Tom Chilton takes pole position for BTCC qualifying race at Snetterton

Credit: BTCC

As usual, the grid was split into two groups for the qualifying session. Dan Cammish was one to watch in the first group, after topping Free Practice earlier this morning. In the end, Team VERTU’s Tom Chilton would finish quickest in group one, whereas Charles Rainford topped group two. Chilton will start on pole as he set the quickest overall lap time.

Due to the high temperatures across the United Kingdom this weekend, the tyre warming procedure was quicker than normal, as some drivers pitted early to perform a tyre cross. Aiden Moffat was the first driver to set a representative lap time, with a 1:56.847, still a long way off the pace shown in Free Practice.

Josh Cook went quickest with roughly seven minutes remaining in the first session, with a time of 1:55.485, aboard his Speedworks Toyota. Dan Rowbottom followed quickly behind in second in his Plato Racing Mercedes. Chilton, who has had a massively difficult start to the season, would then go quickest with a time of 1:55.194. Cook and Cammish were second and third as the session approached the final minutes.

Credit: BTCC

As everyone aimed to improve their times, improvements were found, but ultimately no one was able to usurp the Hyundai of Chilton. Cook and Cammish remained in second and third, ahead of Rowbottom, Adam Morgan and Moffat. Then came the NAPA Racing UK Ford’s of Sam Osborne and Lewis Selby, ahead of Chris Smiley. Ricky Collard struggled to tenth ahead of Max Buxton.

The second session then got underway, with the remaining ten drivers taking to the track. NAPA’s Ash Sutton was the first driver of group two to set a competitive lap time, with a 1:55.664. WSR’s Charles Rainford would follow behind into second, less than a tenth of a second slower.

Tom Ingram would then rise to the top of the timings, midway through the session, setting a 1:55.485 in his Team VERTU Hyundai. Sutton would go fractionally quicker, but lost the time due to track limits. Rainford then improved to a time of 1:55.419, becoming quickest in the session so far.

Credit: BTCC

No major improvements were found in the final minutes of the second session, with Rainford finishing the session quickest, ahead of Ingram and an impressive James Dorlin. Sutton dropped to fourth late in the session. Then came Daryl DeLeon, Dexter Patterson, Mikey Doble and Gordon Shedden. Árón Taylor-Smith and Nicolas Hamilton were the slowest two in the session.

Chilton will therefore start the race to pole from first, alongside Rainford. Cook and Ingram make up row two, ahead of Cammish and Restart Racing’s Dorlin on the third row. Rowbottom, Sutton, Morgan and DeLeon rounded off the top ten.

The race to pole is due to get underway at 15:05 local time.