‘Pechito’ López’s first apperance in the WTCC is rapidly becoming more and more impressive as the Argentine driver is getting used to the Wiechers-Sport BMW car.
In the first part of the Qualifying session, López set the eighth fastest lap time – a performance that placed him among the top twelve drivers who advanced to Q2. He was also the only BMW man to avoid the cut at the end of Q1. Then he qualified tenth in Q2, meaning he will start from pole position on the reversed top-ten grid for tomorrow’s second race.
“I am very pleased, because for a rookie it is not easy to be competitive straight away in this championship against the best touring car drivers. I still have a lot to learn, though I am lucky, because it seems that this track suits the BMW car quite well. I could have set a better lap time, but on my last attempt I found a group of cars that had slowed down and decided to abort. Starting from pole in Race 2 is fantastic, especially because the BMW is better than the other cars from a standing start. Now I have to be very careful in the first race, in order to avoid problems and save the car for the second,” he said.
Never in the history of the WTCC has a driver been able to win on his maiden appearance.