Photo: ADAC TCR Media

Steve Kirsch takes Red Bull Ring pole position as Honda dominate

Honda Team ADAC’s Steve Kirsch took pole position for the fourth round of the TCR Germany series at the Red Bull Ring, Austria. The German led a Honda 1-2-3-4-5, finishing ahead of Q1 pace setter Josh Files in the Target Competition Civic, and Dominik Fugel.

Files had led the way in the first session as Honda cars also took the top four spots, with Fugel and Kirsch not far behind. Andrea Belicchi, who makes his TCR Germany debut this weekend for Target Competition, was fourth ahead of top-placed SEAT driver Ronny Jost. Harald Proczyk was sixth in the HP Racing SEAT, ahead of Tim Zimmermann’s leading Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR for Team Engstler.

Jürgen Schmarl was the last Honda driver to make it to Q2, finishing the session in eighth for Target Competition, while Antti Buri and Pascal Eberle completed the top ten. Volkswagen’s Benjamin Leuchter and Tom Lautenschlager also made it to Q2, leaving out some of the front-runners, such as Bas Schouten and Mario Dablander, both in SEATs. Team Engstler’s Mike Halder and TCR Italy podium finisher Finlay Crocker, the only Honda not to make it through to the second session, had their lap times deleted due to track limits infringements.

In Q2 both Schmarl and Belicchi had lap times deleted for the same reason, as Kirsch looked unstoppable and took pole position by two tenths over Files, with Fugel a further three tenths behind them. The fight for third was entertaining as TCR International Series veteran Andrea Belicchi was close to Fugel, but didn’t quite make it and had to settle for fourth.

Schmarl completed Honda’s dominance, as the Target Competition driver finished ahead of the two Team Engstler Volkswagens, with Lautenschlager ahead of Zimmermann. Proczyk went no further than eighth in the HP Racing SEAT, while Leuchter and Buri completed the top ten and will share the front row in tomorrow’s reversed grid race.

Ronny Jost finished just out of the top ten, while Eberle failed to complete a lap in the second session and will start both races in 12th.

Race 1 is scheduled for 15:40 local time.