Porsche dominate second qualifying - title rivals neck-and-neck

• Three Porsches up front in qualifying for second Hockenheim race - pole for Ragginger
• Championship contenders set to go head-to-head in Audi and Corvette
• SPORT1 will broadcast today's race live at 1 pm

Hockenheim: Three Porsches took the top positions in qualifying for the second race of the ADAC GT Masters season finale at the Hockenheimring. Martin Ragginger (28, A, Precote Herberth Motorsport) secured pole position. The title fight remains thrilling to the end, as championship leader Christopher Mies (27, DEU, Montaplast by Land-Motorsport) in the Audi R8 will line up directly behind the second-placed driver in the standings, Daniel Keilwitz (27, DEU, Callaway Competition) in the Corvette C7. SPORT1 will broadcast the fixture live on free-to-air TV, while the race can be followed online as a live stream at www.sport1.de and www.adac.de/gt-masters and on Facebook.

"The team have done a great job and given us a terrific car," said Ragginger, who shares the drive in the Porsche 911 with team-mate Robert Renauer (31, DEU). "We already knew from the free practice sessions that we would be very strong here in Hockenheim. I'm happy about this pole position, especially as it's my first this year. We're definitely aiming for victory in this race in order to bring a fitting close to the season. In the normal way of things, it would be Robert (Renauer) and me fighting to the end for the title, but unfortunately, we had too many setbacks to deal with."

The Hockenheimring was dry on Sunday after the rain of the first day of the season finale. Teams and drivers were seldom out on track for the start of qualifying, but then there was plenty of traffic in the closing stages of the 20-minute session. In the end, Martin Ragginger managed to post best time of 1:39.613 minutes. Fellow Porsche driver Kévin Estre (27, F, KÜS TEAM75 Bernhard) posted the second-fastest lap with a deficit of just under three tenths of a second. Placed third overall in the standings, his team-mate, David Jahn (25, DEU), still has a mathematical chance of winning the title. Marvin Dienst (19, DEU) and Christopher Zanella (26, CH, both bigFM Racing Team Schütz Motorsport) will line up in grid slot three in another Porsche 911.

Rolf Ineichen (38, CH) & Christian Engelhart (29, DEU, both GRT Grasser Racing Team) placed fourth in the Lamborghini Huracán. Nicolai Sylvest (19, DK) & Nikolaj Rogivue (20, CH, both AMG Team Zakspeed) were fifth in the Mercedes-AMG. Things behind them are certainly looking interesting as regards the championship decider, because Jules Gounon (21 F) and Daniel Keilwitz (both Callaway Competition), who are in second place overall, will occupy grid position six in their Corvette C7, directly in front of championship leaders Connor De Phillippi (23, USA) and Christopher Mies (both Montaplast by Land-Motorsport) in the Audi R8. De Phillippi & Mies have a lead of twelve points on Gounon & Keilwitz in the drivers' standings.

Jordan Pepper (20, ZA) and Daniel Abt (23, DEU, both Bentley Team ABT) qualified in eighth position on the grid in the best-placed Bentley Continental. The Top Ten was completed by the two Audis of Philip Geipel (29, DEU) & Rahel Frey (30, CH, both YACO Racing) and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky (23, S) & Pierre Kaffer (39, DEU, both Aust Motorsport).