Thomas Jäger will start from pole for this afternoon’s 60 minute International GT Open race, claiming the first pole position of the season for Lechner Racing’s #72 Mercedes AMG GT3.
As the early flying laps were completed, Mikkel Mac immediately made himself known in the #51 Luzich Racing Ferrari – a 2:01.899 was the benchmark set by the championship leader.
Jäger then emerged as a contender, topping Mac’s time by less than a tenth. However, the time was stripped from him as he had exceeded the track limits at Turn 1.
In the final dozen minutes, a new wave of quick laps came after very few troubling the top of the timing sheet – Fernando Rees jumped to the top of the timing sheets with a 2:01.783 in the #12 Ombra Racing Lamborghini, however, the bar was heightened just moments later, when yesterday’s winner Andrés Saravia set a 2:01.344 in the #47 Teo Martin BMW.
But, with seven minutes of the session remaining, Thomas Jäger took provisional pole with a 2:01.042 in the #72 Lechner Mercedes.
Mikkel Mac had bided his time in the #51 Ferrari 488 GT3 entered by Luzich Racing, resting the car in the pits for the mid-point of the session. Mac’s first flyer of his second run was just two thousandths of a second off pole. His second lap was hindered by going wide at the final turn, and the following pair of laps were also off-mark.
Even Mac, who had been the star of the GT Open season up to this point, had no response for Jäger in the Lechner Mercedes.
Jäger will start his PRO-AM entered car on pole in this afternoon’s race, alongside Mac. Andrés Saravia (#47 Teo Martin BMW) will start third after taking victory yesterday, with Daniele Di Amato completing the second row in the #11 RS Racing Ferrari.
Juan Cruz Álvarez will line up fifth in the #3 Teo Martin BMW, while the overall top six on the timing sheets was rounded out by defending champion Giovanni Venturini in his #63 Imperiale Lamborghini.
The first of the AM class entries, the #74 HTP Motorsport/MS Racing Mercedes of Martin Konrad, will start from 13th on the grid; Konrad’s final flying lap, a 2:02.140, stole AM pole away from the #9 ARC Bratislava Lamborghini driven by Konstantīns Calko, which will line up 14th.
This afternoon’s race will begin at 14:15 CEST.
