Gounon Takes Pole as 2 Seas Makes Waves at Magny-Cours

Jules Gounon scored a second pole position in his second substitute GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup appearance as 2 Seas-run Mercedes-AMGs locked out the front row for the first race at Magny-Cours.

Gounon was again taking the place of Chris Lulham aboard the Verstappen Racing No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo as the Briton continues to recover from having his appendix removed and, just as at Misano, he took a pole.

Gounon clocked a 1:36.023 to set the benchmark in the opening Magny-Cours qualifying session as the drivers had a chance to experience the French track in warmer and drier conditions than during Friday practice, after FP2 had to be shortened amid the bad weather.

Kiern Jewiss in the sister Bronze Cup No. 222 Mercedes-AMG was just fractionally slower than his teammate, the reigning British GT champion posting a 1:36.189 to go second quickest.

The best of the BMW M4 GT3 EVOs was third fastest with the No. 46 WRT crew posting a 1:36.411 thanks to Max Hesse.

The BMW was fractionally faster than another pair of Mercedes-AMGs with Lucas Auer setting the fourth fastest time at the wheel of the No. 48 Winward Racing machine, which sits second in the points table heading into the weekend, with a 1:36.433.

The second fastest of the Bronze crews, the No. 12 GetSpeed car of Fabian Schiller, was then in fifth overall thanks to a 1:36.446.

Sixth fastest was the best of the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evos, the No. 7 Comtoyou Racing entry of Kobe Pauwels, who registered a 1:36.470.

Meanwhile, the sister No. 21 Aston of Oliver Soderstrom managed a 1:36.490 to grab Silver Cup pole in seventh overall.

Another Mercedes-AMG, the No. 87 Bronze Cup Winward entry of Marvin Dienst was eighth, while the top-ten was rounded out by the No. 50 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo of Thomas Neubauer and the No. 30 WRT BMW of Matisse Lismont that tops the Silver Cup points table.

Gold Cup pole was taken by Gilles Magnus in 12th overall in the No. 10 Boutsen VDS Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo.

Overall points leader Charles Weerts could only manage 17th in the No. 32 WRT BMW while there was disappointment for Amaury Cordeel in the sister No. 31 car as repeated track-limits infringements resulted in all of his times being deleted and will therefore start last.

The first hour-long GTWC Europe race of the Magny-Cours weekend is due to get under way later as darkness descends at 9:05 p.m. CEST (3:05 p.m. EST).

RESULTS: Qualifying