Former champion Jules Gounon will start Sunday’s race in the German GT Championship at the Lausitzring from the front of the grid in his Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.

The Frenchman, who won the ADAC GT Masters title in 2017 and has returned to the racing series this year, secured the top spot on the timing sheet in the final minutes of the 20-minute qualifying session with a time of 1:21.981 minutes. He had previously set the pace with a 1:22.301-minute lap. Gounon was rewarded for his efforts with his first Pirelli Pole Position Award of the season, as well as an exclusive Bluetooth soundbar and three championship points.

“I am very happy,” said Gounon. “Pole position is a great gift for my team-mate Igor Walilko, who’s birthday it is today, and just reward for our mechanics, who worked on the car until five in the morning after our crash in the Saturday race. It is my first season with the Mercedes-AMG and I am still getting to know the car. Today was perfect. It feels good to be back on pole in the ADAC GT Masters. The last time was in 2017 in Hockenheim. We now want to challenge for the race win too.”

Goujon is joined on the front row of the grid for Sunday’s race by Lamborghini works driver Franck Perera. The Frenchman, who shares the Huracán GT3 of the GRT Grasser Racing Team with Rolf Ineichen, was 0.135 seconds slower than his compatriot in first place. Third place went to Maro Engel and Luca Stolz for Mann-Filter Team Landgraf – HTP/WWR in a Mercedes-AMG. Engel set a lap time of 1:22.198 minutes. Patric Niederhauser and Jusuf Owega (Phoenix Racing) qualified fourth in the fastest Audi R8 LMS. Maximilian Buhk and Raffaele Marciello, who currently sit second in the table, will start from fifth place in another Mercedes-AMG.

Saturday’s winners Christopher Mies and Ricardo Feller will defend their championship lead from seventh place on the grid. NITRO is broadcasting the eighth race of this season’s German GT Championship live from 12:00.