Julie B
2nd May 2010, 10:40
QUALIFYINGTom Chilton has taken a clear pole position in today’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship qualifying session at Brands Hatch.
Team Aon’s Chilton lapped the world famous Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in a record time of 1m31.604s to achieve his second pole in a row at the wheel of his LPG-turbo Ford Focus.
Chilton, aged 25 from Poole, said: “That was like a lap from the gods! The car out the back on the GP loop was right on the limit but so fast. I’m also confident that we can run the same set-up for the races but we’ll take a call in the morning – it could be wet and, out of all the days of testing we did pre-season, none were wet.”
Honda Racing Team driver Gordon Shedden was second, some 0.471s adrift but a similar distance ahead of third-fastest James Nash in his Triple Eight-run Vauxhall Vectra.
Scottish ace Shedden and rising star Nash, from Buckinghamshire, both believe Chilton is beatable tomorrow. Shedden said: “My best hope is he fluffs his start or screws his tyres in the opening laps.” Nash added: “I think my car will be kinder on its tyres compared to the Fords and Hondas so if I can hang on to them I’ll be hoping to charge back after them in the closing stages.”
Shedden’s team-mate Matt Neal was fourth, three places ahead of Silverline Chevrolet’s Jason Plato, the man he is chasing at the top of the points table. Both their cars are starting the weekend laden with success ballast. Meanwhile, completing the top six were leading BMW driver, WSR’s Robert Collard and Plato’s team-mate, youngster Alex MacDowall.
After seventh-placed Plato and rounding out the top ten came Andrew Jordan, eighth despite 'beaching' his Pirtek Vauxhall Vectra in the gravel trap at Clark Curve, Chilton's team-mate Tom Onslow-Cole and Paul O'Neill in Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Honda Integra. Notably, Onslow-Cole was left with just five minutes to make his mark after all his earlier times were expunged when his car failed a ride hight test.
Of the locals, Wrotham-based team Airwaves BMW’s two drivers Mat Jackson and Steven Kane qualified 13th and 14th, while Orpington’s Shaun Hollamby, in his VW Golf entered by West Thurrock outfit AmD Milltek Racing.com, was 19th.
One driver many were praising after qualifying was youngster Matt Hamilton, a fighting 15th and just 2.5s off pole in his older BTC-spec TH Motorsport Honda Civic Type R.
There were encouraging performances from newcomers Lea Wood and Martin Depper. Wood was a highly respectable 17th, within 2.7s of pole, in his Central Racing Group team's Honda Integra, while Depper just - by 0.120s - got the better of Forster Motorsport team-mate Arthur Forster to be 20th.
Pos Driver Car Time Gap
1. Tom Chilton Ford 1m31.604s
2. Gordon Shedden Honda 1m32.075s + 0.471s
3. James Nash Vauxhall 1m32.415s + 0.811s
4. Matt Neal Honda 1m32.424s + 0.820s
5. Rob Collard BMW 1m32.463s + 0.859s
6. Alex MacDowall Chevrolet 1m32.473s + 0.869s
7. Jason Plato Chevrolet 1m32.619s + 1.015s
8. Andrew Jordan Vauxhall 1m32.703s + 1.099s
9. Tom Onslow-Cole Ford 1m32.720s + 1.116s
10. Paul O'Neill Honda 1m32.844s + 1.240s
11. Tom Boardman SEAT 1m32.907s + 1.303s
12. David Pinkney Vauxhall 1m32.921s + 1.317s
13. Mat Jackson BMW 1m32.983s + 1.379s
14. Steven Kane BMW 1m32.997s + 1.393s
15. Matt Hamilton Honda 1m34.158s + 2.554s
16. Andy Neate BMW 1m34.164s + 2.560s
17. Lea Wood Honda 1m34.291s + 2.687s
18. John George Honda 1m34.319s + 2.715s
19. Shaun Hollamby Volkswagen 1m35.376s + 3.772s
20. Martin Depper BMW 1m36.031s + 4.427s
21. Arthur Forster BMW 1m36.151s + 4.547s
22. Martin Johnson Vauxhall 1m36.224s + 4.620s
Team Aon’s Chilton lapped the world famous Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in a record time of 1m31.604s to achieve his second pole in a row at the wheel of his LPG-turbo Ford Focus.
Chilton, aged 25 from Poole, said: “That was like a lap from the gods! The car out the back on the GP loop was right on the limit but so fast. I’m also confident that we can run the same set-up for the races but we’ll take a call in the morning – it could be wet and, out of all the days of testing we did pre-season, none were wet.”
Honda Racing Team driver Gordon Shedden was second, some 0.471s adrift but a similar distance ahead of third-fastest James Nash in his Triple Eight-run Vauxhall Vectra.
Scottish ace Shedden and rising star Nash, from Buckinghamshire, both believe Chilton is beatable tomorrow. Shedden said: “My best hope is he fluffs his start or screws his tyres in the opening laps.” Nash added: “I think my car will be kinder on its tyres compared to the Fords and Hondas so if I can hang on to them I’ll be hoping to charge back after them in the closing stages.”
Shedden’s team-mate Matt Neal was fourth, three places ahead of Silverline Chevrolet’s Jason Plato, the man he is chasing at the top of the points table. Both their cars are starting the weekend laden with success ballast. Meanwhile, completing the top six were leading BMW driver, WSR’s Robert Collard and Plato’s team-mate, youngster Alex MacDowall.
After seventh-placed Plato and rounding out the top ten came Andrew Jordan, eighth despite 'beaching' his Pirtek Vauxhall Vectra in the gravel trap at Clark Curve, Chilton's team-mate Tom Onslow-Cole and Paul O'Neill in Sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Honda Integra. Notably, Onslow-Cole was left with just five minutes to make his mark after all his earlier times were expunged when his car failed a ride hight test.
Of the locals, Wrotham-based team Airwaves BMW’s two drivers Mat Jackson and Steven Kane qualified 13th and 14th, while Orpington’s Shaun Hollamby, in his VW Golf entered by West Thurrock outfit AmD Milltek Racing.com, was 19th.
One driver many were praising after qualifying was youngster Matt Hamilton, a fighting 15th and just 2.5s off pole in his older BTC-spec TH Motorsport Honda Civic Type R.
There were encouraging performances from newcomers Lea Wood and Martin Depper. Wood was a highly respectable 17th, within 2.7s of pole, in his Central Racing Group team's Honda Integra, while Depper just - by 0.120s - got the better of Forster Motorsport team-mate Arthur Forster to be 20th.
Pos Driver Car Time Gap
1. Tom Chilton Ford 1m31.604s
2. Gordon Shedden Honda 1m32.075s + 0.471s
3. James Nash Vauxhall 1m32.415s + 0.811s
4. Matt Neal Honda 1m32.424s + 0.820s
5. Rob Collard BMW 1m32.463s + 0.859s
6. Alex MacDowall Chevrolet 1m32.473s + 0.869s
7. Jason Plato Chevrolet 1m32.619s + 1.015s
8. Andrew Jordan Vauxhall 1m32.703s + 1.099s
9. Tom Onslow-Cole Ford 1m32.720s + 1.116s
10. Paul O'Neill Honda 1m32.844s + 1.240s
11. Tom Boardman SEAT 1m32.907s + 1.303s
12. David Pinkney Vauxhall 1m32.921s + 1.317s
13. Mat Jackson BMW 1m32.983s + 1.379s
14. Steven Kane BMW 1m32.997s + 1.393s
15. Matt Hamilton Honda 1m34.158s + 2.554s
16. Andy Neate BMW 1m34.164s + 2.560s
17. Lea Wood Honda 1m34.291s + 2.687s
18. John George Honda 1m34.319s + 2.715s
19. Shaun Hollamby Volkswagen 1m35.376s + 3.772s
20. Martin Depper BMW 1m36.031s + 4.427s
21. Arthur Forster BMW 1m36.151s + 4.547s
22. Martin Johnson Vauxhall 1m36.224s + 4.620s