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It was all Seat in qualifying

SEAT Sport turbodiesel cars have claimed the top four positions on the grid for tomorrow’s first race.SEAT Sport turbodiesel cars have claimed the top four positions on the grid for tomorrow’s first race. Qualifying was all about the SEAT drivers who will line up on the grid with the three Championship leaders – Yvan Muller, Gabriele Tarquini and Rickard Rydell – in the top four places.

Muller and Tarquini changed positions repeatedly throughout the session in the attempt to take pole. In the end last year's pole sitter Yvan Muller improved his time from 2007 (1:59.487) and set the fastest today, with a lap of 1:59.213. Tarquini finished very closely behind him (1:59.247), with Jordi Gené taking third position (1:59.879). Rydell took the fourth (1:59.963) proving that the team's plan worked beautifully.

SEAT med clocked each fastest lap in the slipstream of their team mates. Gené spent most of the session acting as a pull to the rest of the team, until in the final minutes he was able to set his own fast time. The four León Tdi cars were the only ones in the field to break the two-minute wall.

The only SEAT driver who had not been able to take advantage of the teamwork was Tiago Monteiro, who qualified in tenth place; the Portuguese lost his car at Parabolica during his last attempt and drove wide.

Following his practice fastest times Augusto Farfus could only manage fifth place, as the BMW tried to play the same game as the SEATs but without the same success. Highest placed Chevrolet, Nicola Larini took sixth position, with his team mates close behind him: Alain Menu in seventh and Robert Huff in ninth. Andy Priaulx was sandwiched betweem them in eighth.

James Thompson, who won the second race in Imola could only qualify his Honda Accord in thirteenth, behind Independents' Trophy pole position holder Pierre-Yves Corthals who took eleventh place overall, several places ahead of his nearest rival Sergio Hernández who is sixteenth.

There were very few incidents in this session, as the drivers seemed to have found their stride on the circuit. Only a couple of drivers cut the second chicane in this session, and only Hernández went straight at the first one.

Manabu Orido emerged as the fastest of the Japanese patrol, qualifying his Chevrolet Lacetti in 20th position, with Aoki 22nd and Taniguchi 26th.

The grid