Girolami in the top three as Guerrieri qualifies sixth at Sochi
Nestor Girolami set the third-fastest time in WTCR - FIA World Touring Car Cup qualifying at Sochi, as team-mate Esteban Guerrieri narrowly missed out on a place in the Q3 shootout.
‘Bebu’ got better and better as qualifying went on; having just squeezed through the first part in 12th, he then went third fastest in Q2.
He then pulled out the fastest final sector of all in Q3 to bag a second-row start for the final race of the season, outqualifying one of team-mate Esteban’s rivals for the title in doing so.
Esteban, who remains in mathematical contention for the title with 50 points on offer in Sunday’s races, could not have come closer to making it two ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport Honda Civic Type R TCRs in the shootout as he was bumped out by one thousandth of a second in Q2.
He will therefore start Race One from fifth on the partially reversed grid, and one place further back in the season finale.
While Nestor progressed to Q2, Attila Tassi was left to rue what might have been as he missed out on a place in the session.
Having tried some experimental car changes in FP2, Attila went back to his planned set-up for qualifying but was confined to 13th on the grid for both Sunday races by just three hundredths.
His will be the only ALL-INKL.DE Münnich Motorsport Civic Type R TCR on grid, with Tiago Monteiro unable to take part in Sunday’s races.
Tiago felt unwell prior to practice and, having visited the circuit medical centre, he was later transferred to hospital to be treated for a bacterial chest infection. He is in good spirits.