Lionspeed GP's Buus takes pole position in GTWC EU Barcelona Qualifying One - Sets team in prime championship position
Bastian Buus proved unbeatable in GTWC EU (GT World Challenge Europe) Barcelona Qualifying one, as the Lionspeed GP driver grabbed pole position, with championship rivals struggling.
In cloudy Barcelona, Qualifying one started the same way as in Zandvoort, with half the session going by before any cars left the pits. That was the case for both Groups A (Pro/Gold entries) and B (Silver/Bronze).
With tyre degradation being aggresive in the Spanish tarmac, most drivers managed only one or two fast laps before they fell off the pace, with the pace-setter being none other than overall championship co-leader, Bastian Buus.
The No.80 Lionspeed GP Porsche driver was spectacular to say the least, the only of the Pro and Gold entries to dip below the 1:40 mark, seeting a 1:39.542, which was a massive five and a half tenths faster than the next best effort, that of Sven Müller, the German being impressive on his Sprint cup return, driving the No.2 Boutsen VDS Porsche.
Despite the track having been rubbered in by the Pro and Gold cars, Buus' benchmark stayed in place throughout the rest of Qualifying, meaning both he and teammate Ricardo Feller gained a crucial advantage in the overall championship fight, with their closest rival being the No.50 AF Corse Ferrari of Thomas Neubauer down in 11th.
Behind the poleman, Kiern Jewiss was second in the No.222 2seas Mercedes, being only eighty thousands of a second behind the Lionspeed Porsche and in Bronze pole, with third overall place going to another Bronze entry, that being the No.12 GetSpeed Mercedes of Fabian Schiller.
Fourth and in Silver pole was Felix Hirsiger in the No.71 AF Corse Ferrari, with the top five rounded out by Bronze championship contender Marvin Dienst in the No.87 Winward Mercedes. Meanwhile the Gold polesitter, Dylan Pereira in the No.99 Tresor Attempto Audi was down in 14th, ahead of the next best Gold entry, that of championship leader Tommaso Mosca's No.51 AF Corse Ferrari.
The session as a whole shapes things up regarding the championship fights, for there the overall championship leaders Buus and Feller will have the chance of gaining a massive advantage should they be able to convert pole into the win, with their immediate rivals being down in 11th (Neubauer), 21st (Dani Juncadella) and 28th (Charles Weerts).
The same applies to the two-way Bronze cup battle, as the aforementioned fifth place No.87 Mercedes of Dienst sits 18 places ahead of the championship leading No.93 Ziggo Tempesta Porsche of Eddie Cheever, with the Gold cup fight in a similar fate, with the No.58 Garage 59 McLaren down in 31st, way behind the No.51 Ferrari, which already holds a significant lead.
Qualifying Results - Overall
1st No.80 Lionspeed GP, Porsche
2nd No.222 2seas Motorsport, Mercedes (Bronze Pole)
3rd No.12 GetSpeed Team Dubai, Mercedes
4th No.71 AF Corse, Ferrari (Silver Pole)
5th No.87 Winward Racing, Mercedes
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