Bastian Buus Secures Pole Position in GT World Challenge Europe at Zandvoort
Zandvoort, Netherlands – Bastian Buus showcased a commanding performance in qualifying for Race 1 of the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup at Circuit Zandvoort, clinching pole position with a lap time of 1:32.812 in the #89 Lionspeed GP Porsche 911 GT3.R (992). This marks the team’s first overall pole in the series and highlights the historic achievement of a Bronze Cup entry starting at the front.
Buus’s time outpaced Gilles Magnus, who secured second place with a 1:33.003 in the #25 Saintéloc Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II. Reflecting on his top run, Buus noted, “We had a bit of struggle yesterday, but the sister car was good, so we knew we had the pace… A lot of work has been done, late hours, and now we take the success from it.”
Qualifying Format and Notable Results
To accommodate the 41-car grid at the tight Dutch circuit, a split qualifying format was employed. Pro and Gold category cars ran a 10-minute session, followed by a session for Silver and Bronze entries. The race grid is determined by combined results from both sessions.
In the opening session, Magnus led with a lap of 1:33.033, edging out Patric Niederhauser in the #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche by just 0.015 seconds. Magnus also secured the Gold Cup pole, starting 12 positions ahead of Adam Smalley in the #58 Garage 59 McLaren GT3 Evo.
Dylan Pereira’s effort in the #66 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi with a 1:33.090 earned him fourth overall. Notable performances also came from Alessio Rovera in the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 and Luca Engstler in the #63 GRT Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2.
Drivers’ championship leader Lucas Auer qualified seventh in the #48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. His session was marked by a gravel excursion during his last flying lap, adding a hint of drama to an otherwise clean qualifying.
Additional Highlights
Alex Aka clinched Silver Cup pole with a time of 1:33.556, securing 22nd overall. Loek Hartog and Mex Jansen completed the Silver podium positions. In a disappointing turn, Team WRT’s Charles Weerts managed only a 19th-place qualifying result in the #32 BMW M4 GT3 Evo.
Race 1 is set to commence at 15:00 CEST today.
Results & Full Grid Details Available
Images courtesy of SRO/JEP
