Luca Engstler secured pole position for the second round of the TCR Middle East series in Dubai, beating title rival Giacomo Altoè and with it assumes the joint lead of the championship.
Engstler was over half a second clear of his Italian rival, putting his Volkswagen Golf on pole by a comfortable 0.673 seconds, despite carrying 20 kg of success ballast.
Altoè put in a late lap to claim second, having to also carry 10 kg more success ballast than Engstler, having led the series by a point heading to the Emirate.
German racer Kai Jordan was third, ahead of Dutch TCR Middle East newcomer Danny Kroes in fourth in his Audi.
Slovakia’s Mat’o Homola completed the top five in his Volkswagen and was the last driver within a second of the pole time.
The second Liqui Moly Team Engstler volkswagen of Florian Thoma was seventh, ahead of identical lap times for eighth-placed Giovanni Altoè and ninth-placed Martin Ryba.
Pole position for the reverse-grid second race goes to Greek racer Costas Panatonis for the second week in a row, who will have Slovakia’s Martin Ryba alongside him after he qualified in ninth.
Lorenzo Veglia completed four laps but did not post a time due to broken rear suspension, and he will start from 11th and last for both of Saturday’s races.
Race one takes place at 10:45 local time (06:45 GMT) and race two at 13:55 local time (09:55) respectively.
Qualifying result
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 8 | Luca ENGSTLER |  |
Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 11 | 1:44.454 | – |
| 2 | 10 | Giacomo ALTOÈ |  |
Pit Lane Competizioni 1 | Audi RS3 LMS TCR DSG | 12 | 1:45.127 | 0.673 |
| 3 | 13 | Kai JORDAN | |
H&R Spezialfedern | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 11 | 1:45.271 | 0.817 |
| 4 | 24 | Danny KROES |  |
Pit Lane Competizioni 1 | Audi RS3 LMS TCR DSG | 10 | 1:45.369 | 0.915 |
| 5 | 70 | Mat’o HOMOLA |  |
Pit Lane Competizioni 2 | Volkswagen Golf GTi DSG | 70 | 1:45.411 | 0.957 |
| 6 | 39 | Florian THOMA | |
Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 7 | 1:45.670 | 1.216 |
| 7 | 21 | Jordi ORIOLA |  |
Pit Lane Competizioni 2 | Volkswagen Golf GTi DSG | 11 | 1:46.316 | 1.862 |
| 8 | 23 | Giovanni ALTOÈ | |
Pit Lane Competizioni 1 | Audi RS3 LMS TCR DSG | 10 | 1:46.316 | 1.862 |
| 9 | 17 | Martin RYBA | |
Brutal Fish Racing Team | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 15 | 1:46.436 | 1.982 |
| 10 | 9 | Costas PAPANTONIS |  |
Mouhritsa Racing Team | SEAT León TCR | 8 | 1:46.714 | 2.260 |
| 11 | 44 | Lorenzo VEGLIA | |
Pit Lane Competizioni 2 | Volkswagen Golf GTi DSG | 4 | 1:49.999 | 5.545 |