Alex Yoong thrived in qualifying for the Mexican AIGP Grand Prix to give Team Malaysia pole position with a total time of 2:53.138s. The ex-Minardi driver had secured top spot on the grid after the third segment having dominated all three sessions and was the only driver to break the 1 minute 27 seconds barrier in those sessions.
The only other driver to get into the 1 minute 26 seconds in the end was Christian Vietoris who will start alongside Yoong on the front row on his debut.
The 17-year-old was just ahead of Team Great Britain's Oliver Jarvis who is making just his second appearance for the team having replaced Robbie Kerr. The home crowd will be pleased with the performance of its countryman Salvador Duran who was fourth fastest and could have gone quicker had he not been held up by Team America's Jonathan Summerton on his final flying lap.
The third row of the grid will be filled by Team France's Jean Karl Vernay and Team Portugal's Alvaro Parente whilst former F3000 champion Bruno Junqeira will start tomorrow's race from seventh position.
Team New Zealand's Jonny Reid will be disappointed with his fourteenth on the grid and being over two seconds slower than Yoong's combined time. The 30 points deficit between Team Germany and Team New Zealand at the top of the championship points' board looks like it could be stretched this weekend. Also struggling to be competitive was Team Ireland's Richard Lyons who will line up a lowly twentieth on the grid.
