Beijing Guoan on pole as Aussie Martin stars in qualifying

Australia may have made a bad start to the World Cup after a first game drubbing by Germany, while China haven't even qualified for the tournament in South Africa, but both nations are celebrating this evening as Aussie John Martin put Chinese club Beijing Guoan on pole position by winning the qualifying knock out at round 4 of Superleague Formula by Sonangol in Jarama. Martin was fast in every session and was the only driver to dip below the 1 minute 21 second barrier in qualifying as he dominated a difficult Group A. He went on to beat championship leader Craig Dolby (Tottenham Hotspur) in the quarter final, fourth placed Max Wissel (FC Basel) in the semis and second place Yelmer Buurman (AC Milan) in the final to secure his first ever Superleague Formula pole position. His battle with the in-form Buurman in the final was a dramatic affair as the Milan star led in the first sector, before Martin turned it around in sector 2 and crossed the finish line 0.254 seconds clear. Buurman will start alongside Martin on the front row for tomorrow's first race, while the impressive Chris van der Drift (Olympiacos) will share the second row with Wissel, despite the fact that his car missed time in the morning's free practice session with an oil leak.