456 |
| 5 | 22 | Harald PROCZYK | |
HP Racing International | Opel Astra TCR | 6 | 1:41.241 | 0.510 |
| 6 | 8 | Luca ENGSTLER | |
Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 6 | 1:41.254 | 0.523 |
| 7 | 2 | Petr FULÍN |  |
Fullin Race Academy | CUPRA TCR | 6 | 1:41.434 | 0.703 |
| 8 | 53 | Michelle HALDER | |
Profi-Car Team Halder | CUPRA TCR | 6 | 1:41.533 | 0.802 |
| 9 | 6 | Oliver HOLDENER |  |
Wolf-Power Racing | CUPRA TCR | 4 | 1:41.625 | 0.894 |
| 10 | 27 | Theo COICAUD |  |
Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 5 | 1:41.676 | 0.945 |
| 11 | 60 | Loris PRATTES | |
TOPCAR Sport | CUPRA TCR | 6 | 1:41.774 | 1.043 |
| 12 | 29 | Jussi KUUSINIEMI | |
Positione Motorsport | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 6 | 1:42.222 | 1.491 |
Q1 results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 19 | Max HESSE | |
Prosport Performance | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 11 | 1:41.035 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 2 | Petr FULÍN | |
Fullin Race Academy | CUPRA TCR | 9 | 1:41.262 | 0.227 |
| 3 | 22 | Harald PROCZYK | |
HP Racing International | Opel Astra TCR | 10 | 1:41.275 | 0.240 |
| 4 | 54 | Simon REICHER | |
YACO Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 7 | 1:41.343 | 0.308 |
| 5 | 27 | Theo COICAUD | |
Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 12 | 1:41.457 | 0.422 |
| 6 | 30 | Antti BURI | |
LMS Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 9 | 1:41.514 | 0.479 |
| 7 | 53 | Michelle HALDER | |
Profi-Car Team Halder | CUPRA TCR | 10 | 1:41.546 | 0.511 |
| 8 | 29 | Jussi KUUSINIEMI | |
Positione Motorsport | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 11 | 1:41.580 | 0.545 |
| 9 | 7 | Mike HALDER | |
Team Honda ADAC Sachsen | Honda Civic TCR 2018 | 5 | 1:41.598 | 0.563 |
| 10 | 6 | Oliver HOLDENER | |
Wolf-Power Racing | CUPRA TCR | 13 | 1:41.616 | 0.581 |
| 11 | 60 | Loris PRATTES | |
TOPCAR Sport | CUPRA TCR | 12 | 1:41.616 | 0.581 |
| 12 | 8 | Luca ENGSTLER | |
Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 12 | 1:41.618 | 0.583 |
| 13 | 14 | Niels LANGEVELD |  |
Racing One | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 8 | 1:41.649 | 0.614 |
| 14 | 44 | Sandro KAIBACH | |
Prosport Performance | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 11 | 1:41.653 | 0.618 |
| 15 | 88 | Dominik FUGEL | |
Team Honda ADAC Sachsen | Honda Civic TCR 2018 | 12 | 1:41.740 | 0.705 |
| 16 | 42 | Lukas NIEDERTSCHEIDER | |
Niedertscheider Motorsport | Peugeot 308 TCR | 13 | 1:41.799 | 0.764 |
| 17 | 47 | Niko KANKKUNEN | |
Team Engstler Europe | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 12 | 1:41.872 | 0.837 |
| 18 | 39 | Florian THOMA | |
Team Engstler Europe | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 12 | 1:41.883 | 0.848 |
| 19 | 11 | Luke WANKMÜLLER | |
HP Racing International | Opel Astra TCR | 13 | 1:42.077 | 1.042 |
| 20 | 10 | Benjamin LEUCHTER | |
Max Kruse Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 11 | 1:42.093 | 1.058 |
| 21 | 3 | Kai JORDAN | |
Team Engstler Germany | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 11 | 1:42.101 | 1.066 |
| 22 | 77 | Justin HÄUßERMANN | |
Team Engstler Germany | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 11 | 1:42.108 | 1.073 |
| 23 | 23 | Sebastian STEIBEL | |
Steibel Motorsport | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 13 | 1:42.581 | 1.546 |
| 24 | 17 | Jasmin PREISIG | |
Steibel Motorsport | Opel Astra TCR | 12 | 1:42.629 | 1.594 |
| 25 | 55 | Marcel FUGEL | |
Profi-Car Team Halder | Honda Civic TCR 2018 | 12 | 1:42.829 | 1.794 |
| 26 | 33 | JC REYNOLDS | |
TOPCAR Sport | CUPRA TCR | 13 | 1:43.848 | 2.813 |
| 27 | 99 | Maurits SANDBERG | |
Racing One | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 12 | 1:44.174 | 3.139 |