Magny-Cours: SEAT Sport qualifying notes

SEAT Sport provides the French front row

A stunning performance from the SEAT Sport team in today's 30 minute qualifying session will see the Spanish team occupy both front row places for tomorrow's 3rd round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship. In all, 4 of the top 5 qualifying times were set by a SEAT Sport Leon; a performance which confirmed the optimism expressed by the team in the days leading up to the WTCC's Race of France.

Happiest of all was Italy's Gabriele Tarquini, who'll start from pole position after breaking the Touring Car lap record at the Magny-Cours circuit. Despite carrying 30 kgs of ballast, Tarquini set a lap time nearly quarter of a second quicker than his closest challenger and immediately dedicated the performance to his week-old son Matteo.

Alongside Gabriele on the front row of the grid will be Sweden's Rickard Rydell, who set his quickest lap time on part-worn tyres. Fourth on the grid will be Jordi Gene, whose engineers worked hard after the morning's two practice sessions to cure a brake problem, with Peter Terting in fifth place. Jorg Muller's BMW, which qualified third, appeared to be the only car in the same league as the SEAT Sport cars, and should be the biggest threat to the team's hopes of victory in Race 1.

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