Niccolò Schirò and Jack Brown secured pole positions on Saturday morning in the qualifying session for Race-1 of the Trofeo Pirelli and Trofeo Pirelli Am.
Very tight. In the Trofeo Pirelli, Niccolò Schirò was the fastest in 1:41.366, just 74 thousandths of a second ahead of Bjorn Grossmann. The Rossocorsa driver drove the 488 Challenge masterfully to take his first pole of the season, under tricky track conditions due to the rain that had been falling since early morning. After his splendid return in Valencia, Grossmann confirmed his rapport with the Prancing Horse's car, which will come in handy in the race as his grid handicap means he will set off from the fifth row. British driver Sam Smeeth and rookie Adam Carroll took third and fourth positions, two-tenths of a second off pole. However, the two will start from the front in Race-1, with Schirò relegated to sixth because of the grid handicap. Louis Prette, currently joint second in the standings with Smeeth, closed the session as seventh fastest overall and fifth in his class.
Trio. Jack Brown closed the session in first place in the Trofeo Pirelli Am and fifth overall, with a time of 1:42.047. The British driver, with his third consecutive pole position, finished just 245 thousandths of a second ahead of Emanuele Maria Tabacchi. The struggle between the pair, as well as in the championship standings, continues on track here in Austria. Martin Nelson clinched third position and eighth overall, with Christian Overgaard as his closest rival on the grid.