Reigning champion Tomáš Pekař of Carpek Racing set the pace in qualifying for the opening round of the Clio Cup at the Red Bull Ring, posting a 1:49.701 to edge Bartlomiej Mirecki of BM Racing by 0.121 seconds.
The anticipated fight between the experienced front runners therefore carries into the new season and, as last year, they are closely followed by the rapid duo of Julian Smiechowski and Oskar Marszalkowski, from JTS Racing.
Nico Wuest made it two Carpek Racing cars inside the top five, while Matic Preša of BA Motorsport secured sixth place.
A total of 33 cars took part in Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session, creating heavy traffic and making it difficult to piece together a clean lap. Despite the traffic, the leading contenders held their ground speed and setting the stage for what promises to be an exciting race 1 later this afternoon.
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