Gordon Shedden recovered from the brink of elimination in the first part of qualifying to secure pole position for the opening TCR International Series contest at the Dubai Autodrome finale tomorrow.
His Leopard Racing WRT team-mate Jean-Karl Vernay will line up alongside him on the front row as he looks to secure a maiden title, though with his main rival Attila Tassi (M1RA) in tenth, he will start the reverse grid finale from the head of the field.
Roberto Colciago’s lowly grid position all but mathematically rules him out of the title contention, whilst Stefano Comini will still require an unlikely set of circumstances to lift a third title.
Benjamin Leuchter, another newcomer to the popular international tin-top series, made it a 1-2-3 for the Volkswagen Golf GTi model and will head up the second row with Pepe Oriola.
With Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing set to challenge M1RA for the Teams’ Championship in tomorrow’s double-header, Oriola’s strong showing will be a welcome result alongside team-mates Daniel Lloyd (8th) and James Nash (11th).
The trio of SEAT Leon machines face a tall order to overturn the Hungarian outfit’s 69-point advantage but have kept themselves in the mix for tomorrow.
Hyundai will be left ruing their temporary homologation after the clear pace of Alain Menu and Gabrielle Tarquini will go without reward once again, the pair being forced to line up 13th and 14th as per the regulations.
That gave Shedden, who had to pit for new brake pads after only one flying run in Q1, the opportunity to have a second crack at pole position – one which he did not throw away, despite having to be told by Leopard Racing he hadn’t been knocked out at the last minute.
Dennis Dupont backed up his pace from the second free practice session with sixth behind Gianni Morbidelli’s WestCoast Racing Volkswagen and ahead of Aurelien Comte’s Opel Astra, though he was forced to stop on circuit at the session’s conclusion.
Comini’s Audi RS 3 could manage no higher than ninth behind Lloyd, with the aforementioned Tassi rounding out the top ten.
Though the strategy will see the Hungarian line-up at the front for the finale, Vernay only needs to finish ahead in the opening race to secure the crown and, with Leopard Racing set to use Shedden’s pace to protect the Frenchmen, the tactic may be in vain by the time it can be put into practice.
That opening race from the Dubai Autodrome is set to get underway at 06:40 GMT.
Q2 results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 73 | Gordon SHEDDEN |  |
Leopard Racing Team WRT | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 6 | 1:27.849 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 2 | Jean-Karl VERNAY |  |
Leopard Racing Team WRT | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 7 | 1:28.045 | 0.196 |
| 3 | 13 | Benjamin LEUCHTER |  |
West Coast Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 6 | 1:28.119 | 0.270 |
| 4 | 74 | Pepe ORIOLA |  |
Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing | SEAT León TCR | 6 | 1:28.179 | 0.330 |
| 5 | 10 | Gianni MORBIDELLI |  |
West Coast Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 6 | 1:28.195 | 0.346 |
| 6 | 4 | Denis DUPONT |  |
Comtoyou Racing | SEAT León TCR | 5 | 1:28.256 | 0.407 |
| 7 | 27 | Aurélien COMTE | |
DG Sport Compétition | Opel Astra TCR | 6 | 1:28.364 | 0.515 |
| 8 | 17 | Daniel LLOYD | |
Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing | SEAT León TCR | 5 | 1:28.623 | 0.774 |
| 9 | 1 | Stefano COMINI |  |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 6 | 1:28.674 | 0.825 |
| 10 | 9 | Attila TASSI |  |
M1RA | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 6 | 1:28.689 | 0.840 |
| 11 | 54 | James NASH | |
Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing | SEAT León TCR | 7 | 1:28.752 | 0.903 |
| 12 | 6 | Frédéric VERVISCH | |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 4 | 1:28.794 | 0.945 |
Q1 results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 4 | Denis DUPONT | |
Comtoyou Racing | SEAT León TCR | 7 | 1:28.154 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 30 | Gabriele TARQUINI | |
BRC Racing Team | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 10 | 1:28.403 | 0.249 |
| 3 | 13 | Benjamin LEUCHTER | |
West Coast Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 11 | 1:28.425 | 0.271 |
| 4 | 33 | Alain MENU | |
BRC Racing Team | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 11 | 1:28.431 | 0.277 |
| 5 | 2 | Jean-Karl VERNAY | |
Leopard Racing Team WRT | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 12 | 1:28.457 | 0.303 |
| 6 | 1 | Stefano COMINI | |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 10 | 1:28.596 | 0.442 |
| 7 | 17 | Daniel LLOYD | |
Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing | SEAT León TCR | 10 | 1:28.642 | 0.488 |
| 8 | 9 | Attila TASSI | |
M1RA | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 9 | 1:28.686 | 0.532 |
| 9 | 10 | Gianni MORBIDELLI | |
West Coast Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 9 | 1:28.709 | 0.555 |
| 10 | 74 | Pepe ORIOLA | |
Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing | SEAT León TCR | 5 | 1:28.731 | 0.577 |
| 11 | 6 | Frédéric VERVISCH | |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 10 | 1:28.796 | 0.642 |
| 12 | 54 | James NASH | |
Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing | SEAT León TCR | 12 | 1:28.883 | 0.729 |
| 13 | 27 | Aurélien COMTE | |
DG Sport Compétition | Opel Astra TCR | 12 | 1:28.892 | 0.738 |
| 14 | 73 | Gordon SHEDDEN | |
Leopard Racing Team WRT | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 9 | 1:28.965 | 0.811 |
| 15 | 95 | Josh FILES | |
M1RA | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 8 | 1:28.991 | 0.837 |
| 16 | 62 | Dušan BORKOVIĆ |  |
GE-Force | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 11 | 1:29.067 | 0.913 |
| 17 | 70 | Mat’o HOMOLA |  |
DG Sport Compétition | Opel Astra TCR | 7 | 1:29.253 | 1.099 |
| 18 | 5 | Roberto COLCIAGO | |
M1RA | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 10 | 1:29.319 | 1.165 |
| 19 | 28 | Aurélien PANIS | |
Boutsen Ginion Racing | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 11 | 1:29.461 | 1.307 |
| 20 | 16 | Davit KAJAIA |  |
GE-Force | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 12 | 1:29.965 | 1.811 |
| 21 | 18 | Duncan ENDE |  |
Icarus Motorsports | SEAT León TCR | 9 | 1:30.296 | 2.142 |