McNish bags pole at Spaposted in LMANS04 | 05 | 2012

SCOTLAND'S ALLAN McNISH powered Audi’s revolutionary diesel hybrid to pole-position for the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, tomorrow.

McNish, who starts alongside fellow Brit Oliver Jarvis on the front row of the 41-car grid, posted a fastest time of 2min 01.579secs (128.87mph) around the 4.35-mile Spa-Francorchamps track.

“Qualifying was tense but I’m obviously delighted to have made history by claiming ‘pole’ with Audi’s brand new diesel hybrid sportscar,” McNish, who will be partnered by Tom Kristensen (Denmark) and Dindo Capello (Italy), in the Spa Six Hour race, said.

"The balance of my Audi was good in qualifying and I managed two good laps. I claimed pole-position in the debut race for the diesel R10 TDI in 2006, so getting this is very special.

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"Audi Sport has done a fantastic job with everyone working extremely hard in a very short timescale.

“The race will be tough. There are three other Audi sportscars that are capable of winning with drivers hungry for success as well as Tom, Dindo and I. Whatever it will be a good dress rehearsal for next month’s Le Mans.”

Jarvis, from Burwell, Cambridge, shares his “non hybrid” Audi R18 ultra with Marco Bonanomi and it was the Italian who clocked the second fastest time (2:02.093s) in today’s 20-mins time trials.

“Marco did a stunning job in qualifying,” Oliver who, like Bonanomi, makes his Audi “factory” sportscar race debut in Belgium, said. “Practice over the past couple of days has gone well so I’m very optimistic of having a good race.”

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Jim McGill