Norbert Michelisz headed a BRC Hyundai 1-2 in qualifying for the TCR World Tour at Vallelunga, as the 2019 WTCR champion edged out reigning WTCR champion and team-mate Mikel Azcona by just 0.015 seconds.
With just ten minutes to post a lap time in the all-important Q2 session, it was Hungarian Michelisz who grabbed the top time in the closing seconds, having earlier also topped the times with an effort of 1 minute 40.672 seconds.
Michelisz posted a lap of 1:40.351 to beat team-mate Azcona by the narrowest of margins – just 0.015 seconds – to ensure an all-Hyundai front-row for Sunday’s opening race.
“It was a very good lap with Mikel and I helping each other,” said Michelisz, who also secured 15 points for pole to extend his series lead. “We planned the strategy like in Portimão because we realised that to be competitive we need to give slipstream to each other.
“So, in the end we shared the runs, and I did my best in the second lap in Q2 and it was enough to put the car on pole.”
Thed Björk was third fastest in a notable improvement in performance for the Cyan Racing Lynk & Co squad, the Swede being just a tenth and a half from pole.
After Audis had dominated practice, their pace seemed less prominent in qualifying, with Frédéric Vervisch the best of the Comtoyou Racing drivers in fourth, a further hundredth of a second back.
Santiago Urrutia put his Lynk & Co in fifth, half a tenth ahead of the next Audi of Rob Huff in sixth.
Yann Ehrlacher was seventh in his Lynk & Co, ahead of the leading Honda of ALM Motorsport’s Néstor Girolami in eighth.
Completing the top ten were Comtoyou’s John Filippi and Cyan Racing’s Ma Qing Hua, giving the later pole position for the partially reversed-grid second race.
That meant that TCR Europe regular Kobe Pauwels missed out on the grid inversion places, putting his Audi in 11th after qualifying nine tenths from pole.
TCR Italy regular Aurélien Comte was 12th in both Q1 and Q2, the Frenchman the best CUPRA driver but over a second off the pace in the all-important Q2, having been closer to the front in Q1.
Although the Hyundais demonstrated strong pace with regular BRC drivers Michelisz and Azcona, Marco Butti couldn’t replicate that in his Hyundai Elantra, qualifying in 13th around a second off the Q1 pace, ahead of the Aggressive Team Italia Hyundai of TCR returnee Kevin Ceccon in 14th.
ALM’s Mattias Vahtel and the second SP Compétition CUPRA of Sylvain Pussier completed the times in 15th and 16th respectively.
Race one is scheduled to get underway at 11:10 CEST (10:10 BST) on Sunday, followed by race two at 15:00 CEST (14:00 BST).
Q2 results
| POS | NO | NAT | DRIVER | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 105 |  |
Norbert MICHELISZ | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 5 | 1:40.351 | – |
| 2 | 196 |  |
Mikel AZCONA | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 5 | 1:40.366 | 0.015 |
| 3 | 111 |  |
Thed BJÖRK | Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR | 5 | 1:40.505 | 0.154 |
| 4 | 122 |  |
Frédéric VERVISCH | Audi Sport Team Comtoyou | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 5 | 1:40.516 | 0.165 |
| 5 | 112 |  |
Santiago URRUTIA | Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR | 5 | 1:40.760 | 0.409 |
| 6 | 179 |  |
Rob HUFF | Audi Sport Team Comtoyou | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 5 | 1:40.817 | 0.466 |
| 7 | 168 |  |
Yann EHRLACHER | Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR | 4 | 1:41.002 | 0.651 |
| 8 | 129 |  |
Néstor GIROLAMI | ALM Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 3 | 1:41.009 | 0.658 |
| 9 | 27 | |
John FILIPPI | Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 5 | 1:41.192 | 0.841 |
| 10 | 155 |  |
MA Qing Hua | Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR | 4 | 1:41.194 | 0.843 |
| 11 | 22 |  |
Kobe PAUWELS | Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 4 | 1:41.257 | 0.906 |
| 12 | 76 | |
Aurélien COMTE | SP Competition | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 4 | 1:41.621 | 1.270 |
Q1 results
| POS | NO | NAT | DRIVER | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 105 | |
Norbert MICHELISZ | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 8 | 1:40.363 | – |
| 2 | 112 | |
Santiago URRUTIA | Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR | 7 | 1:40.540 | 0.177 |
| 3 | 111 | |
Thed BJÖRK | Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR | 6 | 1:40.557 | 0.194 |
| 4 | 129 | |
Néstor GIROLAMI | ALM Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 5 | 1:40.818 | 0.455 |
| 5 | 196 | |
Mikel AZCONA | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 7 | 1:40.854 | 0.491 |
| 6 | 27 | |
John FILIPPI | Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 9 | 1:40.881 | 0.518 |
| 7 | 168 | |
Yann EHRLACHER | Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR | 6 | 1:40.924 | 0.561 |
| 8 | 122 | |
Frédéric VERVISCH | Audi Sport Team Comtoyou | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 9 | 1:40.948 | 0.585 |
| 9 | 179 | |
Rob HUFF | Audi Sport Team Comtoyou | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 9 | 1:41.104 | 0.741 |
| 10 | 22 | |
Kobe PAUWELS | Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 9 | 1:41.155 | 0.792 |
| 11 | 155 | |
MA Qing Hua | Cyan Racing Lynk & Co | Lynk & Co 03 FL TCR | 7 | 1:41.246 | 0.883 |
| 12 | 76 | |
Aurélien COMTE | SP Competition | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 9 | 1:41.269 | 0.906 |
| 13 | 18 |  |
Marco BUTTI | BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 8 | 1:41.358 | 0.995 |
| 14 | 31 | |
Kevin CECCON | Aggressive Team Italia | Hyundai Elantra N TCR | 9 | 1:41.808 | 1.445 |
| 15 | 123 |  |
Mattias VAHTEL | ALM Motorsport | Honda Civic Type-R FL5 TCR | 10 | 1:41.851 | 1.488 |
| 16 | 77 | |
Sylvain PUSSIER | SP Competition | CUPRA Leon Competición TCR | 9 | 1:42.205 | 1.842 |