Qualifying in Hockenheim: Larini scores pole position.

Drizzle in Hockenheim, yet racing legend Nicola Larini was not at sea in his Volkswagen. In the opening race of the Scirocco R-Cup the 1993 DTM Champion took pole position for this afternoon’s race, having already set the pace in free practice. His qualifying lap of 2:10,049 minutes saw the 49-year-old relegate 18 talented drivers plus three former Formula 1 stars, namely Eric van de Poele (51), Jan Lammers (56) and Martin Donnelly (49).

Starting directly behind Larini are South Africa’s Kelvin van der Linde (2:10,215) and Nicolaj Moller Madsen from Denmark (2:10,265). Fastest of the two women in the field was the Danish lady Michelle Gatting (2:10,536) in a remarkable fifth place. The first race of the season starts at 16:25, when Larini will no doubt attempt to take his first Scirocco R-Cup victory, having scored two third places in Hockenheim (2011) and at the Norisring (2012) respectively.