Bahrain, Nov 13 (IANS): Raj Bharath qualified on pole position for Race 1 of Round 2 of the MRF Challenge 2014 at Bahrain International Circuit here Thursday.

GP3 driver Ryan Cullen traded fastest laps with Bharath but had to settle for second place on the grid, just 0.076 seconds off pole position.

Championship leader Toby Sowery will start from third position while it was a good day for Indian fans with Vikash Anand enjoying his best ever qualifying session in the MRF Challenge to start fourth on the grid.

Bharath started off with a strong first lap, but Cullen was quick to match it and go faster. This went on for the next five laps with both drivers exchanging fastest laps and almost nothing to choose from them.

With 15 minutes to go, the qualifying session was red flagged after a racing incident between Tarun Reddy and Advait Deodhar, ruining both their sessions.

When the session resumed, it was the same story with Bharath leading Cullen by 0.033secs. Both drivers still managed to go faster with the Indian driver holding off for pole position.

"It was a really close session and even after the red flag, I felt we had the pace to go faster. Cullen was close and it was a great battle for pole position. I am confident ahead of tomorrow and look forward to fighting for the win," said Bharath.