Jack Mitchell stormed to GT3 race one pole in the Macmillan AMR Aston Martin Vantage, whilst Phil Keen claimed the class honours for race two. In GT4, Lanan Racing bagged race one pole whilst Tolman Motorsport sealed top spot for race two.
A sun-soaked Snetterton qualifying session started with the first 10 minute AM session to decide the GT3 order for race one, with the #24 Macmillan AMR Aston Martin Vantage GT3 of Mitchell climbing to the top of the early standings with a 1:48:555 lap time.
Keeping within the narrow confines of Snetterton’s winding curves proved difficult early on, with the #7 Team Parker Racing Bentley Continental GT3 of Ian Loggie having his initial lap time removed for breaching track limits.
Barwell Motorsport‘s #33 Lamborghini Huracan had to settle for second in the qualifying for race one despite dominating both practice sessions, with Jon Minshaw‘s best effort nine-tenths behind Mitchell’s storming pole time.
The PRO class drivers emerged on the track to decided the GT3 order for race two, with reigning GT3 champion Jonny Adam in the #1 TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage claiming an early pole to make it a provisional Aston Martin GT3 double.
Barwell battled back though and quickly stormed to an emphatic one-two in qualifying for race two. The #6 Lamborghini Huracan of Sam Tordoff briefly surged to the top spot, before an impressive 1:47:332 lap time from GT3 championship leader Keen saw the #33 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini claim pole position for race two by six tenths.
In GT4 AM, the PMW Expo Racing/Optimum Motorsport #501 Ginetta G55 GT4 of Graham Johnson set the early pace, claiming provisional pole for race one ahead of the #111 Century Motorsport Ginetta G55 of Anna Walewska by half a second.
A fierce battle for the pole began heading into the latter stages of the session however, with Alex Reed in the #51 Lanan Racing Ginetta G55 topping the timing sheets by nine thousandths of a second ahead of GT4 championship leader Will Tregurtha in the #55 HHC Motorsport Ginetta.
Both of their times would be briefly toppled though as Sandy Mitchell in the #100 Black Bull Garage 59 McLaren 570S registered the fastest time of the session. Controversially, Mitchell’s lap time was negated and struck for breaching track limits, handing GT4 pole for race one to Reed.
The fourth and final session to shape the GT4 grid for race two began with Adam Mackay in the #72 Track-Club McLaren 570s GT4 hitting the front, before being beaten to the top spot and pole position by the #56 Tolman Motorsport McLaren of Joe Osborne.
The McLaren front row lockout was split apart by the #55 HHC Motorsport Ginetta G55 of Stuart Middleton, who claimed second a further three tenths behind Osborne.
Lanan Racing’s Ginetta G55 took pole for race 1 with Tolman Motorsport taking race two in their McLaren. (Credit: Nick Smith/TheImageTeam.com)
