FIA GT, Budapest - Qualifying Report
Pole For Müller And Westbrook

It was fine and dry as the qualifying session started in Hungary, with the GT2 cars out for their 15 minutes of fame first as always; but heavy clouds on the horizon threatened rain.

As a result, cars were out on the track as soon as the clock started ticking down, with the intention to put in a banker should things turn wet. The two CRS Ferraris led a train of ten cars out onto the track; Andrew Kirkaldy eager to repeat his feat of pole and a win the last time the series raced here in 2006.

The Scot's first flier was more than a second off the fastest time, however, on that first lap; Gimmi Bruni kicking things off with a 1:47.405.

Alvaro Barba-Lopez improved to 1:47.262 on the next lap in the #51 AF Corse Ferrari, before Richard Westbrook went top with 1:47.043; the new ballast so far seemingly having little effect on the #60 ProSpeed Porsche's pace.

At the half-way point, Kirkaldy was just eight-tenths off pole, but with the class as close as ever, that meant ninth place. Tim Mullen, meanwhile, took the #55 CRS 430 to third in class with five minutes to go, when he stopped the clock at 1:47.347.

The timing screen showed Andrej Studenic at the top of the times, with a 1:45.399, but given that he was in a Saleen S7 - the only runner in the G2 class - this was to all intents and purposes an irrelevance.

With just over three minutes remaining, Paolo Ruberti dropped the #77 BMS Ferrari into the kitty litter and was well and truly stuck. The car was quickly retrieved, but the yellow flags meant that further improvements were unlikely.

1.023 seconds separated pole from tenth in class, with only Diego Romanini significantly off the pace in the #78 Ferrari.

After a delay caused by the post-Ruberti clean-up, it was the turn of the GT1s to qualify. Stephane Lémeret led the big cars onto the track in the newly-liveried Full Speed Saleen.

The sun was now shining, but the threat of rain still very present with spots of rain reported at several corners.

Enrique Bernoldi was in fighting mood and opened proceedings with a 1:42.729 on the #8 Sangari Corvette. Alex Müller, however, was equally determined and went to the top with 1:42.582. Not for long, however; Karl Wendlinger lowering the bar to 1:42.369.

The Brazilian had kept his foot down, meanwhile, and went back to the top with a 1:42.166; and this time Müller fell a tenth short.

Xavier Maassen was the next-best Corvette, in fourth with 1:42.563, while the Mike Hezemans C6.R was unable to get within a second and a half with its post-Spa 100kg of ballast.

At almost exactly the halfway point, Müller went back to the top with 1:41.815, with Wendlinger going to second shortly afterwards on 1:41.929.

As the session entered the final third, several cars had already called it a day, including those of Bernoldi, Maassen and Hezemans.

With two minutes remaining, Wendlinger came within three-tenths of Müller's time and signaled that the German's pole was now safe.

Alex Pier Guidi, meanwhile, was making good progress in the #33 Maserati, and rose to fourth near the end with a 1:42.375.