At Sochi Autodrom Jordi Gené claimed his first pole position in the TCR International Series. However, the Spaniard needed to post a second fastest lap of 2:20.976, because his previous lap time of 2:20.890 had been disallowed by the Stewards for trespassing the track limits.
From the beginning of the session Gené showed he had a leading pace and posted a provisional fastest lap of 2:22.142; Pepe Oriola looked on the way to improve that mark being fastest in the first two sectors, however he eventually spoiled his lap outbraking himself.
Mikhail Grachev had a brief spell on top of the time sheet with a lap of 2:21.928 that Gené immediately beat, improving to 2:21.649. And yet Grachev was able to respond and stopped the clock to 2:21.403.
Halfway through the session Tomas Engström climbed on top with a lap of 2:21.272. A few seconds later, Andrea Belicchi saw his chances spoiled by a slower car.
In the latest moments of the session Gené stroke back and posted the two fastest laps, the best of which was disallowed.
Belicchi (2:21.025) and Oriola (2:21.256) managed to climb to second and third respectively, demoting Engström and Grachev to fourth and fifth.
Current championship leader Gianni Morbidelli qualified in eighth, but only six tenths off the pole; his team-mate Kevin Gleason posted the tenth fastest lap that gave him pole position on the reversed grid for Race 2.
Russian guest stars Aleksey Dudukalo and Ildar Rakhmatullin ranked 11th and 12th after they both had won their own races in the Russian Circuit Racing Series.
TCR competitors will be back in action tomorrow in a ten-minute shake down at 9.00; the two races will start at 12.35 and 14.05 local time. They will be streamed back-to-back on the website from 13.20 local time (12.20 in Central Europe).
