Matteo Cairoli continued his strong DTM form at Circuit Zandvoort on Saturday after a delayed qualifying session which started 20 minutes later due to oil on track because of Kelvin van der Linde his BMW. He leads an Emil Frey Racing Ferrari front-row lockout in similarly sunny and warm conditions. His teammate Thierry Vermeulen took second place in the Ferrari 296 GT3 at his home track.

Notable was the performance of Bastian Buus in the Porsche 911 GT3 R. After a difficult day yesterday and not ending up in the top 10, he took the Land Motorsport car to fourth position and was the best‑placed car of the German manufacturer.

Qualifying 1 – Top 10

  1. M. Cairoli #14 – Emil Frey Racing – Ferrari 296 GT3 – 1:32.974
  2. T. Vermeulen #69 – Emil Frey Racing – Ferrari 296 GT3 (+0.171)
  3. L. Auer #22 – Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf – Mercedes-AMG GT3 (+0.246)
  4. B. Buus #29 – Land Motorsport – Porsche 911 GT3 R (+0.011)
  5. B. Dörr #25 – Dörr Motorsport – McLaren 720S GT3 (+0.007)
  6. J. Gounon #48 – Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter – Mercedes-AMG GT3 (+0.029)
  7. L. Englster #130 – Red Bull Team Abt – Lamborghini Temerario GT3 (+0.103)
  8. M. Engel #80 – Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol – Mercedes-AMG GT3 (+0.006)
  9. N. Thimm #7 – Comtoyou Racing – Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo (+0.043)
  10. T. Preining #91 – Manthey Racing – Porsche 911 GT3 R (+0.192)

Matteo Cairoli – Emil Frey Racing (P1)

Matteo Cairoli was confident after taking pole position for Emil Frey Racing in Qualifying 1 at Zandvoort. The Italian said to GT REPORT that the Ferrari 296 GT3 felt strong around the Dutch circuit and suited the track far better than it had at the Red Bull Ring.

“The car feels very strong. I think we have a great package. I don’t want to be too arrogant but for sure, I would like to finish the job today.”

Cairoli explained that Zandvoort’s layout plays more to the Ferrari’s strengths, especially compared to the faster, more open nature of the Red Bull Ring.

”Definitely way better than at the Red Bull Ring considering it was a very quick track without so many corners, it was there a bit more complicated for us. But here in Zandvoort, the car is really fitting well. So, we are happy that it is like this and we try to finish the job today.”

Bastian Buus – Land Motorsport (P4)

After having a difficult Friday and not being able to finish either practice session inside the top 10, Land Motorsport knew they had to make changes to get a better result today in qualifying. By finishing P4 and being the best‑placed Porsche, the team did exactly that as Buus explains to GT REPORT.

“We worked our asses off trying to resolve our issues and I think this is the outcome we hoped for. You never know what’s going to happen, so for us it’s mega and the guys did a good job and now we have to work from here and collect the potential points we have waiting in front of us.”

The team has regained confidence and the aim is high for the race later today.

“We’re always chasing a P1, so let’s see.”

The first race of this weekend starts Saturday at 13:30

 

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