An incredibly breathless Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship qualifying session at Knockhill has seen Halfords Yuasa Racing driver Dan Cammish smash the qualifying lap record en route to pole position.
Dan was absolutely speechless when speaking to Louise Goodman following the session and who can blame him? After coming so close multiple times, he’s managed to finally get his car on pole and at a circuit where Gordon Shedden, the driver he replaced, called home.
The session was red flagged after a minute when Bobby Thompson stopped on track after Clark’s Corner when his Volkswagen CC spewed oil around three quarters of the lap. A legacy of his off in practice one earlier in the day.
When the action resumed, cement dust billowed around the circuit as the BTC Norlin Racing Honda Civic Type R of Chris Smiley started setting the pace, he was to have competition from the VW of Mike Bushell who looked set to replicate his Rockingham qualifying form.
As the circuit got more rubbered in, the pace of the rear-wheel drive cars began to show. Colin Turkington and Ashley Sutton both having short stints on provisional pole.
Rory Butcher looked quick at the start of the session, obviously the home circuit advantage important for the Scotsman. However, he did have a time deleted partway through the session.
Team Parker Racing had an incredible session with their driver Stephen Jelley one of only three drivers in the fifty second bracket. Second on the grid was his reward for pushing his BMW 125i M Sport to the absolute limit. He’ll be hoping that he can keep out of trouble long enough on the Sunday.
Third went to a disappointed Andrew Jordan who felt he could have gone quicker. Fastest in second practice, this highlighted that the BMW’s would be quick around the circuit. But nobody could have predicted that the fastest Beemer would be Jelley’s.
Fourth went to Colin Turkington ahead of Chris Smiley in fifth and Colin’s main title rival Tom Ingram in sixth.
Tom Oliphant showed great pace and will take seventh, Ash Sutton took an encouraging eighth and Rockingham pole sitter Adam Morgan took ninth. Josh Cook rounded out the top ten.
As well as the incident for Thompson, Matt Simpson got stuck on the grass halfway through the session and was unable to rejoin then former Eurotech team-mate Brett Smith had an high speed off with three minutes left to run. The Civic was far enough off the track to keep the session green.
Elsewhere down the field, Sam Tordoff will line-up sixteenth ahead of a disappointed Jack Goff. Meanwhile, last years pole sitter Jason Plato is eighteenth.
Carl Boardley set the twenty-eighth fastest time in his BTCC qualifying début.
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