Rovanperä is now participating in his third race weekend in the Porsche Cup circuit racing series. Over the course of the weekend, two rounds will be held at Austria’s Red Bull Ring, with the race events kicking off on Saturday morning with qualifying.
While Friday’s free practice sessions at the Red Bull Ring were affected by rain, the qualifying session was held on a dry track without any rain interruptions. Rovanperä found a strong pace with his RedAnt Racing team’s car, ultimately setting the second-fastest lap time.
Rovanperä finished just 0.202 seconds behind the leading time set by Belgian driver Benjamin Paque. Paque has claimed two race wins this season.
As a result, Paque will start Saturday’s race from pole position, with Rovanperä lining up beside him in second place. Dutch driver Niels Langeveld secured the third spot on the grid.
Saturday’s qualifying session also determined the starting order for Sunday’s race based on the drivers’ second-fastest lap times. In this comparison, Rovanperä achieved the fourth-fastest time.
Ahead of the Finnish rally star on Sunday’s grid will be Paque, Dutchman Sacha Norden, and Dirk Schouten, who currently leads the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux series.
Rovanperä last competed on the circuit in early July at Italy’s Imola, where he was in superb form. He finished second in the weekend’s opening race and won the second race, marking the Finnish star’s first victory in a circuit race.
The first race at the Red Bull Ring is set to begin on Saturday evening at 17:05 CET.
