Stefano Comini and Comtoyou Racing team-mate Frédéric Vervisch locked out the front row of the grid for the opening TCR International Series race at Spa-Francorchamps.
Having been second quickest in the opening Q1 session, Comini, like the rest of the field, had just one attempt at a flying lap in Q2, due to yellow flags being flown after the sole lap.
With that lap the defending champion put in a superb effort, taking his first pole in the new Audi RS3 LMS with the fastest lap of the event so far.
At their home event, it was a superb début for Comini’s new team-mate too, with rear-wheel drive expert Frédéric Vervisch following in second, just 0.067 seconds adrift of his more experienced tin-top colleague.
Boutsen Ginion Racing’s Benjamin Lessennes took third in his Honda, ahead of the leading Volkswagen of Leopard Racing’s Jean-Karl Vernay in fourth.
Vernay’s new team-mate, Rob Huff, was fifth fastest, a further two tenths back, whilst M1RA’s Attila Tassi took sixth for a weekend where team boss Norbert Michelisz is visiting in the paddock.
Sixth went to the second Boutsen Gionion Honda of Tom Coronel, who was the last driver to improve after not setting a quick lap the first time around and then going faster on his last flying lap.
Eighth went to Delahaye Racing’s Edouard Mondron, whilst on the front row of the grid for the reverse-grid second race will be Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Pepe Oriola, who qualified ninth, and Michaël Mazuin Sport’s Maxime Potty, who took tenth.
It was in fact Potty who caused the late Q2 yellow flag which scuppered other drivers final flying laps, when he spun into the tyres at the high-speed Eau Rouge corner, causing superficial damage to the front of his Volkswagen Golf.
Davit Kajaia was 11th after the GE-Force driver had two lap times deleted in Q2 for exceeding the track limits, whilst Zengő Motorsport’s Ferenc Ficza was 12th after failing to set a time, having earlier been fastest of all in Q1.
Both WestCoast Racing Volkswagen’s missed out on entry into Q2, with Gianni Morbidelli in 13th, just ahead of team-mate Giacomo Altoè in 14th.
Neither of the DG Sport Opels, which were so strong in qualifying last time out in Bahrain, progressed beyond Q1, with Pierre-Yves Corthals in 15th despite twice losing a lap time for track limits, and team-mate Mat’o Homola in 17th having also lost a time for the same offence.
Craft-Bamboo Racing had a dire session. Besides Oriola, who only just scraped into Q2, James Nash could only manage 16th and team-mate Hugo Valente down in 23rd, over five seconds off the pace.
Guillame Mondron had been fast early on in Q1, but the Belgian lost control of his Delahaye Racing SEAT at Turn 5 and hit the barriers hard, damaging his car and ending his session, eventually tumbling down to 22nd place.
The opening race takes place at 17:25 CEST (16:25 BST) on Friday afternoon.
Q2 results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 1 | Stefano COMINI |  |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 4 | 2:30.794 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 6 | Frédéric VERVISCH |  |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 4 | 2:30.861 | 0.067 |
| 3 | 63 | Benjamin LESSENNES | |
Boutsen Ginion Racing | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 4 | 2:31.038 | 0.244 |
| 4 | 2 | Jean-Karl VERNAY |  |
Leopard Racing Team WRT | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 4 | 2:31.130 | 0.336 |
| 5 | 3 | Rob HUFF |  |
Leopard Racing Team WRT | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 4 | 2:31.399 | 0.605 |
| 6 | 9 | Attila TASSI |  |
M1RA | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 4 | 2:31.762 | 0.968 |
| 7 | 64 | Tom CORONEL |  |
Boutsen Ginion Racing | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 4 | 2:32.829 | 2.035 |
| 8 | 25 | Edouard MONDRON | |
Delahaye Racing Team | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 4 | 2:32.924 | 2.130 |
| 9 | 74 | Pepe ORIOLA |  |
Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing | SEAT León TCR | 4 | 2:33.214 | 2.420 |
| 10 | 52 | Maxime POTTY | |
Michaël Mazuin Sport | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 2 | 2:41.807 | 11.013 |
| 11 | 16 | Davit KAJAIA |  |
GE-Force | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 4 | No time | N/A |
| 12 | 55 | Ferenc FICZA | |
Zele Racing | SEAT León TCR | 1 | No time | N/A |
Q1 results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | GAP |
| 1 | 55 | Ferenc FICZA | |
Zele Racing | SEAT León TCR | 5 | 2:31.205 | 0.000 |
| 2 | 1 | Stefano COMINI | |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 5 | 2:31.344 | 0.139 |
| 3 | 64 | Tom CORONEL | |
Boutsen Ginion Racing | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 7 | 2:31.499 | 0.294 |
| 4 | 3 | Rob HUFF | |
Leopard Racing Team WRT | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 7 | 2:31.515 | 0.310 |
| 5 | 6 | Frédéric VERVISCH | |
Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 6 | 2:31.594 | 0.389 |
| 6 | 63 | Benjamin LESSENNES | |
Boutsen Ginion Racing | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 4 | 2:31.850 | 0.645 |
| 7 | 2 | Jean-Karl VERNAY | |
Leopard Racing Team WRT | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 7 | 2:31.880 | 0.675 |
| 8 | 9 | Attila TASSI | |
M1RA | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 7 | 2:31.912 | 0.707 |
| 9 | 52 | Maxime POTTY | |
Michaël Mazuin Sport | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 7 | 2:31.949 | 0.744 |
| 10 | 25 | Edouard MONDRON | |
Delahaye Racing Team | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 8 | 2:31.960 | 0.755 |
| 11 | 74 | Pepe ORIOLA | |
Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing | SEAT León TCR | 7 | 2:32.011 | 0.806 |
| 12 | 16 | Davit KAJAIA | |
GE-Force | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 6 | 2:32.388 | 1.183 |
| 13 | 10 | Gianni MORBIDELLI |  |
West Coast Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 7 | 2:32.423 | 1.218 |
| 14 | 21 | Giacomo ALTOÈ | |
West Coast Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 7 | 2:32.752 | 1.547 |
| 15 | 23 | Pierre-Yves CORTHALS | |
DG Sport Compétition | Opel Astra TCR | 8 | 2:32.766 | 1.561 |
| 16 | 54 | James NASH | |
Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing | SEAT León TCR | 7 | 2:32.812 | 1.607 |
| 17 | 70 | Mat’o HOMOLA |  |
DG Sport Compétition | Opel Astra TCR | 7 | 2:32.908 | 1.703 |
| 18 | 5 | Roberto COLCIAGO | |
M1RA | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 7 | 2:32.940 | 1.735 |
| 19 | 62 | Dušan BORKOVIĆ |  |
GE-Force | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 6 | 2:32.946 | 1.741 |
| 20 | 34 | Stian PAULSEN |  |
Stian Paulsen Racing | SEAT León TCR | 6 | 2:33.824 | 2.619 |
| 21 | 11 | Jens Reno MOLLER |  |
Reno Racing | Honda Civic Type-R TCR | 6 | 2:35.611 | 4.406 |
| 22 | 12 | Guillaume MONDRON | |
Delahaye Racing Team | SEAT León TCR | 2 | 2:36.157 | 4.952 |
| 23 | 7 | Hugo VALENTE | |
Lukoil Craft-Bamboo Racing | SEAT León TCR | 5 | 2:36.702 | 5.497 |
| 24 | 18 | Duncan ENDE |  |
Icarus Motorsports | SEAT León TCR | 6 | 2:37.125 | 5.920 |