Alonso gets first pole position start since 2012!

©WEC

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Fernando Alonso will launch his WEC super season from pole position tomorrow at Spa, the Spaniard promoted to the spot after Toyota's n°7 sister was excluded from the results.

Alonso gets a front row seat in a race for the first time since the 2012 German Grand Prix, when he secured pole position with Ferrari at Hockenheim.

The World Endurance Championship's rules require that two drivers from each crew set at least one timed lap during qualifying, with the average of the two best lap times (the best from each driver) serving as the reference time for establishing the grid.

Take a lap around Spa with Toyota's Fernando Alonso

Alonso was paired with Kazuki Nakajima on the n°8 Toyota but the duo was initially beaten to pole by the sister car of Mike Conway and former F1 driver Kamui Kobayashi.

The faster n°7 car had its time deleted however due to an "incorrect declaration of fuel flow meter", an administrative error according to the Spa stewards. The Conway- Kobayashi- Lopez car will subsequently start its race tomorrow from the pitlane, but only when the last car in the field finishes its first lap.

"In qualifying, to get the lap together with no mistakes, no problems, obviously with the red flags and things like that, it's always difficult to get the full focus on it," Alonso said before the exclusion was known by the Japanese team.

"We will start on the first row of the grid. It's a long time since I had that! It's a superb performance. The team is just amazing. One-two is a perfect start. We want to convert this in tomorrow's race."

Unfortunately, the session as red-flagged early on when DragonSpeed's Pietro Fittipaldi crashed at Eau Rouge when he lost control on the entry to the treacherous corner and violently hit the outside tyre barriers.

Fittipaldi, the grandson of two-time F1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi, was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with two broken legs. His team confirmed however that his conditions was not life-threatening.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.