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N.Technology
Alfa Romeo turned a difficult start to
today’s qualifying session into a strong result around the streets of
Macau for the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) final race
weekend.
Currently
fourth in the drivers standings, James Thompson
claimed eighth fastest at the wheel of his Alfa Romeo 156 in the
closing laps of the session whilst team-mate André Couto’s efforts were
cut short following an incident within minutes of the green flag.
The
Macanese driver was unable to rejoin the 45-minute
qualifying session, missing out on converting his earlier pace into a
top starting position. This morning’s free practices had seen Couto
claim third and fifth fastest times.
Driving without the advantage of following his
team-mate’s slipstream, Thompson still qualified ahead of two of his title rivals Andy Priaulx and Jörg Müller, putting the
N.Technology driver into solid contention for tomorrow’s championship-deciding races.
James Thompson, car number 15
“I
really couldn’t have driven any harder today.
I’m very disappointed not to have had the ‘team-mate advantage’. I
tried to use other cars to get a tow instead but unfortunately
I couldn’t get close enough.
“Eighth position, taking this into account,
isn’t bad; although I know we would have been in the top four with a tow.”
André Couto, car number 66
“I
went out on my lap, looking forward to supporting
James as well as qualifying upfront but clipped the inside of the wall
on my first lap and damaged the car on its front right hand side. I
hope we
can repair the car in time for tomorrow to make up for this.“
Andrea Muller, Team Manager
“Obviously, with Couto crashing we lost our advantage
to use the slipstream and had to rely on other cars for a tow.”
FIA World Touring Car Championship –
Macau
Qualifying results
1. Alain Menu (SUI), Chevrolet Lacetti, 2:31.209
2. Yvan Muller (FRA), SEAT Leon TDI, 2:31.395
3. Gabriele Tarquini (ITA), SEAT Leon TDI,
2:31.565
4. Augusto Farfus (BRA), BMW 320si, 2:31.751
5. Nicola Larini (ITA), Chevrolet Lacetti,
2:31.816
6. Jordi Gene (ESP), SEAT Leon TDI, 2:31.851
7. Rob Huff (GBR), Chevrolet Lacetti, 2:31.904
8. James Thompson (GBR), Alfa Romeo 156,
2:32.140
29. André Couto (MAC), Alfa Romeo 156 (no
time set)
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