The #88 AKKODIS ASP Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO of Raffaele Marciello and Timur Boguslavskiy will start the first Sprint Cup race at Misano from pole position, after Marciello topped Qualifying 1 this morning.
Marciello’s pole-setting time was a 1:30.762, set on his second run, putting him three-tenths clear of Giacomo Altoé, who steered the #14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari to a grid spot alongside him on the front row.
For Altoé, the result marked a second front-row start of the season for the new Ferrari 296 GT3, while Henrique Chaves ended up third overall in the #188 Garage 59 McLaren. The Portuguese diver reeled off a 1:31.161s, which also secured the Bronze Cup pole.
Fred Vervisch ended up fourth fastest in the #12 Comtoyou Racing Audi, while Nicolai Kjærgaard in the #159 Garage 59 McLaren ended up fifth.
Local racer Loris Spinelli in the #126 Imperiale Racing Lamborghini ended up second in the Bronze Cup class – which is making its Sprint Cup debut this weekend – and sixth overall.
Gold Cup pole went to Gilles Magnus, who ended up seventh overall with a 1:31.485 in the #21 Comtoyou Audi. The Silver Cup pole went the way of Jordan Love in the #77 HRT Mercedes, down in 14th.
The top 10 places on the grid were taken up by teams representing six GT3 manufacturers. The only brands that didn’t feature were BMW and Honda.
The fastest BMW M4 GT3 was the #32 WRT example of Charles Weerts who ended up 22nd. The first of the two Honda NSX GT3s in the bumper field, ended up 34th.
Due to the size of the entry, which this weekend features a record 42 cars, Qualifying was split into two 10-minute segments to reduce traffic. The first half featured Pro and Gold Cup crews, while the second brought out the Silver and Bronze runners.
The only notable incident involved the #99 Tresor Attempto Audi of Lorenzo Patrese, who ended up in the barriers on his first push lap, ending his session on the spot. The #25 Saintéloc Junior Team Audi also failed to run due to engine trouble.
Race 1 will take place this afternoon, with the start scheduled for 14:00 local time.
Image courtesy of SRO
